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Design and Technology

Intent- Design and Technology at Parkfield

As Steve Jobs says, ‘Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you look deeper, it’s really how it works.’ We see design and technology as a gateway to creativity and imagination by combining the design process with practical skills to enable children to solve real and relevant problems. It empowers children to become ingenious problem solvers, both as part of a team and individually. In the article ‘6 ways to get D&T right at Primary, it states: Children respond well to having a purpose to their work. (TES, 2019)  Pupils at Parkfield, are taught how to be resourceful, innovative and enterprising by drawing on subject knowledge gained in other areas of the curriculum such as mathematics, science and computing to name but a few.

In accordance with National Curriculum requirements at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, the following key elements will be developed through areas of study, as appropriate, and based upon government guidelines of:

 1. Design- from researching ideas to creating prototype models 

2. Make – using a variety of tools and techniques to build products 

3. Evaluate – critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products along with the work of others 

4. Technical knowledge- exploring the use of mechanics, electrical systems and computing to enhance products and understanding and apply principles of nutrition and food hygiene.

Our aim is to provide all children with a varied range of projects linked across the curriculum, that deepen their understanding of how design and technology impacts their daily life and the wider world.

Research to inform practise: Design and Technology Association: 6 Ways to get D&T right at primary- TES & Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: Design Technology.

 

Implementation 

When reading Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: Design and technology’, Good achievement and challenge is evident when pupils:

  • Demonstrate a secure understanding of who they are designing and making for, the purpose of the product and how it would work, and the specific criteria their product must meet to be successful.
  • Communicate their innovative ideas and plans clearly and modify their designs and prototypes in light of their testing and evaluation.
  • Develop technical competence, applying measurement and using tools and components with increasing accuracy to safely make well-finished products.
  • Draw effectively upon their scientific understanding and their knowledge of mechanisms, structures, forces or the effect of heat to create and explain how their products work.
  • Use an increasing technical vocabulary when talking or writing about what they might change as their work develops.

EYFS 

Our design technology programme of study begins in EYFS. The EYFS framework is structured very differently to the National Curriculum as it is organised across seven areas of learning rather than subject areas.  The most relevant Early Years outcomes for design technology are taken from: Physical Development, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design, where children work towards their Early Learning Goal, which is the prerequisite skills for design technology within the National Curriculum.

There is a strong focus on the characteristics of effective learning which includes Playing and Exploring, Active Learning and Creating and Thinking Critically. Children are encouraged to handle equipment and tools effectively, including pencils for writing; to safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function and to use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes. They represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology.  

Key Stage 1 and 2 

We use Projects on a Page which is based on the six essentials of good practice in D&T. These are consistent with the National Curriculum requirements and are applied whenever children are designing and making products:

User – children should have a clear idea of who they are designing and making products for, considering their needs, wants, interests or preferences. The user could be themselves, an imaginary character, another person, client, consumer or a specific target audience.

Purpose – children should know what the products they design and make are for. Each product should perform a clearly defined task that can be evaluated in use.

Functionality – children should design and make products that function in some way to be successful. Products often combine aesthetic qualities with functional characteristics. In D&T, it is insufficient for children to design and make products which are purely aesthetic.

Design Decisions – when designing and making, children need opportunities to make informed decisions such as selecting materials, components and techniques and deciding what form the products will take, how they will work, what task they will perform and who they are for.

Innovation – when designing and making, children need some scope to be original with their thinking. Projects that encourage innovation lead to a range of design ideas and products being developed, characterised by engaging, open-ended starting points for children's learning.

Authenticity – children should design and make products that are believable, real and meaningful to themselves i.e. not replicas or reproductions or models which do not provide opportunities for children to make design decisions with clear users and purposes in mind.

In D&T there are two strands of subject content: designing and making, and cooking and nutrition. The scheme of work ensures children design, make and evaluate products using the broad range of materials and components specified in the statutory requirements. These include construction materials, textiles, food, mechanical components and, in Key Stage 2 only, electrical components. We have five key concepts that we explore during KS1 and 2, these are: Mechanisms, Textiles, Structures, Food & Electrical Systems.

Coverage and progression

Projects on a Page provides progression and coverage of the NC programmes of study for KS1 and 2. For each planner, National Curriculum coverage is indicated in Key Learning in D&T, setting out what children should have previously learnt and summarising what they will learn through the project.

Three types of D&T activities

The programmes of study state what should be taught in KS1 and 2. Each Project Planner includes three types of activity:

Investigative and Evaluative Activities (IEAs) where children learn from a range of existing products and find out about D&T in the wider world.

Focused Tasks (FTs) where they are taught specific technical knowledge, designing skills and making skills.

Design, Make and Evaluate Assignment (DMEA) where children create functional products with users and purposes in mind.

Food technology

In Projects on a Page, designing and making, and cooking and nutrition are linked in children’s learning. This means that as part of their food technology projects they will apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating, learn how to prepare dishes at KS1 and prepare and cook dishes at KS2. The food technology Project Planner in KS1 requires them to prepare dishes with fresh fruit and vegetables without using a heat source. In the KS2 projects, children prepare and cook dishes, using a wider range of ingredients, using a heat source where appropriate.

Developing Cultural Capital

We have dedicated EYFS practitioners to create enabling environments to encourage and facilitate Design Technology in the wider provision and within the classroom. We have an annual STEM week, where the subject leaders plan a week to showcase children’s talents and skills related to the curriculum. We are extremely fortunate to have a curriculum kitchen. We try, where possible, to integrate cooking into enrichment weeks, to embed this fundamental skill. 

Awards

We are currently working towards our Healthy School Award- Healthy Eating. 

How do we assess?

Projects on a Page enables us to check what children have learnt and determine whether they are on track to meet National Curriculum expectations by the end of each key stage. By using the Project Planners we can build a picture of what children know, understand and can do in each D&T project. Each planner lists the ‘key learning’ in designing, making, evaluating and technical knowledge and understanding that most children should develop as they undertake the project, this is called sticky knowledge. Sticky knowledge is tested throughout the unit cumulatively by mini quizzes at the beginning of each lesson. The knowledge, understanding and skills specified in key learning informs the basis for formative assessment through discussions, observations and pupil voice and subject monitoring. When each project has been completed, children whose progress is markedly different from the expectations in the Project Planner are written on a document to ensure areas for development are addressed in future units of work, or future teachers understand that they may need extra support.

 

Impact

By the end of their time at Parkfield, as designers, the children will be: 

  • Successful learners who use creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts.  
  • Confident individuals who learn how to risks, become resourceful, innovative and capable learners.  
  • Responsible citizens who through the evaluation of past and present design and technology they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.  

 

 

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