Design Technology

Subject leader: Miss. A. Wallwork

Subject Intent:

 At Haslam Park Primary School we aim to not only engage and challenge pupils with our Design and Technology curriculum, but also to fully prepare them for the next stage of their educational and life beyond school in our ever-evolving technological world.

All pupils (particularly SEND and disadvantaged pupils) are entitled to an exceptional quality ‘Arts Rich Curriculum’ and opportunities to share their creative talents. Our design and technology curriculum intends to extend opportunity, raise aspiration and open children’s eyes to the world beyond their immediate environment.  Our pupils are entitled to learn about the designed and made world, how things work, learning to design and make functional products for particular purposes and users.  Our children will be taught Design and Technology in a way that ensures progression of skills, and follows a sequence to build on previous learning.  Our children will gain experience and skills of a wide range of formal elements of design and concepts of technology in a way that will enhance their learning opportunities, enabling them to use design and technology across a range of subjects to be creative and solve problems, ensuring they make progress.

Subject Implementation:

 At Haslam Park we follow the Kapow scheme of work which provides complete National Curriculum coverage.

Kapow provides a progression of skills and knowledge through the delivery of termly units of work:

• Cooking and Nutrition

• Mechanical Systems

• Textiles

• Electrical Systems

• Structures and Digital World

At Haslam Park units of work are revisited and built on through years 1 – 6 during which progression is evident in pupil outcomes. At the beginning of each unit teachers share Knowledge organisers with pupils ensuring appropriate vocabulary, skills and final intended outcomes are shared. Existing products are then evaluated with pupils gaining a deeper understanding of the final outcome of the unit. Pupils take this knowledge to the design process and any new skills required are practiced. Teachers then either share finished prototypes or model each skill required. Pupils are then given the opportunity to interpedently practice and apply new skills they have acquired.

Any adaptations are carefully planned and delivered by teacher and our wonderful support staff to ensure all can achieve. Pupils are then given the opportunity to make and evaluate the intended outcomes -this is progressive across year groups.

EYFS:

At Haslam Park Arts and Design are taught through a thematic approach using the “Expressive Arts and Design” framework so children are introduced to a variety of design and technology skills and linking to the current theme.  Teacher plan for activities in Continuous Provision both inside and outside to develop children’s designing skills.  

• Timetabling and Structure of D&T – At Haslam Park three D&T units are taught across the year, units are blocks to support teaching. 

• Use of resources– At Haslam Park the DT lead is responsible for auditing of resources ensure pupils have everything they need to be successful in DT lessons.

• Health and Safety – When using any specialist materials or equipment, the lead teacher will ensure that all children are given a safety talk and that appropriate pupil-teacher ratios are in place.

• Assessment – At Haslam Park Primary Assessment of Design and Technology will be carried out at the end of each taught unit by class teacher by using the Kapow assessment reflecting units taught so attainment is captured.

Impact:

 By the time pupils at Haslam Park leave they will have developed and be equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their further education and be innovative and resourceful members of society. Pupils will also have developed;

• An understanding of functional and aesthetic products

• A passion for being creative and using their imagination to solve problems

• The ability to reflect, discuss and evaluate their ideas and those of others

• The confidence to use and understand how to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating and manufacturing products.

Our children will enjoy and value Design and Technology and know why they are doing things, not just how. Children will understand and appreciate the value of Design and Technology in the context of their personal wellbeing and the creative and cultural industries and their many career opportunities.

 The Design and Technology curriculum will contribute to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection.

The Department of Education has compiled a comprehensive document that breaks down the Aims of the subject’s curriculum.  The document can be found below:

The national curriculum for DT aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Design and Technology Overview 

Below is an example of one of our Knowledge Organisers - each unit taught across school has its own Knowledge Organiser to reflect the vocabulary being taught, to show working examples and to prompt discussion in class. Here is a link to the other DT Knowledge Organisers: https://www.haslam-park.bolton.sch.uk/curriculum/knowledge-organisers-1/design-technology 

Each unit or lesson of DT should follow the structure (attached below).  The specific amendments for DT are made on the second flow chart and highlighted in yellow.

Year 1 in Summer Term 1, have been researching if a food is a vegetable or fruit; learning where they grow (in trees, on vines, underground) and which parts are edible; they had a session tasting ingredients to make a smoothie; blended the fruits into a drink before designing appealing packaging for it. 

In Summer 1, Years 5 and 6 have been looking at cooking and nutrition using the idea of Food: What could be healthier? They looked at how food comes from the farm and onto our fork; what a balanced meal looks like; the tasted different ingredients for a vegetarian bolognese and adapted their recipes to suit their tastes and then cooked their own following a recipe.  

The teachers at Haslam Park never stop learning!  On Tuesday 17th May 2022, Steph O'Donnell came into school for our CPD twilight session.  All members of the teaching staff had a blast getting stuck in and creating an object of their choice!  Years 5 and 6 made a fairground wheel, Years 1 and 2 made shakers, bags and night lights, Years 3 and 4 made a torch and a tree house, EYFS were really ambitious and made a car!

Spring 2022 - Year 2

Year 2 have just completed their Mechanism Fairground Wheel unit.  They recapped how wheels work, evaluated existing Big Wheels and created a design for their own ferris wheel.  They discussed what materials should be used for their own wheel and built their frames.  At the end they decorated their wheels and added the pods.

Spring 2022 - Year 4

This half term Year 4 have looked at Mechanisms: Slingshot Cars.  We had a great time:

• investigating different types of moving cars,
• creating our Design Criteria
• building the chassis and axles
• making a net that would be the side panels and roof
• and finally racing them to see which car would be the fastest and discussing air resistance. 

Spring 2022 - Years 5 and 6

In Upper Key Stage 2 the children were learning about Mechanisms and they had to use layers and spacers, levers and linkages and paper folds to create 3 different pages of their own pop up book.  They had great fun working out how to reinforce their mechanisms so that the motion was fluid and strong. 

Mr Gough's class even managed to go and show KS1 their books, this added real gravitas to the creation of the book for a purpose.

Spring 2022 - Year 3

In Year 3 the children were learning about the features of a castle, designing their own and deciding on what features to include in it, including facades and draw bridges.  They learnt how to make their structure strong and stable.

Spring 2022 - Year 1

This half term the children learned how to join fabrics together.  They made a puppet from their favorite story using a template and stencil, different joining techniques and decorated it to make it unique and fit for purpose. 

Autumn 2021 - Year 1

This half term the children designed a Windmill.  They learnt how to make a structure strong and what an axle and turbine is.