Design & Technology

Intent

At Northfields Infants School we aim to provide inclusive opportunities for all pupils to use creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve contextual problems, considering their own and others’ ideas. We strive for our pupils to have a passion for this subject and aim to inspire them to be the designers and makers of our future. All pupils should leave our school with the willingness to take creative risks to produce innovative ideas, through their design and ability to evaluate their outcome.

Implementation

At Northfields Infants School the Design and Technology curriculum consists of: DT objectives taught through blocked Topic Based Learning lessons. DT units are taught three times through the academic year. Northfields’ DT curriculum is based on the National Curriculum.  The KS1 units of DT are covered through food technology, materials, textiles, construction, and mechanics. In the EYFS curriculum pupils are taught to safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools, and techniques. They think about uses and purposes, represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through DT when making.

Our School uses a variety of teaching and learning styles in Design and Technology lessons to develop pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding.  Teachers provide a practical curriculum which involves pupils taking part in meaningful activities in which they are required to discuss their plans and evaluate their own and other’s work in a constructive way.  Within lessons, we give pupils the opportunity to work individually, in pairs and in group situations. Pupils can use a wide range of materials and resources, including ICT and will be supported to use tools and equipment safely and responsibly.

Pupils are taught:

  1. Practical skills – developing the skills needed to make high quality products.
  2. Design, make, evaluate and improve – developing the process of design thinking and seeing design as a process.
  3. To take inspiration from design and technology throughout history – appreciating the design process and technological advances that have influenced the products we use in everyday life.

At Northfields Infants, a selection of materials and tools are available for pupils’ use to enable them to access the subject and make informed choices.  It is imperative that all pupils can access these resources. Teachers teach the safe use of tools and equipment and insist on good practice prior to starting the making part of a task. These include:

  1. Contact with sharp objects including wood, needles, saws, knives etc.
  2. The handling of food– pupils need to ensure they are aware of personal hygiene rules such as wearing a clean apron, washing hands before handling food, storing perishable foods appropriately.

Impact

We strive to ensure that our pupils’ attainment is in line with or exceeds their potential when we consider the varied starting points of all our pupils. At Northfields Infants School we can judge the success of our Design and Technology curriculum in the following ways:

  • Using a clear progression of skills.
  • Pupil conferencing – are pupils happy, engaged, motivated to do well, and challenged within the subject. Are pupils able to clearly express their opinions about DT?
  • Photographs and examples of work – they will show a clear progression of skills between the year groups.
  • The DT subject leader can articulate and explain the progression of skills through KS1.