DT

Jesus replied, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church."

Matthew 16:17-20

Mission Statement

Our mission is to work to develop the full potential of each individual in an environment where the Gospel values of love, peace, truth and justice are lived out.

Introduction

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, our DT curriculum allows children to have first-hand experiences as they explore the world around them. We want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners and to be eager to achieve their very best in order to fulfil their God-given talents. At St Mary’s, we encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. In order to develop the children’s full potential as designers and makers, we try to ensure that there is continuity, progression, breadth and balance throughout the school in our planning and teaching of Design and Technology.

Intent

Our Design and Technology curriculum aims to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle through ideation, creation, and evaluation. We want pupils to develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling, and testing and to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. At St Mary’s, we aim to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourage pupils to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to future design advancements.

Implementation

Through our Design and Technology curriculum, pupils respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in six key areas:

• Mechanisms
• Structures
• Textiles
• Food
• Electrical systems (KS2)
• Digital world (KS2)

Each of our key areas follows the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has a particular theme and focus from the technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition section of the curriculum. Our DT curriculum is a spiral curriculum, with key areas revisited again and again with increasing complexity, allowing children to revisit and build on their previous learning. Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work including practical hands-on, computer-based and inventive tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to all children.

Impact

After the implementation of our Design and Technology curriculum, pupils should leave school equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and be innovative and resourceful members of society. The expected impact of following our Design and technology scheme of work is that children will:

• Understand the functional and aesthetic properties of a range of materials and resources.
• Understand how to use and combine tools to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating, and manufacturing products.
• Build and apply a repertoire of skills, knowledge and understanding to produce high quality, innovative outcomes, including models, prototypes, CAD, and products to fulfil the needs of users, clients, and scenarios.
• Understand and apply the principles of healthy eating, diets, and recipes, including key processes, food groups and cooking equipment.
• Have an appreciation for key individuals, inventions, and events in history and of today that impact our world.
• Recognise where our decisions can impact the wider world in terms of community, social and environmental issues.
• Self-evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Design and technology.

Cultural Capital

It is important to us that those children whose home experiences are more limited and their journey more uneven; are given guidance and opportunities to spark their aspirations and allow them to flourish in the Design and Technology curriculum. Through wider reading in Design and Technology, children will be exposed to a range of design work influenced by different design areas such as; Architecture, Chefs, Fashion Designers, Car Designers and Product Designers. Through this exposure, children will produce work that is influenced by the best of the best.

British Values

Fundamental British Values such as tolerance, respect for everyone, individual liberty and democracy are evident in Design and Technology and help children understand how they can celebrate difference. As children travel through their journey, they become more aware of local and wider differences in the world. They can share their personal experiences and backgrounds, allowing opportunities to explore how different communities are right on their doorstep. Through growth in their knowledge, we succeed in encouraging our pupils to gain strong partnerships within diversity.