Design and Technology
Design and Technology at J H Godwin
The intent:
Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject and, here at J H Godwin, we aim to encourage children to think creatively and be critical in order to solve problems, both as individuals and as part of a team. We aim to encourage children to be risk-takers, and design and make products that solve real and relevant problems, whilst considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other subjects such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, children develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. At J H Godwin, we aim to enable children to understand how design and technology can impact the world by linking their learning to famous designers and engineers, to raise aspirations and cultural knowledge and understanding of our ever-changing world.
By the end of EYFS children will be able to create a simple design for a basic product, use temporary methods to join materials together, know how to use scissors safely, and talk about their ideas, discussing what is good and what they would do to make their work better.
By the end of KS1 children will be able to design purposeful, functional and appealing products for themselves and others based on design criteria, and be able to develop and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates and mock-ups. They will be able to select from and use a range of tools, equipment and materials to make their product. They will be able to build stable structures and explore simple mechanisms such as levers and sliders. Children will be able to say where food comes from and understand what hygienic means when preparing food. Children will be able to explore and evaluate a range of existing products, and evaluate their own products and ideas against design criteria.
By the end of KS2 children will be able to use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional and appealing products that are fit for purpose, and be able to develop and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional diagrams, exploded diagrams and prototypes. Children will be able to select from a wider range of tools, equipment, materials and components in order to make their product effectively. They will be able to apply their understanding on how to reinforce complex structures, include mechanical systems such as gears and pulleys, and use electrical systems in their products. Children will be able to apply the rules for basic food hygiene and other safe practices. They will be able to investigate and analyse a range of existing products, evaluate their work against their own design criteria, and understand how key events and individuals have helped shape the world in design and technology.
The implementation:
The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art unit are mapped across each year group as On Track Indicators (OTIs) and throughout the school to ensure progression. At J H Godwin, we follow Word Aware strategies to embed new subject specific vocabulary that children can use to support their understanding and ability to evaluate and analyse design and technology work effectively.
Through the curriculum, children should be inspired by engineers, designers, chefs and architects to enable them to create a range of structures, mechanisms, textiles, electrical systems and food products with a real life purpose. All teaching of design and technology should follow the design, make and evaluate cycle, alongside the teaching of the appropriate technical knowledge for the unit. Children should be given a variety of tools and materials to choose freely from, and they should evaluate products against a design criteria.
Each year group should aim to plan 3 units of design and technology during the year, and teaching and learning should show a build-up of skills, leading up to a final product that can be showcased in school.
See our EYFS policy for information on how our early years curriculum is delivered.
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