DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

BORROW WOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement for Design and Technology

Intent

At Borrow Wood we believe that Design and Technology is essential to prepare pupils to participate in tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. This aligns closely with our School Vision of promoting curiosity and ensuring that the children develop the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in life.

Teachers ensure that children develop their investigating, designing, making and evaluating skills as they move through the school.  They research, design, make and evaluate products that solve real need and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on other disciplines such as mathematics, computing, science, engineering and art. By the time they leave us, we want them to be resourceful, innovative, imaginative and enterprising pupils.

We feel that it is vitally important that all of our children know about healthy eating and learn skills that enable them to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

Our Design and Technology curriculum is also closely aligned to our CHOICE ethos and ‘Challenge’. In DT children are encouraged to ‘have a go, make mistakes and try again’ throughout the design and evaluation process.

Implementation

In the Foundation Stage, children are taught Design and Technology through the key areas of learning set out in the EYFS statutory framework, supported by Development Matters.

We follow the national curriculum for Design and Technology in Key Stages 1 and 2. It is taught over a rolling two-year cycle, where weekly lessons enable children to build knowledge and skills over time. 

Our focus areas are structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, textiles and food and nutrition. Key skills and progression for Design and Technology have been mapped across the school to ensure clear progression throughout the year groups, from Foundation Stage to Year 6. Key vocabulary is included in our progression of skills document, which links directly to our whole school focus of extending and embedding vocabulary.

Planning follows the research, design, make, evaluate cycle. We are members of the DT Association and use this resource to further support the planning and implementation of high-quality units of work. We seek links with local industry and outside partners.

Impact

We measure the impact of our Design and Technology curriculum through summative assessment at the end of each unit of work and through pupil voice interviews throughout the year.

By the time children leave our school the research, design, make and evaluate cycle will be embedded. They will understand how to solve real life practical problems both individually and as part of a group. They will be able to use and choose from a wide range of tools and materials and to use and understand a rich technical vocabulary. They will be able to prepare a range of healthy, varied and nutritious dishes.