Design & Technology

Intent

Our D and T curriculum, and its associated breakdown of skills, is designed to instil in our children the key concepts of design, make, evaluate and also to impart vital technical knowledge.

We give children the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of designing and making functional products. We nurture creativity and innovation through design and by exploring the designed and made world in which we all live and work. 

Our children acquire and apply knowledge and understanding of materials and components, mechanisms and control systems, structures and health and safety.  

Design and Technology education helps develop children’s key transferable skills like collaborative working and problem-solving, as well as acquiring knowledge in design, materials, structures, mechanisms and electrical control. They are encouraged to be creative and innovative and are actively taught to think about important issues such as sustainability and enterprise.  

There are four core components within design and technology that our projects always follow:  

• Investigating and evaluating existing products  

• knowledge and skills development activities eg. Stitching, making switches, using hacksaws  

• Design and make activities that consider purpose, specification and user.  

• Evaluation and consideration of the final product, referring back to its design criteria.

Through this scaffold our pupils make creative, purposeful and pleasing products.

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Implementation

DT is taught in all year groups at Murdishaw West and all classes enjoy three design and make projects a year, ensuring DT is evident in our classrooms throughout the academic year. DT projects are supported by a comprehensive resource bank that allows our teachers to fulfil national requirements as well as allowing for pupils’ individualism and creativity. Classes undertake design and make projects in a variety of competences that provide a breadth of skills and knowledge upon the completion of the DT curriculum in Year 6. Years 3, 4 and 5 use a three-year cycle to ensure all children in mixed-age classes access the complete DT curriculum

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Impact

Our children will leave Murdishaw West with a thorough understanding of the core components of design and technology, key design and make skills and the awareness of the importance of self-reflection. 

We observe and measure the impact of the delivery of our DT curriculum in a number of ways:

• Learning walks

• Pupil voice interviews

• Evaluation of finished products

•       Monitoring of social media video and photograph posts

Progress is assessed formatively in line with the objectives of our Progression of Skills documents. Such assessments inform end-of-year teacher assessments and allow us to track progress.