Intent

At Braybrook we intend to build a Design Technology curriculum which is inspiring, rigorous, and practical. We want our children to use 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 intend for all children to acquire appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, we aim for pupils to develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. We want Design and Technology to prepare our children, to give them the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences they need to be successful in later life.

We use Kapow Primary's Design and technology scheme of work which 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. Through our scheme of work, 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.

Kapow Primary's Design and technology scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the national curriculum and the aims also align with those in the national curriculum.

Aims of Design and Technology

We believe Design and Technology offers opportunities for children:

• To develop imaginative thinking and enable them to talk about what they like and dislike when designing and making.
• To talk about how things work and to draw and model their ideas.
• To select appropriate tools and techniques for making a product, whilst following safe procedures.
• To explore attitudes towards the made world and how we live and work within it.
•  To develop an understanding of technological processes, products, and their manufacture, and their contribution to our society.
• To develop an interest and understanding of the ways in which people from the past and present have used design to meet their needs
• To foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making.
• To develop their capability to create high quality products through combining their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding;
• To nurture creativity and innovation through designing and making;

 

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we provide opportunities for children to:

• Develop a curiosity and interest in the designed and made world through investigating, talking and asking questions about familiar products;
• Develop confidence and enthusiasm through frequent exploration of construction kits to build and construct objects, and activities for exploring joining, assembling and shaping materials to make products;
• Extend their vocabulary through talking and explaining about their designing and making activities.

 

Implementation:

Design and Technology is a crucial part of school life and learning and it is for this reason that as a school we are dedicated to the teaching and delivery of a high-quality Design and Technology curriculum. This is implemented through:

• A well thought out, whole school, yearly overview of the DT curriculum which allows for progression across year groups in all areas of DT (textiles, mechanisms, structures, food and electrical systems)

 • Well planned and resourced projects providing children with a hands-on and enriching experience

• A range of skills being taught ensuring that children are aware of health and safety issues related to the tasks undertaken

• Teachers being given ownership and flexibility to plan for Design and Technology; sometimes teaching DT as a block of lessons to allow the time needed for the children to be critical, inventive and reflective on their work.

 • Each project from Year 1 to Year 6 addressing the principles of designing, making, and evaluating and incorporating relevant technical knowledge and understanding in relevant contexts.

• Pupils being introduced to specific designers, chefs, nutritionists, etc. helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement and increase the cultural capital from which they can draw in the future.

As a school, we promote Design and Technology in the wider school through DT after school clubs, outdoor learning gardening sessions.

Teaching and Learning

We carry out the curriculum planning in Design and Technology in three phases: long-term, medium term and short-term. Our long-term plan maps out the themes covered in each term during the key stage. Our Design and Technology is linked wherever appropriate, to other areas of the curriculum being studied to ensure it is embedded in our whole school curriculum and that opportunities for enhancing learning by using art are always taken.

Our medium-term plans, which we have adopted from the scheme Kapow and ensures full overage of the National Curriculum, give details of each unit of work for each term. These plans define what we will teach and ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each term. The Design and Technology subject leader is responsible for keeping and reviewing these plans.

Class teachers are encouraged to use the plans and resources available from Kapow but to adapt for the needs and interests of their class.  These list the specific learning objectives for each lesson and give details and supportive videos of how to teach the lessons. All lesson plans and resources, produced by Kapow Primary are available via a login on Kapow Primary’s website. Teachers consult these to ensure technical accuracy in their teaching and to inform the programme of study for their year group. The class teacher and subject leader often discuss them on an informal basis and amend if necessary. At the start of each unit, the audience and purpose of a project is considered and adapted, where necessary, to follow the interests and needs of each individual class so that pupils can see how Design and Technology is meaningful and can be used to solve real life problems.

Through Kapow Primary's Design and technology scheme and the adaptation of this, pupils respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of themselves and others, developing their skills in six key areas:

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

These six key areas are revisited each year, with Electrical systems and Digital world beginning in KS2. The key areas enable all teachers to see prior and future learning to make it explicit to our pupils. Within these areas, teaching and learning follows the three stages of the design process (design, make and evaluate) to form a full project. Each stage process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical and technical understanding, required for each strand.

The curriculum is designed following a spiral approach to Design and Technology which enables a clear sense of the sequence of learning with key areas revisited again and again with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revisit and build on their previous learning. While we give pupils of all abilities opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding, we also build planned progression into the scheme of work, so that there is an increasing challenge for the pupils as they move up through the school. The organisation of lessons into core strands also enable children to activate prior learning easier as they build on knowledge and skills gained in earlier units.

Our progression document covers both skills and knowledge but has a focus on the children knowing more and remembering more as they progress through school. Each new learning begins with a retrieval starter which engages pupils in the process of recalling related knowledge from previous years, units or lessons. This helps children to retrieve what they have learnt in the earlier sequence of the programme of study, and ensures that new knowledge is taught in the context of previous learning to promote a shift in long term memory and secure connections.

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 those with a variety of learning styles. Adapted guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary. The key vocabulary for each unit is mapped and shared with the children.

Pupils work is valued and celebrated across the school through displays, whole school projects and celebration events and via shared communication with parents on class Dojo.

Outdoor learning

Our outdoor learning classroom and teacher provides cross-curricula opportunities for pupils to immerse themselves in the natural world and unleash their creativity. It is through these opportunities that pupils are able to gather ideas, observe, experiment and explore making and designing with natural materials and their environment. These experiences are used to support the development of Design and Technology both inside and outside the classroom.

The Foundation Stage

The different aspects of the arts are encompassed within Expressive Arts and Design in the Foundation Stage Curriculum, however elements can also be found in other areas of learning (Physical development, English and Mathematics). This curriculum lends itself to an integrated approach to learning. Our foundation stage teacher plans quality learning opportunities for art using the Early Years Curriculum. We provide a rich environment in which we encourage and value creativity and problem solving. Pupils experience a wide range of activities that they respond to, using the various senses. The range of experience encourages pupils to make connections between one area of learning and another and so extends their understanding. There is an emphasis on independence and self-initiated learning, which enables foundation stage children to freely explore resources and pursue their own creative interests and talents in addition to the planned learning experiences.

 

Impact 

The impact of Kapow Primary's scheme can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives. Furthermore, each unit has a unit quiz and knowledge catcher which can be used at the start and/ or end of the unit.

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 the Kapow Primary 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.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Computing.

 

Assessment and recording

During the teaching sequence for Design and technology, teachers use the progression of skills assessment criteria to assess whether children are emerging, at expected or exceeding in expectations in Design and Technology. Teachers record this information and use it to plan the future work of each child. These records also enable the teacher to make an annual assessment of progress for each child, as part of the school’s annual report to parents. The teacher passes this information on to the next teacher at the end of each year and to the subject leader for analysis. This informs the Design and Technology coordinator of any further areas for curriculum development, pupil support and/or training requirements for staff. It should be remembered that the process more than the outcome is important when assessing children’s understanding of Design and Technology concepts.

 The children’s work is assessed through judgements made through observations during each Design and Technology lesson. Teachers record the progress made by pupils against the learning objectives for their lessons. Statements for each objective have been provided to teachers for what is to be expected for a student working at the different levels- WTS, ARE, GDS. Teachers have also been provided with a skills learning poster for Upper Key Stage 2, Lower Key Stage 2, Key Stage 1 and Foundation Stage, to aid them with assessments. These posters outline the key objectives linked to that age range in line with the National Curriculum, Kapow Scheme, as well as opportunities outside of the Curriculum. This is used to support with the development of Learning objectives and planning but is overall used as an assessment tool. These can be used to inform overall judgements and inform the next years teacher, as well as provide accessible feedback to students on their current progress and targets.

The Design and Technology subject leader will collect selected examples of children’s work from the units in our scheme of work. The examples will be used for identifying progression and expectations.

Children in Key Stages 1 and 2 will have work recorded in a floor book which will represent a range of pupils and abilities learning at each stage of a unit. This will include photos, VR codes for videos, designs, annotations, evaluations and explorations of famous designers, engineers and crafts people. These are used for assessment purposes and for monitoring progression. Teachers’ notes on planning will also support teachers in keeping an accurate record of this process for groups of children.

 

Children are encouraged to make personal assessments of their own work through evaluating activities and identifying what they need to do to improve. The children are presented with questions and sentence stems to help guide their thinking and to provide them with the opportunity to reflect upon the lesson and the knowledge they have gained from it. These questions are linked to the key elements of Design and Technology and support teacher judgements and generate next steps for planning.

Monitoring and reviewing

The monitoring of the standards of pupil’s work and of the quality of teaching in Design and Technology is the responsibility of the Design and Technology subject leader. The work of the subject leader also involves supporting colleagues in the teaching Design and Technology, being informed about current developments in the subject, and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school. The Design and Technology subject leader gives the head teacher an annual summary report in which evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in the subject, and indicates areas for further improvement. Pupil conversations and teacher surveys are completed to best support teachers with the learning of Design and Technology. Lesson drop ins, book looks and shared teaching lessons are also carried out with the Design and Technology subject lead to ensure provision is in place to support teachers and pupils are accessing the broad and balanced art curriculum we intend them to.