Subject Lead: Mrs Hammond
Intent
At Sheldwich our intent with regards to Design and Technology should be fully inclusive to every child. Our aims are to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for design and technology, provide a broad and balanced curriculum, ensure the progressive development of knowledge and skills, to learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens through evaluation of past and present design and technology, develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world, to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world using the language of design and technology. We aim to develop children’s enjoyment in DT and appreciate its contribution to all aspects of everyday life. A DT project will be timetabled every term across Year 1 -6 with many elements filtering into our cross curricular ‘Topic’ lessons. DT will be taught in the EYFS stage through the ‘Expressing Arts and Design’ strand of the EYFS curriculum and they will benefit from cross curricular links.
Implementation
Lessons are taught termly following the 2014 DT Primary National Curriculum.
and learning is recorded in an age appropriate manner.
Lessons will feature a combination engaging and exciting practical activities and following a design process and evaluation within a project.
During lessons, key vocabulary is modelled by the teacher and children are encouraged to use appropriate vocabulary in both the practical and design process.
Lessons take place in mixed ability year groups, however, specific support is put in place so that all children, regardless of their starting point, can meet the Learning Objective.
Where possible, links are made with other subjects across the curriculum.
Use of STEM ambassadors to enable high quality resources and teaching ideas to be shared between schools.
A specific week in the year dedicated to DT learning, allowing children to really engage with the subject on a deeper level.
Alongside our curriculum provision for design and technology, we also provide all pupils with the opportunity to participate in DT based after school clubs.
Impact
Within design and technology, we strive to prepare children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. We aim to encourage children to become creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. Through the study of design and technology, children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as of functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impact. Our design and technology curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills and discreet vocabulary progression.
As a result of our teaching you will see:
Children who are excited and motivated about DT learning and will maintain high levels of engagement throughout lessons.
Learning that is tracked and monitored to ensure all children make progress.
Children will talk enthusiastically about DT using the appropriate vocabulary.
Assessment
Teacher assessment forms the basis of DT assessment at Sheldwich Primary School. Teachers are expected to mark each lesson and record children who have achieved particularly well, and those who require additional support. Teachers assess formatively through the use of verbal questioning, observations and photographs of children whilst participating in practical activities and design, as well as through their marking of children’s work in their books. As a result of this, teachers are highly skilled at adapting their planning to meet the needs of their children. The assessment of children in DT is noted termly on the schoolwide ‘Foundation Assessment’ file and is reported to parents twice yearly through the ‘Mid-Year Report’ and ‘End of Year Report’.