ArundelDesign Technology (DT) @ ACE
“Design is as much a matter of finding problems as it is solving them”.
Bryan Lawson
At Arundel Church of England Primary School, we want our design technology curriculum to be a practical subject that inspires and encourages children to think creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team. The design technology curriculum gives children the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of designing and making functional products. We feel it is vital to nurture creativity and innovation through design, and by exploring the world we live and work in. Children acquire and apply knowledge and understanding of a range of materials (including food) and components, mechanisms, structures, existing products and health and safety.
The skills learned also help children across the curriculum, for example, understanding the properties of materials in science and measurement accuracy linked to maths. Design Technology should help develop children’s skills through collaboration and problem-solving.
Children use their imagination and creativity to design and make a range of products within a variety of contexts and we provide children with a Design Technology education that is relevant in our rapidly changing world. At ACE, our children are problem solvers who can work creatively, both independently and as part of a shared project. Our high-quality Design Technology lessons inspire children to think independently and innovatively, and develop creative, procedural and technical understanding. It allows children the opportunities to research, represent, explore, investigate, develop and, finally, evaluate their work.
At ACE, our curriculum lets children discover and investigate real life designers, including fashion, architects, engineers and chefs, to enable them to create an array of functional textiles, structures, electrical mechanisms, wood work and food products with a real-life purpose. By exploring technologies past and present, and applying knowledge learnt across other areas of the curriculum, children are able to consolidate practical and analytical skills, vocabulary and resilience in a purposeful way.
By subject leads - Miss O Foote and Mrs H Meyer
Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural Development (SMSC) DT
At ACE we believe that spiritual, moral, social and cultural education should be evident in everything we do. Giving children the opportunity to think creatively and solve problems lies at the centre of Design Technology. The creativity and innovation the children show will be inspirational to others whilst also increasing each child’s self-confidence and belief in their own abilities
Intent (What we are aiming for)
- To develop imaginative thinking in children and to enable them to talk about what they like and dislike when designing and making;
- To enable children to talk about how things work, and to draw and model their ideas;
- To encourage children to select appropriate tools and techniques for making a product, whilst following safe procedures;
- To foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making;
- To use ICT to assist our designing and learning.
Implementation - how we teach it
Design Technology at ACE is a practical, exciting subject that uses an array of skills from ingenuity and originality to resourcefulness and ambition. Children have the opportunity to take risks and be reflective with a focus on the learning journey and not the outcome. Through a variety of contexts, children design and make items that solve problems and create new possibilities.
Our children design products with an intention and brief that is clear and allows for creativity, as well as implementing additional skills they have obtained in other subjects such as mathematics, English, science, geography, computing and our global citizenship. Through well planned and resourced lessons, children are able to have those opportunities and experiences to enhance their learning.
Our Design Technology curriculum is implemented through different projects over the children’s time at ACE. This allows for them to build on their skills and, as a result, they become confident in designing, constructing, problem solving and evaluating. Children have the opportunity for challenge in specific tasks and are assessed in a varied and purposeful way. Verbal discussions, drawings, writing and presentations allow them to showcase their learning in an inventive way.
- Through DT, our children think analytically, take responsibility and see beyond their own horizon.
- Through DT, our children know more, remember more and do more.
- Through DT, our children have the opportunity to grow spiritually, to be resilient and challenge themselves and each other in order to succeed together.
- Through DT, our children are encouraged to be courageous advocates who challenge inequalities in society and are able to articulate spiritual and ethical issues.
Progression Grid and Key Concepts
