Design and Technology

Intent

At The Colleton, design and technology is a practical and creative subject that aims to give children experience and freedom in designing and making and to become the innovators of tomorrow. Our aim is for our children to be able to plan products with purpose, to use and be exposed to a variety of tools and techniques and reflect on their finished products to support future projects. We want our children to love DT, to have to have no limits in their ambitions and aspire to be graphic designers, architects and carpenters.

Implementation

Design and technology is taught through projects linked to our curriculum topic for that term so that the children can use cross-curricular links to support their ideas. These projects allow the children to become familiar with a variety of different materials and techniques, cooking, textiles, construction, mechanics and electricity.

At The Colleton, pupils are encouraged to take risks and to be creative, resourceful and enterprising. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of the impact of the elements of DT on daily life and within the wider world.

Our design and technology curriculum is driven by four golden threads which provide a framework for learning across year groups so that children can progressively build upon their existing skills, knowledge and vocabulary:

• Exploration through product research to inform and support the design process
• Structure by bringing 3D structures to life from designs
• Motion where the children create and incorporate moving mechanisms
• Appreciating the work of designers

Our children’s design and technology journey begins in the Early Years through Expressive Arts. Throughout school, the children’s natural creativity is fostered. They are encouraged to investigate and design, construct and create purposefully, selecting the tools and techniques needed to shape, assemble and join materials they are using. They learn through first-hand experiences whilst developing an awareness and understanding of the possibilities and limitations of different materials. This enables them to solve problems, think critically, make decisions and talk about why they have made these decisions as they design and create.

Impact

Through our carefully planned curriculum, our children develop an enjoyment and confidence in design and technology that they will be able to link to real-world examples through other areas of the curriculum. The Colleton children develop creative, technical and practical expertise that is needed to participate in an increasingly technological world by the time they leave us in Year 6. This means our children will acquire:

• a broad range of subject knowledge and practical skills
• the ability to think critically and analyse designs and finished products, expressing what they like and dislike about these
• an understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures using various joining techniques
• skills to be able to ‘tinker’ and to problem solve