Design and Technology

Intent

At Laughton, 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.

 

The aims of teaching design and technology in our school are:

• Develop creative, technical and imaginative thinking in children and to develop confidence to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.

• Enable children to talk about how things work and to develop their technical knowledge,

• Apply a growing body of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make prototypes and products for a wide range of users,

• Encourage children to select appropriate tools and techniques when making a product, whilst following safe procedures,

• Develop an understanding of technological processes and products, their manufacture and their contribution to our society,

• Foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making things,

• Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products, and the work of others,

• Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and to learn how to cook,

• Understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.

 

Implementation 

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Design and Technology, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Design and Technology is taught as part of a termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum.

Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills document. Teachers use this document to plan their Design and Technology lessons linked to their class’s interests and what they want to learn about. The progression document ensures the curriculum is covered and the skills/knowledge taught is progressive from year group to year group.

When teaching Design and Technology, teachers follow the children’s interests to ensure their learning is engaging, broad and balanced.

 

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 curriculum at Laughton is designed to ensure that children will know more, remember more and understand more about Design Technology.  As designers, children will develop skills and attributes they can use beyond school and into adulthood.