Hugh Joicey C of E Aided First School

Our aim in Design Technology is to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle through ideation, creation and evaluation. We use the Kapow Primary DT scheme of work throughout our curriculum. This scheme has been written by experts in their field and is designed to meet the National Curriculum end of Key Stage targets. We know that this allows pupils to develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling and testing and to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. Through our teaching, we aim to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourage pupils to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to future design advancements. Our programme of study is carefully selected for each year group through our long-term plan. We intend for our children to experience and have a good understanding of the process of design, make, evaluate through the key areas of structures and mechanisms, textiles, food and nutrition and, in KS2, the digital world and electronics. The topics have been selected to complement other areas of the curriculum so that we are building a rich web of knowledge with interconnected links.

Implementation

The Design and Technology national curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical, and technical understanding required for each strand. Cooking and nutrition has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality.

Through Kapow’s Design and Technology scheme, children respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in six key areas:

● Mechanisms

● Structures

● Textiles

● Food

● Electrical systems (KS2)

● Digital world (KS2)

Each of these key areas follows the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has a particular theme and focus from the technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition section of the curriculum. The scheme is a spiral curriculum, with key areas revisited again and again with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revisit and build on their previous learning. Teachers will be informed by previous assessments when planning lessons and Kapow provides differentiated guidance to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Design and Technology is taught in blocks in the last week of each half-term on a rotated basis with Art and Design.

Throughout the week of teaching, assessment is ongoing, via observations of each process in lessons. Summative assessment is completed at the end of each unit via scrutiny of end products against the design criteria. Curriculum leads and class teachers will also use this information to inform future planning to meet the needs of our children appropriately and to inform teachers and school leaders of possible areas for development. We use SeeSaw to document and track each unit of work, to ensure there is full coverage of the National Curriculum.

Impact

At Hugh Joicey, children’s work is of high quality and demonstrates pupils are acquiring knowledge, skills and vocabulary in an appropriate sequence. Children can talk with knowledge and excitement about their learning and are hugely proud of their Design and Technology products and achievements.

The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Design and technology scheme of work is that children will:

● Understand the functional and aesthetic properties of a range of materials and resources.

● Understand how to use and combine tools to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating, and manufacturing products.

● Build and apply a repertoire of skills, knowledge and understanding to produce high quality, innovative outcomes, including models, prototypes, CAD, and products to fulfil the needs of users, clients, and scenarios.

● Understand and apply the principles of healthy eating, diets, and recipes, including key processes, food groups and cooking equipment.

● Have an appreciation for key individuals, inventions, and events in history and of today that impact our world.

● Recognise where our decisions can impact the wider world in terms of community, social and environmental issues.

● Self-evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve.

● Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Design and technology. The effectiveness of the Kapow scheme will be assessed regularly by the curriculum lead and senior management, via discussions with staff and children, work scrutiny and ensuring children are meeting end of key stage expectations.