Our DT Curriculum

Aim

Front Street Primary School provides an ambitious and progressive Design and Technology curriculum for all pupils. This curriculum fosters independence and promotes inclusivity for everyone regardless of ability or background.  We aim for all children to become confident, skilled and ready for the world in which they will be adults.  Central to our curriculum aims is the belief that our children will grow up to be the designers and developers, the makers and innovators of tomorrow, and thus their curriculum experience must be relevant to the modern world and must support their development as skilled workers, creative thinkers and resilient problem solvers.

Intent

It is our intent, through the Design Technology curriculum, to enable our children to grow up knowing: how to live healthy lives, how to access and engage with existing and emerging technologies, and, how to contribute positively towards society and the environment.

Implementation

Teaching of DT in the Foundation Stage:

DT in the early years is taught through continuous and enhanced provision which can be accessed during the children’s explorative play. The children are encouraged to explore their own ideas and staff will model and support where needed; demonstrating techniques and resources. Some activities relating to a theme or skill may be introduced during a small group session, led by an adult, where by later the children are encouraged to further explore independently during child-initiated time whilst demonstrating the characteristics.

Within the Early Years we take part in special creative days such as ‘Day to Create’ where the children plan, design and practically create and demonstrate their ideas from challenged provided or from their own imagination or their own initiative.

The characteristics of effective teaching and learning of DT in the early years will involve:

• Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’
• Active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements.
• Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

Teaching of DT in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2:

Design and Technology in Key Stage 1 and 2 is taught in accordance with the National Curriculum.

HOW WE STRUCTURE OUR CURRICULUM:  At Front Street, the content of the Design and Technology curriculum has been organised using five themes:

• Food Preparation, Health and Hygiene
• Mechanical Systems
• Electrical Systems
• Construction Ideas
• Joining and Finishing Skills

Three units of work are taught per year group, meaning a total of 18 units of work are covered from Year 1 to Year 6.   Coverage of the five core themes has been mapped out across both key stages to ensure a DT curriculum that is broad, balanced and progressive in skills and knowledge.

HOW WE STRUCTURE OUR UNITS OF WORK: At the heart of how our DT curriculum is implemented lies the processes of designing, making and evaluating.   Embedded within all units of work are opportunities for pupils to further develop and extend their own designing, making and evaluative skills.

Within KS1 and 2 it is usual for DT Units of work to be delivered as a topic or project.  Within each unit of work the children will have opportunities to carry out:

1. Investigative, disassembly and evaluative activities
2. Focused practical tasks
3. Design and Make assignments

WORKING SUSTAINABLY: Working sustainably and with respect for resources and environment are core principles within our DT curriculum.  They are integral features within all stages of the design, make and evaluate process and directly inform how the children use resources and how they evaluate product success.  An environmental or sustainability theme will feature within the Big Question for at least one unit of work in every year group.

Impact

The impact of the DT curriculum will be:

• Children will know about existing technologies, designs and designers and be able further their own work using this knowledge.
• Children will be able to critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and use these outcomes to refine and improve how they work and what they produce.
• Children will know core principles of healthy eating, understand balanced diet, food groups and the eat well plate.
• Children will be able to use a range of tools efficiently and safely (with precision appropriate to their age and ability).
• Sustainability goals and minimising wastage will inform how the children design, manufacture and evaluate their own and other’s products.

Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

All children should be fully included in all aspects of learning; therefore, we teach DT to all children whatever their ability. DT forms part of the school’s curriculum in which we provide a broad and balanced education to all children.  DT lessons are delivered in a way to meet the needs of all children, using a combination of teaching methods so that all children can access and are engaged in their learning.

If you have any further questions, related to Design Technology, here at Front Street, please contact the school office who will be happy to help.

Design Technology Policies

DT Policies & Documents	Download
Design Technology Policy	Download
Design Technology Policy Summary	Download

Design Technology Documents

DT Documents	Download
DT National Curriculum	Download
DT Curriculum Coverage Document	Download
DT National Curriculum	Download
Year Group overview for website 2023	Download