DT
Statement of Intent
As a school we recognise that many of our children come from some of the most deprived areas in the country. However, we have specific aspirations for our pupils and many of these revolve around the fact that we will never accept that where a child starts determines where they will finish in education or in life.
We aim to follow the National Curriculum. We believe it gives our pupils the knowledge and skills they need to be successful.
Within DT :
- We aim to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers
- We want pupils to have a wider understanding of how things work and how they themselves can make things work
- We aim for pupils to develop the confidence to take risks -to try things – to persevere and then change their approach if needed in order to become successful.
- We want pupils to be able solve problems
- One of our curriculum drivers is OPPORTUNITY. We aim to create opportunity specifically for pupils that they may not be able to access outside of these walls.
Implementation
At St Gregory’s we are 1.5 form entry and have mixed age-group classes. This brings with it challenges that involve a curriculum cycle that needs to ensure every two-year phase can progress in an appropriate way by building on and reinforcing prior learning. Each two-year cycle progresses from what comes before, but within every two-year cycle units are carefully ordered to ensure that repetitive learning and building blocks for future learning are both in place
The National Curriculum organises the Design and Technology attainment targets under four subheadings: Design, Make, Evaluate, and Technical Knowledge. We have taken these subheadings to be our strands and our scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within these strands.
- Design: includes research, design criteria, idea generation and illustration; idea development, models and prototypes; DT diagrams; functional solutions for problems.
- Make: includes selecting and using tools and equipment effectively, selecting materials needed accurately and understanding the importance of Health and Safety
- Evaluate: involves exploring exiting products, evaluating against criteria and against the ideas of others, evaluate how key events and individuals have helped shape the world of DT; how to make improvements
- Technical Knowledge: links to the specific aspects of the specific projects
Cooking and Nutrition has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, where food comes from, diet and seasonality.
We have chosen 6 key areas to develop across the school, revisited with increasing complexity as pupils advance through the curriculum. Two of these areas appear only on KS2 because of the level of complexity and prior knowledge needed. These are:
How we have determined what we teach:
One of our curriculum drivers is OPPORTUNITY. We aim to create opportunity specifically for pupils that they may not be able to access outside of these walls, especially practical opportunity. We have had to make decisions linked to how we cover the curriculum in the time that we have and have determined that for our pupils a greater focus on ‘how mechanisms work’ and ‘cooking and nutrition’ are the most beneficial for their future and as such appear more often.
Everything starts in EYFS, where pupils develop the basic abilities needed to engage with the national curriculum for DT. Focused activities build important muscles and improve grip and dexterity, while continuous provision, exploration and play allows pupils to build and create projects that have aesthetic and purposeful qualities.
Lessons involve both independent and paired tasks and activities in order to engage all learners. To support teachers the school buys onto a scheme of work which we adapt for our specific learners. The scheme comes with videos for teachers, webinars, videos to support learners, and step by step teaching guides. Knowledge organisers support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge.
Impact
Formative and summative assessment is at the heart of everything we do and this stems from knowledge of the pupils themselves. Each unit has assessment opportunities and impact can be gauged, in part, from these.
The impact of this curriculum will be for pupils to :
- 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.