Design Technology
Subject Leader: Mr Mather & Mrs Millington
Design Technology Senior Leadership Team Link: Mr Jackson
DT Scheme of Work: United Learning
DT Curriculum Policy: Click Here
Intent
At Avonwood, Design and Technology aims to inspire children through a broad range of practical experiences to create innovative designs which solve real and relevant problems within a variety of different contexts. The iterative design process is fundamental and runs throughout our teaching sequences. This iterative process encourages children to identify real and relevant problems, critically evaluate existing products and then take risks and innovate when designing and creating solutions to the problems. As part of the iterative process, time is built in to reflect, evaluate and improve. Opportunities are provided for children to evaluate key events and individuals who have helped shape the world, showing the real impact of design and technology on the wider environment and helping to inspire children to become the next generation of innovators. Design and Technology is taught through coherently planned sequences of lessons, ensuring progression and coverage of the knowledge, understanding and skills required in the National Curriculum.
Implementation
The Avonwood design and technology curriculum is adapted from the United Learning curriculum and is aligned to the National Curriculum 2014 and Programmes of Study for KS1 and KS2 and ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Avonwood Design and Technology curriculum sets out the units that are covered each year. Within each year, the units have been sequenced in a chronological way which means substantive knowledge and skills progress from one to the next and there is gradual understanding. Skills and understanding are built into lessons following an iterative process. This allows for the revision of ideas and techniques, and ultimately helps to build a depth to our children's understanding. Through revisiting and consolidating skills, children build on prior knowledge alongside learning new skills, knowledge, and challenge. The revision and introduction of key vocabulary is built into each lesson. This vocabulary is then included in display materials and additional resources to ensure that children are allowed opportunities to repeat and revise this knowledge. Through these lessons, we intend to inspire pupils and teachers to develop a love of Design and Technology and see how it has helped shaped the ever-evolving technological world we live in.
Impact
Our design and technology curriculum is high quality, well-sequenced and is planned to demonstrate progression. At Avonwood, we want to ensure that Design and Technology is loved by teachers and pupils across school, therefore encouraging them to want to continue building on this wealth of skills and understanding, now and in the future. Impact will be seen in the learning environment across the school and through the use of vocabulary spoken and used by all learners. Whole-school and parental engagement will be improved with design and technology-specific home learning tasks and opportunities suggested in lessons and overviews for wider learning. Impact can also be measured through key questioning skills built into lessons, child-led assessment such as success criteria grids, and summative assessments aimed at targeting next steps in learning.