Design Technology | St Nicholas Catholic Primary School

Design and Technology

Vision

We aim to develop the knowledge; skills and attributes children need to manage their lives, now and in the future. These skills and attributes help pupils to stay healthy, safe and prepare them for life and work in modern Britain. At St Nicholas Catholic Primary School, personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an embedded part of our broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development is at the heart of our school ethos and links closely to our Christian values. When taught well, PSHE education helps pupils to achieve their academic potential, and leave school equipped with skills they will need throughout later life.

Intent

At St Nicholas we are committed to providing a curriculum for all where every child grows:

Academically
Socially
Morally
In aspiration
To be prepared for the next phase in their academic journey and be spiritually nourished.

To achieve excellence in all that they do in the knowledge that we love one another as God loves you.

Implementation

Our curriculum incorporates the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and other experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in our school. At St Nicholas through the study of design and technology children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impacts. Design and technology helps all children to become perceptive and informed consumers and potential innovators.

Impact

Our children will experience a broad and balanced curriculum which give will help to develop children's critical thinking and design skills. Our Design and Technology lessons provide children with a wide range of opportunities to think creatively and rationally and support them in building a sense of independence. Children will build up a repertoire of skills and techniques to build, make, sculpt and create and will select the correct skills for the appropriate situation. We aim to inspire our children to develop a love of design and technology and increase their awareness of future opportunities from the subject by looking at practical examples of their study in real-life situations. Summative assessments take place throughout the year and teachers record children’s progress and attainment against the National Curriculum expectations of attainment. Teachers use this information to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. This data is analysed on a termly basis to inform and address any trends or gaps in attainment. Our children in EYFS are assessed within Expressive Arts and Design and their progress is tracked termly. Age related expectation levels are reported to parents at the end of the year.

EYFS Early Learning Goals

Expressive Arts and Design (Creating with materials)

Expressive Arts and Design (Being Imaginative)

Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills)

Children at the expected level of development will:

Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function;
Share their creations, explaining the process they have used;
Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.

Children at the expected level of development will:

Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher;
Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs;
Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and - when appropriate - try to move in time with music.

Children at the expected level of development will:

- Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paint brushes and cutlery.

Key Stage 1 National Curriculum

Pupils should be taught to:

Design

design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria;
generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology

Make

select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing]
select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics

Evaluate

explore and evaluate a range of existing products
evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria

Technical Knowledge

build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles] in their products

Cooking and Nutrition

use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
understand where food comes from

Key Stage 2 National Curriculum

Pupils should be taught to:

Design

use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design

Make

select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately
select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities

Evaluate

investigate and analyse a range of existing products
evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world

Technical Knowledge

apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
understand and use mechanical systems in their products [for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages]
understand and use electrical systems in their products [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors]
apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products

Cooking and Nutrition

understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet;
prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques
understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed

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