Design and Technology Intent, Implementation and Impact

Design and Technology Intent

At Greatfield Park Primary School, we recognise that design technology develops children's skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. It inspires children's creativity and encourages them to think about important issues.

By fulfilling the requirements of the National Curriculum for design technology, pupils will be able to build on what they already know, understand and can do.  This will be achieved through the teaching of a broad and balanced curriculum that ensures the progressive development of knowledge and skills.

Pupils will be taught how to develop creative, technical and imaginative thinking skills and to develop confidence to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.  Alongside this they will learn how to talk about how things work and to develop their technical knowledge, thus supporting the application of pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical skills, using subject specific vocabulary.

Following the process of design, make and evaluate, pupils will learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens.  This sequence of learning will be consistently revisited to embed learning and enable pupils to reach expected level in design technology by the end of the Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 milestones. 

We will foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making things, through experiential learning, using the local environment as a context for learning in design technology.

At Greatfield Park Primary School, design technology is fully inclusive for every pupil.  All pupils with SEND are fully supported and more-able technicians will be challenged accordingly.

Design and Technology Implementation

Design Technology is planned through the Cornerstones Curriculum 22.  The design and technology projects are well sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s designing, planning, making and evaluating skills.  Each project is based around a design and technology subject focus of structures, mechanisms, cooking and nutrition or textiles. The design and technology curriculum’s electronic systems, IT monitoring and control elements are explicitly taught in our science projects to ensure the links between the subjects are highlighted. Where possible, meaningful links to other areas of the curriculum have been made and all the projects follow a structure where children are introduced to key concepts and build up knowledge and skills over time, using a more comprehensive range of equipment and building, cutting, joining, finishing and cooking techniques as they progress through school.

All projects contain focused, practical tasks in the ‘Develop’ stage to help children gain the knowledge and skills needed to complete their Innovate tasks independently.

In EYFS, the framework is structured very differently to the national curriculum as it is organised across seven areas of learning rather than subject areas.  The statements from the 2020 Development Matters are prerequisite skills for design technology within the national curriculum.  The most relevant statements for design technology in Reception are taken from the following areas of learning:

Physical Development – Children will learn to progress towards a more fluent style of moving, with developing control and grace.  They will also develop their small motor skills so that they can use a range of tools competently, safely and confidently.  Alongside this, they will learn to use their core muscle strength to achieve a good posture when sitting at a table or sitting on the floor.

Expressive Arts and Design – Children will learn to explore, use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express their ideas and feelings.  They will also return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them.  Alongside this, they will create collaboratively, sharing ideas, resources and skills.

Throughout Key Stages 1 and 2, children build up their knowledge and understanding of the iterative design process. They design, make, test and evaluate their products to match specific design criteria and ensure they fit their purpose. Throughout the projects, children are taught to work hygienically and safely.

Design and Technology Impact

The impact for our Design Technology curriculum will be evidenced through ‘Progression of Skills’ and ‘Progression of Vocabulary’ documents.  Assessment of this subject will be based on teachers monitoring whether children are ‘on track’ or ‘not on track’ for specific areas of the Design Technology curriculum.  Monitoring will be measured through pupil voice, pupil engagement and quality of work produced.  Photographic evidence of work displayed will source the quality of work produced.