Design & Technology
Intent
Design and Technology is loved by pupils and staff at Reignhead Primary School. Using creativity and imagination, it is our intent that children design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Our intention is that children acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Children will learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, children will develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.
Aims
Through our Design and Technology Curriculum, our aim is that all children:
- 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.
Implementation
The foundation of our Design and Technology curriculum is taken directly from the National Curriculum. A two-year spiralling curriculum cycle ensures a progression of knowledge, understanding and skills from EYFS to Year 6. We teach Design and Technology three times a year. In the Foundation Stage, it is accessible and encouraged through our continuous provision.
Children study the following units in a two-year cycle: structures, mechanisms, electrical systems and textiles. As part of Health Week, everyone studies a food and nutrition unit every year. Through a variety of creative and practical activities, children begin with a product design brief that has a clear purpose and intended user. They then investigate, plan, make and evaluate a product with the purpose and intended user in mind at each point.
Wider Impact
We aim to teach our children, at Reignhead Primary School, to be curious, responsible and reflective learners whilst solving problems both as individuals and as a member of a team. The study Design and Technology at Reignhead Primary School will not only equip our children with a strong foundation of skills and understanding but also give them a love of the subject and the confidence to use their knowledge and skills to design and make new and better solutions to real problems in their journey beyond Reignhead Primary School.
