Statement of Curriculum Intent – Design and Technology
The Big Ideas / Key Concepts for Design and Technology are:
- Designing
- Making
- Evaluating/refining
- Technical knowledge
The overarching aim of the Design and Technology curriculum at Duxford C of E Community Primary School is to equip learners with the necessary skills, techniques and knowledge in order to empower them to design, make and evaluate products according to specific design briefs.
Our aim is that children leave this school:
- Able to design realistic products that meet a specific need.
- With a knowledge of a variety of structures/mechanisms that can be used when designing a specific product.
- Confident and safe when using a range of tools in a range of contexts.
- As reflective learners, able to evaluate and improve their own designs by referring back to original design criteria.
- Confident and resilient when attempting design-based problems.
- Able to work collaboratively on design and making tasks.
The curriculum coverage ensures this by:
- Using a holistic approach that builds on prior learning and the needs of the individual child.
- Focusing upon the four key concepts (as outlined above).
- Allowing scope for a variety of practical activities, including the refinement of tool-based techniques and problems set in ‘real-life’ contexts.
- Revisiting and building upon prior learning experiences.
- Making links with the school, local and wider community wherever possible.
Teaching should ensure that there is a regular review of prior learning at the start of each lesson. Key vocabulary should be actively taught and definitions learned by children and these should be displayed in the classroom. Lessons should be planned so that children learn important information in a logical sequence and that lessons are learning not ‘doing’. Teaching should be supported by trips, visits and real experiences wherever possible and these should be placed towards the middle/end of the teaching sequence, once knowledge has been learned. Wherever possible, children should be facilitated to see real examples of what they are learning about, and if this is not possible, video, audio clips, photographs and drawings should be used.
Progression through the subject is planned to ensure that the content of the National Curriculum is taught in a logical way that builds on previous knowledge and skills.
Curriculum progression is as follows: See subject curriculum plan.
Wherever possible we ensure that this curriculum links with other areas of curriculum by providing experiences and opportunities that both support and develop knowledge, language and skill.
