Intent

Our knowledge-rich Design and Technology curriculum provides pupils with practical experiences and problem-solving within a managed and structured programme of learning.  It is an area of study that focuses on questioning, analysing, designing and creating things: the very transferrable skills that enable a student to make sense of their experienced world and build connections between curriculum subjects.

At The Three Schools, we believe that the study of Design and Technology builds valuable skills in creative problem-solving, empathic understanding of others' needs and evaluation. Class-based group activities promote communication and teamwork skills.

We aim to develop, embed and consolidate knowledge, skills and understanding through schemes of learning in each year group – ensuring that our students can grow and reach their full potential.  The end goal is that students can respond to challenges with the confidence to use the iterative design systems we have both learned and practiced. 

Practical outcomes are the result of original creative responses brought about by independently knowing which skills, techniques and knowledge to apply.

Implementation

Our Curriculum addresses and exceeds the National Curriculum requirements for key skills, knowledge and understanding. Children engage in a wide range of Design Technology activities, which actively encourage them to embrace the subject and develop a lifelong set of skills. At The Three Schools, Design and Technology is planned from Early Years to Key Stage 2 so that skills can be learnt, revisited and applied and are therefore embedded over a sustained period of study. Each unit is driven by an overall key question- which 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.

Design and Technology is a practical subject in which children play with and explore a wide range products and designs. They use knowledge from this exploration to create their own designs and they then use a wide range of materials and tools to build their own products. Each of the units are designed to be relevant, motivating and engaging for the children and inclusive of all groups of children and individuals across the school.

Opportunities for evaluation throughout the topics enables children to look deeper into their learning and reflect on what they have designed and made and whether it has successfully met their own design criteria.

Our assessment focuses on both the acquisition ok knowledge and skills and the depth of understanding. Assessment is carried out through a range of formative assessments which include: use of Knowledge Organisers, pupil conferences, book scrutinies and pupil practical tasks. Assessment then informs planning, identifying any gaps in knowledge or skills, ensuring that our children have every opportunity to develop as inquisitive designers and technologists.

Impact

Our Design and Technology curriculum enables and encourages our children to becomes critical thinkers. They look at existing designs to analyse and assess effectiveness and then consider ways of redesigning and reconstructing to improve  overall success. Through Design Technology our children learn to take risks and become resourceful, innovative and enterprising individuals. Children learn to be passionate and excited by the designing and making of products and leave us as fully fledged designers who have the confidence to seek new challenges and make mistakes within the process.