Design Technology
Intent:
Our aim at Flora Gardens is that Design Technology is delivered through a rich, imaginative and creative cross-curricular approach. Our curriculum encourages 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. Our topic based curriculum enables children to use and develop their DT skills to reflect on and explore topics in greater depth.
Implementation:
The teaching and implementation of Design Technology at Flora Gardens Primary School is based on the National Curriculum. We use a DT skills progression document to ensure appropriate age related skills are being taught from EYFS to Year 6. Class teachers are responsible for teaching DT, although we often welcome visitors such as artists from various organisations to be involved with the teaching of topics and whole school assemblies. Our topic based approach ensures that our children have creative opportunity to develop their DT skills. Some projects we have worked on include:
Year 1 (Amazing Animals) – Creating structures for animal homes.
Year 2 (Nurturing Nurses) – Sewing a nurse puppet.
Year 3 (Iron Man) – Design, create and evaluate a recyclable iron man with a mechanism and electrical circuit.
Year 4 (Thor’s Thunder) – Design, create and evaluate a Viking Boat e.g. pulley for sail.
Year 5 (Around the World) - Design, create and evaluate a model bridge based on the designs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Year 6 (One World) – Design, create and evaluate African purses.
Impact:
Children enjoy Design Technology and look forward to their lessons. Their confidence grows as they learn new skills to apply to each of their designs. Children regularly have opportunities to use tools and skills in other areas of the curriculum as well as in daily life outside of school. Through DT our children learn to take risks, become resourceful, innovative and enterprising individuals. Learning is assessed through the analysis of the pupil’s ability to evaluate, design, make and improve their own work.
How Parents Can Help
Design and Technology is everywhere. We are surrounded by it but often don't think about how and why things are the way they are. Take a moment with your children to consider some of the everyday household items that you own which have been affected by advances in Design and Technology. How have they changed in recent years and why? If your child has a keen interest in D&T then click on the link below. This will take you to a number of webpages which will help them to develop their D&T knowledge and understanding.
Further Support And Useful Weblinks
Please find below the links to some websites you may find useful when thinking about D&T at home with your child.
Eat Happy is the initiative linked to Tesco and ‘Farm to Fork’. On this page there are many useful recipes and activities associated with food preparation. The activities are fun to do and help children to become motivated in finding out where their food comes from. https://www.eathappyproject.com/at-home/
The teaching ideas websites below provide many ideas for various design projects that you can complete with your child at home.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zyr9wmn
