Design Technology at southfield
Design Technology Intent
At Southfield, we value Design and Technology as a vital part of our broad and balanced curriculum. Design and Technology is a practical and insightful subject where our children can explore, design, create and evaluate their projects individually or in collaboration with their peers. From this, the children develop an understanding of how to use their creativity, resourcefulness and imagination to design and make products that solve real life problems which are linked to their relevant topic. We aim to make strong cross curricular links with other subjects such as art and ICT to build their repertoire of knowledge. This provides the children with the skills to become innovative citizens within our digital world as well as using our outdoor learning facilities allowing them to apply this to daily life and the world around them.
Design Technology Implementation
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in the designing and making process. This is supported by our tapestry approach to learning where subjects are woven together to allow them to support each other. The curriculum is carefully planned to allow for progression of skills through the age groups.
When designing and making the children are taught to:
Design
Use research to develop a design criteria which informs the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose and aimed at the target market.
Generate, develop and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches and diagram.
Make
Select from a wide range of tools, materials and equipment to perform required tasks accurately which include textiles, construction materials and ingredients according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.
Evaluate
Investigate and analyse a range of existing products. Evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others in their work. Understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.
Technical knowledge
Apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures. Understand and use mechanical and electrical systems in their products.
Teachers selectively choose key questions to deepen the children’s knowledge. Lessons are carefully designed to allow children time to practice, refine and apply the skills independently as well as in groups. The timetabling of learning is flexible and allows teachers to plan a personalised approach which best suits their class. Quality literature, outdoor learning and technology are used expertly to craft skills for all children. Curriculum teams continually support, monitor, enhance and update subjects to ensure learning is relevant and progressive and that outcomes are based on the audience and purpose of the task.
Design Technology Impact
At Southfield, we ensure that as designers, our children develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently beyond school, and into adulthood to prepare them for our rapidly changing world. Our children will have clear enjoyment and confidence in design and technology that they will apply to other areas of the curriculum.
We believe it is important for our children to act as responsible designers and creators, whilst using a range of materials and tools to manufacture products. They will have an awareness and understanding of how to manage risks to make products safely and hygienically. Our children will have thorough knowledge and understanding of which tools, equipment and materials to best use to manufacture their products for a wide range of users and test, critique and evaluate their designs alongside working with their peers. They will have developed the ability to apply mathematical knowledge and skills accurately.
Our children will understand and apply the principle of nutrition and learn how to cook. Children will have the skills to design and make a range of products with a good quality finish appropriate to the age and ability. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they will have developed a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.
Southfield’s Design and Technology Curriculum is well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression year on year, giving pupils the skills, knowledge and vocabulary that they need to move forward in their learning, alongside opportunities to apply their knowledge to different situations. We measure the impact of our curriculum through the children having open discussions about their learning including their ideas, processes and evaluation of their work.
Assessment of children's learning in Design and Technology is an ongoing monitoring of children's understanding, knowledge and skills by the class teacher throughout lessons. This assessment is then used to inform differentiation, support and challenge the children.