DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

At Messingham Primary School we aim to provide children with an education that responds to the rapidly changing world. As designers and creators, children will develop skills and attributes that they can use beyond school and into adulthood.

Our intent:

to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for Design and Technology by providing a fully inclusive curriculum that ensures the progressive development of knowledge and skills.
to develop creative, procedural and technical understanding in all pupils.
to allow pupils to learn life skills such as cooking, baking, sewing, construction and woodwork.
to enable children to talk about how things work and to develop their technical knowledge.
to develop skills in researching and evaluating products to determine if they are ‘fit for purpose’ and meet the required brief.
to enable deep creative, technical and imaginative thinking in children that allows pupils to develop confidence and the courage to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
to allow pupils to become creative problem-solvers both as individuals and as part of a team, building resilience along the way.

How we implement this:

At Messingham School, there is a clear and comprehensive progression of skills for design and technology that develops across all Key Stages and has a basis on the requirements of the National Curriculum. Our curriculum has been planned to ensure that the skills are taught sequentially across the key stages and that new skills build on and develop the skills taught in previous year groups.

Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills document.
Where possible, clear cross-curricular links have been established and incorporated into themes. As part of the lessons, teachers will introduce and model the discrete key vocabulary as set out in the progression of skills.
Our curriculum starts with the youngest children in the Early Years, who are encouraged to show an interest in technological toys and are provided with many opportunities to explore different materials, tools and techniques and to construct with a purpose in mind.
Teachers will use a variety of materials and teaching strategies to provide support and clear differentiation to ensure that each child develops their skills and techniques in a way that is appropriate for them.
Delivery of design and technology projects with a clear structure. Each year group will undertake a topic on structures, a mechanism topic, a textile topic and a cooking and nutrition topic.
Each topic is driven by an overall key question that requires the children to reflect on their exploration of products and designs, so that they can apply their learning to their own designs and thus generate their own answers.
Delivery shows a clear following of the design process where each project follows: research, design, make and evaluate. In addition, evaluation can be involved at each stage of the project. All pupils will be encouraged to evaluate their creative work and that of others with their peers and adults.
Design and Technology is a practical subject in which children play with and explore a wide range of products and designs. Pupils are provided with hands-on, purposeful learning where they learn to use tools and equipment and understand the related health and safety issues.
Where applicable, links will also be made to educational visits, which can enhance children’s learning experiences. Skills that are linked to potential careers in local, national and global industries will also be highlighted.

The impact:

The impact of teaching is evident in our children’s finished pieces and models, including those displayed around school and on our school Twitter page. Photographs and displays celebrate the progress, achievements and efforts of our pupils. Speaking to our pupils will evidence that they are passionate and excited about the designing and making of products including working with, preparing and tasting food. Clear enjoyment and confidence in this subject, aid the development of a positive attitude towards learning which improves outcomes in English and Maths. As a school, we measure impact through book looks, learning walks, lesson observations, moderation, teacher/pupil and parent voice and our assessments. Learning is assessed through the analysis of the pupil’s ability to evaluate, design, make and improve their own work. Throughout the year, teachers reflect on standards against planned outcomes where most of our pupils achieve the age-related expectations in design and technology. Measuring the impact of teaching is undertaken by Mr Hutchings, the senior leadership team, and the school’s governors.