Design and Technology

Intent

At Churchfield our intention is to develop and apply the creative, technical and practical skills needed to perform DT tasks with confidence, within our increasingly technological world. Through the teaching of DT, we hope that children will develop the capacity to problem solve by stimulating creativity and imagination through the production of quality products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. We aim to fulfil the duties of the National Curriculum by providing a balanced and broadly-based curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils as well as preparing them for future opportunities and responsibilities they may face in further education.
 

Implementation

Design and Technology is taught through our theme-based curriculum. We link skills we are learning directly with our overarching history or geography themes. Where possible projects are also linked to our core subjects for example our pop-up books, where the stories were written for English, but the mechanisms created for the pop-ups were part of the design technology curriculum. All national curriculum skills are covered using a range of mediums including Using technical knowledge to make informed choices; Designing purposeful and appealing products; Using tools to perform practical tasks; Evaluating and suggesting improvements to their own and others work.
 

 
Impact

We aim for children to express their creativity through designing, as they have been given the opportunity to carefully select tools and materials appropriate to the purpose and needs of an audience. Children will be self-critical learners who are confident to self-evaluate their final product, discussing its strengths and weaknesses and offering ways in which their work can be improved. They will gain necessary skills for the future, by developing their ability to collaborate, investigate, design and evaluate. These skills are then revisited and embedded so children leave with lifelong practical skills.

Design and Technology and SEND

Design and Technology is a valuable subject for those children at Churchfield who have SEND. The children are able to explore their creativity through the use of different mediums from cardboard to clay. They are encouraged to explore a number of different techniques which also help to refine their fine and gross motor skills. Teachers and support staff ensure that there are scaffolds for children’s individual needs and that all their learning is differentiated to meet the needs of different learners. Children take ownership of their learning through choice of resources and are encourage to design, create and evaluate their own work as individuals and as part of group and whole school projects