Design & Technology

Design & Technology at Stocksbridge Junior School

Our design and technology curriculum is designed to be inspiring, creative, and ambitious. Through studying design and technology, our pupils will acquire a broad range of subject knowledge, becoming resourceful, creative, and analytical thinkers who can create high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of needs. We aim to help every pupil feel excited and confident to investigate, imagine, experiment, and create. By connecting to other subjects and promoting sustainable design, we give students the skills and mindset to explore the many possibilities that design and technology offers.

Intent

Our design and technology curriculum is designed to provide our pupils with the technical and practical knowledge and skills needed to perform a range of tasks necessary to participate in a technological world. They will use this knowledge when designing and creating their own prototypes and products that solve real and relevant problems. By looking at existing designs, our pupils will develop the skills to investigate, research and evaluate a range of products. By experimenting and making, they will develop essential, practical skills. They will also learn life skills like sewing and cooking, and a knowledge of the principles of nutrition, and the safe handling and storage of food. By evaluating and refining their ideas, they will develop analytical and problem-solving skills. Looking at the work of various designers, makers, architects, engineers and chefs, our pupils will know the impact of their work on the world. Building on the foundations of key stage 1, pupils will deepen their understanding of key concepts and develop more advanced skills in designing, making, and evaluating products.

We structure our design and technology curriculum and lessons around these six key concepts.

Research - Investigating products to judge their effectiveness.
Design - Generating and improving ideas to solve problems.
Make - Using tools and materials to create products, practising essential skills.
Technical knowledge - A deeper understanding of how things work and how we can make products to solve specific problems or needs.
Evaluation - Assessing product quality and understanding the role of key designers in shaping the world.
Safety - Knowing what to do to keep safe when designing, making, and using products.

These concepts are designed to focus on two important areas of knowledge in design and technology: substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Substantive knowledge includes both the theory and hands-on skills needed to understand the design, making, and evaluating process including technical knowledge. Disciplinary knowledge is knowledge about design and technology as a field looking at ‘the purpose and role of the development of technologies.’ ‘Exploring, researching and evaluating the quality and value of existing technologies including notable technologists.’ In our curriculum, both types of knowledge work together to help our pupils understand not just what design and technology is, but also how it works and why it's important.

Using this knowledge as our foundation, we intend to enable our pupils to create functional, well-crafted products by applying their design and making skills. By using tools, materials, and techniques relevant to design and technology, our pupils will develop proficiency in these areas. By analysing and assessing existing technological products to understand their design, functionality, and impact, our pupils will also enhance their investigative and evaluative skills.

Our design and technology curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all pupils, providing each child with the opportunity to learn valuable knowledge, develop their skills, and create their ideas. It also fosters a deeper understanding of the principals of design and an appreciation of the designers and makers who influence our world.

Implementation

All the knowledge and skills that our pupils encounter in our design and technology curriculum are taught through the six key concepts, which are revisited throughout the key stage to help pupils retain essential information that they can apply when studying design and technology. These concepts also provide pupils with a shared language to discuss, critique and evaluate their own and others’ work. Through repeated exposure to the key concepts, pupils develop a deeper understanding of how these key concepts interconnect and influence one another. Pupils develop their understanding of these concepts through meaningful examples and repeated exposure in a range of contexts.

The national curriculum organises design and technology into four attainment targets: 'design', 'make', 'evaluate', and 'technical knowledge'. In our curriculum, these targets are met through the following units of work:

Textiles: Pupils work with fabrics to design and create products using techniques like sewing, cutting, and decorating. They learn how textiles are used in everyday items like home furnishings and toys and evaluate their products for function and appearance. Links to reading and art and design reinforce creativity and understanding of design principles.
Mechanical systems: In this unit of work, our pupils look at parts or mechanisms that work together to create movement or perform a function. Pupils design, create, and evaluate their own mechanical systems, building links to science as they explore how mechanisms work in real-world applications.
Structures: Pupils learn to design, build, and evaluate structures such as bridges and shelters. They explore how material choice and design shape strength and stability. Learning links to geography, as pupils understand how structures are used in the real world.
Cooking and nutrition: In this unit, our pupils learn about healthy eating, food preparation, and cooking. They learn about balanced diets, food sources, and develop practical skills like measuring, cutting, mixing and cooking, while understanding food hygiene and safety. Our learning in this unit has links to geography, where pupils learn about food sources.
Digital world: In this unit, our pupils use technology and digital tools to design, create, and solve problems. They learn about electronic systems, coding, and digital design processes, which help them develop skills in programming, controlling devices, and using digital resources. Our learning in this unit has links to PSHE, geography and computing as they explore how digital systems shape our world.
Electrical systems: In this unit, our pupils learn to design, build, and evaluate systems using switches, bulbs, motors, and buzzers. They explore how electricity powers different devices, helping them understand how electrical systems work and can be used in everyday life and projects. This unit links to science as pupils learn how electricity powers everyday devices.

Our curriculum follows a spiral model, where key concepts, skills and knowledge are revisited over the key stage with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to build upon prior learning. Each unit acts as a building block, ensuring cumulative progress and fostering a deeper understanding of design and technology over time.

Pupils in Year 3 to Year 6 participate in weekly design and technology lessons for three half-terms per year. During these lessons, all pupils look at, discuss, and evaluate the work of a range of designers, makers, architects and chefs.

To teach design and technology effectively, we employ a range of teaching strategies, including:

Differentiated instruction: Tailored to meet diverse learning needs.
Modelled instruction: Demonstrating skills and processes for pupils.
Scaffolding: Providing support, then gradually reducing the support as pupils gain confidence.
Cross-curricular links: Connecting design and technology with other subjects like geography, science, computing and art and design.
Collaborative learning: Promoting teamwork and communication.
Reflective practice: Encouraging self-assessment and goal-setting.

Teachers adapt lessons to meet diverse learning needs by using various techniques, including:

Pre-teaching to develop knowledge and skills.
Collaborative learning structures to help pupils formulate responses.
Bespoke visual resources and dual coding to enhance understanding.
Knowledge organisers to support recall of key information.
Adapted tasks and opportunities to work with adults for support.
Challenge is provided by adapting activities to promote critical thinking and creativity.

Our school is committed to providing an inclusive education that caters to the diverse needs of all our pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our design and technology curriculum has been carefully designed to meet the needs of all pupils and ensures that SEND pupils receive the support and adaptive teaching necessary to succeed in design and technology. Teachers pre-teach new vocabulary and break down learning into clear success criteria. They use collaborative learning structures to promote communication and reinforce learning. They adapt resources to make learning more accessible, regularly check for understanding, and modify tasks using a range of tools and resources to support pupil needs. By thoughtfully adapting our design and technology curriculum, we ensure that SEND pupils receive the support they require to thrive and succeed in this subject.

Learning in design and technology is evaluated regularly through a variety of assessment opportunities interwoven throughout each lesson and unit. We use a combination of assessment strategies aimed at evaluating our pupils’ knowledge and skills in design and technology against a set of success criteria and endpoints.

Assessment is guided by specific skills and knowledge outlined for each year group, ensuring that pupils are evaluated based on what they have covered in the curriculum. Our pupils' understanding and application of the design and technology concepts is informed by class questioning, work outcomes, discussions, quiz results, effective questioning and end of unit assessments.

Formative assessment strategies are employed to support ongoing learning and adapt instruction to meet the needs of all pupils. Teachers use these strategies to adapt lesson plans and teaching to facilitate effective learning.

Regular feedback guides pupils’ learning and offers support and challenge to further their success in design and technology.

By using a variety of assessment strategies and providing meaningful feedback, teachers carefully assess our pupils’ progress in design and technology at key stage 2. Teachers continuously assess pupil understanding and address any misunderstandings.

To ensure that our staff feel confident to deliver inspiring and creative lessons, we have invested in high quality continuous professional development ranging from staff meetings, specialist support, Kapow instructional videos and locality support.

Impact

By the end of key stage 2, our pupils will understand the functional and aesthetic properties of a range of materials, allowing them to make informed choices in their projects. They will be able to use various tools to shape, decorate, and produce high-quality products, applying essential design and technology skills. Pupils will be able to safely handle tools and materials, ensuring a safe working environment.

Our pupils will be confident in experimenting and using their imagination to create innovative models, prototypes, and designs that solve specific problems or meet identified needs. They will also develop research skills to gather information and inspire their projects, enhancing their understanding of design principles.

Our pupils will be able to work on collaborative projects that enhance their teamwork skills and improve their communication and problem-solving abilities. Additionally, they will understand the importance of healthy eating, including the basics of nutrition, food groups, and cooking methods. They will recognise safe food preparation and storage techniques to prevent contamination, promoting health and hygiene in cooking.

Furthermore, our pupils will know about the achievements of significant designers, makers, architects, and chefs, as well as key inventions and events from both history and contemporary society, and their impact on the world. Through self-evaluation and reflection, they will be able to assess and analyse their work and the work of others.

Through our design and technology curriculum, our pupils will meet and exceed the expectations outlined in the national curriculum for design and technology, preparing them for future learning in key stage 3 and beyond.

Stocksbridge Junior School Curriculum for Design & Technology

The National Curriculum for Design & Technology

Purpose of study

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge 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, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

Aims

The national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:

Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Subject content: key stage 2

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment].

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:

Design

Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.

Make

Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately.
Select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.

Evaluate

Investigate and analyse a range of existing products.
Evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their understanding.
Understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.

Technical knowledge

apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
understand and use mechanical systems in their products [for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages]
understand and use electrical systems in their products [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors]
apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products.

Cooking and nutrition

As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

At key stage 2, pupils should be taught to:

understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques
understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.