Design Technology
Teaching Design Technology at Over Hall Community School
'Be supported, feel supported - make a difference'
Design Technology lead: Miss Burton
Intent for Design and Technology
Here at Over Hall, we encourage our pupils to use their creativity and imagination. Our pupils are encouraged to consider real-life problems: designing, making and evaluating products considering the product, purpose and user.
Subject knowledge in DT is wide by incoporating mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. As children design and make products they learn how to take risks and become skilled, logical and imaginative designers. Children consider not just their own needs, but others' needs, want and values when applied to various contexts.
By covering technical knowledge and skills in various areas such as food, textiles and mechanisms, we aim to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourage our children to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have skills to contribute to future design advancements. The scheme of work ensures pupils build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high quality protoypes.
Our Design and Technology lessons give children opportunities to investigate exsisting products, create designs, practice new skills, make a product and evaluate what they have made. Pupils learn to select from and use a range of materials, components, including construction materials, textiles and ingrediants.
During their time at Over Hall, we aim for pupils to become Competent, Cultured and Creative within the Design and Technology curriculum.
Cabable - Children are able to identify that DT is a skills-based subject, and explain how it could help to equip them with knowledge and skills for their future. They are determined to improve their skills throughout their time at school.
Cultured - Through regular teaching, pupils will have a deeper level of understanding of culture, through DT. They respect how designers create products.
Creative - Children will have developed a stronger sense of creativity. They will become more inquisitive, adventurous, take risks and understand that the outcome is only a part of the process.
Implementation for Design and Technology:
At Over Hall, we believe that DT is made more meaningful when it is linked to other elements of the curriculum. This is something that we endeavour to do, in order for each project to be exciting and extremely educational. The long-term plan is for children to develop a broad and deep understanding of DT. Children will be capable of producing a working product, that has carefully considered the user and it’s purpose. Across projects, each year group will cover past and present famous figures within the design and technology industry.
Please see our Long Term Plan in the linked files below.
Children will be encouraged to:
- Understand the contexts, users and purposes behind products.
- Generate, develop, model and communicate about their own ideas and designs.
- Plan by selecting a range of tools, materials and equipment.
- Develop their practical skills and techniques.
- Evaluate their own ideas, existing products, key events and individuals.
- Display technical knowledge by making products work.
At Over Hall, we have created our own DT scheme of work. We have sequenced our units of work in order to build on prior learning and prepare for future learning. Projects are taught in a sequential manner to allow technical knowledge and skills to progress.
Within Reception, Year One and Two, children will be working on the following projects:
- Mechanisms – Wheels and axles.
- Textiles – Templates and joining techniques.
- Structures – Freestanding structures.
- Food – Preparing fruit and vegetables.
- Mechanisms – Sliders and levers.
Within Year Three and Four, children will be working on the following projects:
- Structures – Shell structures.
- Food – Healthy and varied diet.
- Textiles – 2-D shape to 3-D product.
- Mechanical systems – Levers and linkages.
- Electrical systems – Simple circuits and switches.
Within Year Five and Six, children will be working on the following projects:
- Structures – Frame structures.
- Food – Celebrating culture and seasonality.
- Electrical systems – More complex switches.
- Textiles – Combining different fabric shapes.
- Mechanical systems – Pulleys or gears.
Please refer to the DT progression documents for a breakdown of knowledge and skills for year groups.
Each key project follows the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has particular theme and focus for technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition. This learning journey is recorded in individual booklets. Lessons incorporate independent tasks, paired and group work including practical hands-on, computer-based and inventive tasks.
Throughout the Early Years, all pupils are encouraged to explore and experiment with a range of tools and materials. Such tools and materials, where possible, are readily available and vary in level of expertise needed. Planning allows for a variety of particular themes/topics/skills to be explored and for staff to purposely introduce new vocabulary and concepts (e.g. within cutting: cut, snip, line, shape, across, around, hold, position, up/down, open/close, forward/back); in doing so staff must very carefully balance engagement (through themes and topic linked work) with the direct teaching of the vocabulary and skills needed for pupils to progress; whilst also ensuring ample opportunities for child-initiated play and self-led enquiry in the provision. Opportunities to investigate, design, make and evaluate are available both within the classroom and within the large outdoor provision.
Weekly cooking opportunities are available to all pupils and are always well received by pupils! Our pupils love to explore with their senses: smelling, tasting and feeling the texture of ingredients. Staff create opportunities for children to look at examples of what they are making and design their own version e.g. shape, colour, choice of topping, filling etc (this might be shared by the child verbally or drawn). Children in Reception learn how to label their design and make a list of their ingredients. Children across both year groups enjoy taste testing different flavours and are introduced to new related vocabulary, e.g. sweet, bitter, sour etc.
Impact:
Through our teaching and learning of DT, pupils not only become capable, but confident in their skills. They develop an understanding of DT terminology, and use it in their evaluations of the effectiveness of their product. Most importantly, children will feel like designers as they work on meaningful projects that foster their curiosity and creativity.
During their time at Over Hall, we aim for pupils to become Competent, Cultured and Creative within the Design and Technology curriculum. There are 6 key end points for a pupil to reach by the end of their time at Over Hall, which involves pupils experiencing different real-life professions. They are as follows:
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I am a Designer – Pupils understand the process of working towards a design brief, in order to produce a product, for a pre-determined user, that has a specific purpose.
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I am a Chef – Pupils can prepare fruit and vegetables; understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet; and celebrate culture and seasonality through the recipes they explore and create.
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I am a Constructor – Pupils understand the term structure and can construct 3 different types. These are freestanding structures, shell structures and frame structures.
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I am a Textile Technologist – Pupils are competent at sewing and can demonstrate template and joining techniques; how a 2D shape can become a 3D product; as well as combining different fabric shapes.
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I am a Mechanic – Pupils can create a variety of mechanical systems including wheels and axles; sliders and levers; levers and linkages; and pulleys or gears.
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I am an Electrician – Pupils understand how to design and make electrical systems and more complex switches and circuits.