Design and Technology

Our Christian Vision

St. Luke’s CE Primary school provides a journey to discover ‘life in all its fullness’. John 10:10. Where children flourish, are happy and succeed. Our distinct Christian values: friendship, love, trust, patience, forgiveness and respect are woven throughout the day, the learning, the gathering, the school.

Our theologically rooted Christian vision meets the specific needs of our school community we aim to remove barriers so that everyone can flourish and live life in its fullest.  By the time our pupils leave Year 6 we hope to have removed barriers and enabled our them to grow in faith and recognise the wider world as they continue their journey

At St. Luke’s the children are at the heart of every decision we make to ensure that they are happy, confident and that the opportunities that are provided for them are relevant to their needs both now and in the future. We achieve this by providing an inspirational and creative curriculum, rich in opportunity and full of challenge.

Rationale

At St Luke’s’ CE Primary School, we value Design Technology. Design and Technology develops children’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. It encourages children’s creativity and encourages them to think about important issues. 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.

Implementation

Our Design and technology scheme is delivered throughout our school using a scheme called Kapow. We adapt and use the Kapow scheme in our Reception classes, as well as utilising the Early Years Foundation stage curriculum to teach the fundamentals of Design Technology to our youngest children. The EYFS curriculum supports children’s development in Design Technology through the planning and teaching of ‘Expressive Arts and Design’. In Reception and Year 1, in addition to direct teaching, the carefully thought-out continuous provision allows our children to build on skills which provide a strong foundation for their artistic development throughout school. Both the environment (indoor and out) and skilled practitioners foster curiosity and encourage explorative play. A wide variety of tools and resources are available for the children. The exploring of these is actively encouraged and supported by staff which enables the children to feel confident and make plans for their time in provision.
The Design and technology National curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical, and technical understanding required for each strand. Cooking and nutrition* has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality. The National curriculum organises the Design and technology attainment targets under five subheadings or strands:
  • Design
  • Make
  • Evaluate
  • Technical knowledge
  • Cooking and nutrition*
Kapow Primary’s Design and technology scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within these five strands across each year group. Through Kapow Primary’s Design and technology scheme, pupils respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in six key areas:
  • Mechanisms
  • Structures
  • Textiles
  • Food
  • Electrical systems (KS2) and
  • Digital world (KS2)
Each of our key areas follows the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has a particular theme and focus from the technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition section of the curriculum. The Kapow Primary scheme is a spiral curriculum, with key areas revisited again and again with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revisit and build on their previous learning. 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.

Impact

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

Characteristics of a designer

Design and Technology Curriculum Map

Design and technology progression map

Click the link below to view our Design and Technology school blog page to see some examples of how our pupils flourish in Design and Technology at St. Luke’s:

https://stlukesceprimary.blog-pages.co.uk/subject/design-technology/