Welcome to Design Technology

The Ark John Archer Design and Technology Curriculum intends to inspire and nurture pupils’ creativity and innovation, giving them the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of the design process, and to apply this through the creation of functional products. Pupils explore the practicalities of design, making direct reference to structures, mechanisms, electrical controls and a variety of materials and foods; they are encouraged to consider important issues and implications to inform the choices they make when designing for purpose. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop more rigorous understanding of design and construction in order to evaluate and adapt their creations, basing their reflections in part on the design, structures and architectures observed in the world around them. As their knowledge deepens, so too does their confidence to experiment, invent and create their own works of design.

Pupils learn how innovations in design and technology have shaped our history, contributing to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. They discover how past inventions have often offered a solution to relevant problems within a range of contexts and society; it is through evaluation of past and present design and technology that they develop a critical understanding of the impact this has had on daily life and the wider world. Pupils, in turn, draw upon their own creativity and imagination to design and make products that also attempt to solve real problems, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Just like the notable figures before them, they are encouraged to take risks, and in doing so learn to become resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens.

Throughout their journey, from Reception to Year 6, pupils acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Computing and Art to both enhance the design and making process, and demonstrate and reason about the decisions they have made. It is crucial that Design and Technology is recognised as a subject of its own and so links are not made to other areas of the curriculum unless these links are of benefit to both subject areas.

The curriculum has been developed to focus and build on the process of design, making and evaluating, providing pupils with the opportunity to apply these skills in the contexts of construction, textiles (forming a crossover with the Art and Design units) and cooking and nutrition (again forming a crossover, this time with the Sports and Health Curriculum offer). With a careful and consistent progression of skills and knowledge, pupils learn to make the necessary connections to piece their learning together throughout their learning journey. As children progress through the Design and Technology Curriculum, explicit links and connections are made to support pupils to continually build upon the knowledge and skills they have accumulated in previous year groups.

We teach Design and Technology in Reception as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year and as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged three to five. We encourage the development of skills, knowledge and understanding that help pupils make sense of their world as an integral part of the academy’s work. This learning forms the foundations for later work in Design and Technology. These early experiences include asking questions about how things work, investigating and using a variety of construction kits, materials, tools, and products, developing making skills and handling appropriate tools and construction material safely and with increasing control. We provide a range of experiences that encourage exploration, observation, problem solving, critical thinking and discussion. These activities, indoors and outdoors, attract the pupil’s interest and curiosity. 

Knowledge and memory:

• Connections and links: while we acknowledge that most pupils find difficulty in transferring knowledge and skills from one context to another, explicit connections and references to prior learning are made for pupils throughout a unit to support mastery of the subject across different domains.

• Wider reading and home learning: suggested books and websites are shared with parents and pupils at the start of a unit of study to encourage wider reading, independent research and a collaborative approach to learning within the family environment.

• Vocabulary is knowledge: as part of a school-wide focus, children are exposed to challenging and innovative vocabulary at the beginning of each lesson to enrich their learning. Teachers take pupils through a deep dive into a few carefully selected words, providing opportunity to orally rehearse, apply in different contexts and construct sentences with accurate use of new terms. This enables children to expand their vocabulary knowledge, embed words and then have the confidence to apply them within their learning.

• Learning excursions: opportunities are mapped out for pupils to apply their knowledge acquired and expand their thinking through fieldtrips and linked excursions. These may come at the start of a unit to launch new learning, or throughout a unit to facilitate continually discovery and inspiration for writing.

Skills acquisition:

• Design, making and evaluating skills and methods form the foundations for the planning of each lesson. Throughout the sequence of learning, pupils are provided with the opportunity to build upon the skills they have already explored in order to continually refine their approach and apply for a range of contexts, domains and purposes.

• Sketch books: pupils record and annotate their creations and designs in sketch books in order to track their own progress, make reference to previous techniques and designs, and continually create, evaluate and adapt their work. Pupils move through the school with their sketchbooks, enabling them to make connections and links to the skills and knowledge acquired in previous year groups, and demonstrating progress year-on-year.

Learning Environments:

The classroom environment is designed to inspire and nurture pupils’ creativity and innovation, reflecting the context for their design and modelling methods of creation. To enable children’s knowledge to develop and evolve, the environment grows in complexity throughout the school. Key materials are displayed around the classroom to demonstrate design techniques and share key information throughout the progression of a unit of study:

• Vocabulary: key vocabulary to support application of both knowledge and skills are displayed on learning walls and throughout the classroom environment. Pupils are encouraged to make reference to this when completing tasks and reasoning verbally within class discussions.

• Time line: alongside the History Curriculum, pupils track innovative designs and developments from both the past and present on a timeline within the class.

• Pupil outcomes and achievements: pupils are motivated by the opportunity to have an example of their learning displayed within the classroom. Examples are chosen where pupils have demonstrated application of new techniques, progress in their manipulation and control of different tools and media, and exceptional achievements in their learning. Where possible, 3D creations are displayed, providing both exemplars and contrasting designs for pupils to reference while building new techniques and knowledge.

• Home learning: pupils are continually encouraged to engage further with their learning and study while at home and outside of the school environment. Home learning is celebrated during whole-school assemblies and displayed within classrooms / around the school for all pupils to view and celebrate.

Assessment:

• Knowledge quizzes: At the end of each unit of study, pupils complete a knowledge quiz to assess retention of knowledge and understanding of significant people, processes and innovations across the unit of study. Pupils enjoy the opportunity to demonstrate what they know and share in the success of their learning journey.

• Sketch books: pupils record and annotate their creations and designs in sketch books in order to track their own progress, make reference to previous techniques and designs, and continually create, evaluate and adapt their work. Pupils move through the school with their sketchbooks, enabling them to make connections and links to the skills and knowledge acquired in previous year groups, and demonstrating progress year-on-year.

All Year 1 subjects Next Year 1 Subject - Computing

All Year 2 subjects Next Year 2 Subject - Computing

All Year 3 subjects Next Year 3 Subject - Computing

All Year 4 subjects Next Year 4 Subject - Computing

All Year 5 subjects Next Year 5 Subject - Computing

All Year 6 subjects Next Year 6 Subject - Computing