At Garden Fields JMI we are committed to providing all children with learning opportunities to engage in Design and Technology.

Design and Technology is about designing and making products for a specific user and purpose. In this subject, children learn about DT in the world around them looking at current as well as historic applications. They learn that sometimes failure is inevitable and how can it be a crucial tool for learning. Through DT, children become discriminating and informed users of products and become designers and innovators. Children are encouraged to use cross curricular knowledge and skills: the school recognises how important STEM subjects are as they provide an opportunity to become familiar with current and emerging technology and provide skills for life as well as the intellectual foundations and tools for future scientists, inventors, and engineers.

Aims

• Develop pupils’ creative, technical and practical expertise.
• Stimulate pupils’ interest and enthusiasm for designing and making.
• Encourage children’s capability and confidence in their own ideas.
• Provide pupils with an understanding of the ways in which people from the past and present have used Design and Technology to meet their needs.
• Develop pupils’ curiosity and interest in the designed and made world.
• Foster a sense of responsibility in pupils to use a range of tools and materials safely.
• Promote an ability to criticise constructively in order to evaluate their own ideas and products and those of others.
• Pupils will feel able to take risks, and become resourceful, enterprising and capable citizens needed to excel in an increasingly technological world.
• Provide pupils with a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
• Pupils will be instilled with an enjoyment of cooking.

Time allocation

At Garden Fields School DT is taught for 8-12 hours each term, depending on the project being undertaken. Lesson are either taught for one afternoon per week over six to eight weeks or in a block of several lessons during one or two weeks.

Planning

D&T lessons throughout the school has been carefully mapped out by the subject leaders to ensure that all learning is sequential and progressive. The D&T Association’s Projects on a Page scheme of work provides a framework for learning and teaching in design and technology.

• One project is planned and undertaken each term.
• Colleagues will adapt and use the learning challenges imaginatively, whilst ensuring the learning objectives remain the same to ensure progression.
• Children in their designing will apply knowledge and skills of: textiles, food, mechanisms, mechanical systems and structures. Electrical systems are taught in KS2.
• All design, make and evaluate assignments provide learning opportunities for developing creativity through designing skills such as generating, exploring and testing materials, modifying ideas through drawing, and modelling with materials.

Links with other subjects and key competencies

• We believe design and technology provides a natural and important opportunities for children to practice and improve core skills such as oracy, English, and mathematics.
•  In our design, make and evaluate assignments children will be able to develop key competencies such as independent research, reasoning, problem-solving, collaboration, negotiation, critiquing, consumer awareness and organisation.
• Through assessing and evaluating the process and their final products children will be encouraged to reflect on and improve their own learning and performance.
• Teachers will make links wherever possible to other subjects – such as, art and design, computing and English – to help engage the children and to increase knowledge and skills and raise standards. Specific links are made with science.
• DT is used to raise children’s appreciation of fundamental British values.
• Links will be made with the local community and children’s individual backgrounds and cultures.

Computing

• Programming and control is used in electrical systems projects in Y5 and Y6 to operate children’s products. This builds on work developed in computing.
• Paint software is used for finishing techniques and simple paper pattern making in textiles projects.
• Our computer-aided design (CAD) software is used when children are designing the net for packaging.

 Extending the curriculum

• Children should develop an understanding of the design and made world through first-hand experience.
• Wherever possible children will be given opportunities to visit local museums, shops and restaurants and meet students from college or secondary schools, and with professionals – for example, designers, engineers, chefs, architects .

 Organisation

All class teachers will have responsibility for planning and teaching D&T to their classes.

 Inclusion

A wide range of cultural images and contexts will be used in design and technology, and we will use these opportunities to challenge stereotypes. For all children to produce their best, we plan differentiated resources and tasks through:

• adapted worksheets;
• changing the demands of a task;
• more limited choices;
• greater teacher intervention, small group work and teaching assistant support;
• ensuring manipulative skills needed are manageable;
• selecting appropriate tools and equipment.
• Talented or able children will be challenged through a range of ways including by being given more open-ended design briefs, being encourage to used more complex terminology and by being given teaching roles.
• Newsome Junior School intend to offer a design and technology club for children who show a particular aptitude or enthusiasm for design and technology.

Lessons

During D&T lessons, technical skills are carefully demonstrated and modelled with safety procedures being explained.
Prior learning will be revisited, and revised to encourage ‘sticky learning’

Assessment, recording and reporting

• The design and technology subject leaders will collect selected examples of children’s work from the learning challenges in our scheme of work. The examples will be used for identifying progression and expectations.
• Children in Key Stage 2 will keep records of their projects: sketches, plan drawings, paper mock-ups, notes and evaluations, in a D & T Log Book. These can be used for assessment purposes and for monitoring progression.
• Teachers make notes, on Maestro, at the end of each learning challenge on children whose learning was significantly above or below expectations; this will inform future planning.
• Children are encouraged to make self- assessments of their own work through evaluating activities and identifying what they need to do to improve. 

Management and organisation of resources

• The D & T subject leads will liaise with class teachers to order consumable resources for specific projects.
• Tools and equipment such as cooking equipment, hacksaws, bench hooks and glue guns will be kept centrally in the D & T cupboards.
• Food will be bought and used as and when it is required.

Health and safety

• Risk assessments will be carried out prior to D & T projects.
• Teachers will always teach the safe use of tools and equipment and insist on good practice.
• Children will be taught how to take steps to control risks.
• Glue guns will be used by Key Stage 2 children under close supervision, only when there is no other appropriate joining technique.

Food – hygiene and safety

• A trained teaching assistant will support with work on food. They will ensure all equipment is clean and in working order. Aprons will be worn by adults and children when working with food. Adults and children will always follow the appropriate preparation and cleaning routines.
• Prior to food activities, children who are not permitted to taste or handle food products or ingredients will be identified.
• Prior to food activities, the teacher will check for food allergies in the class and not use any foods to which a child maybe allergic.
• No foods containing nuts will be used. 

Role of the design and technology subject leads

The subject leaders will:

• inspire learning through bringing design and technology alive for our children;
• monitor and evaluate the learning, teaching and progression of design and technology within the school;
• devise an action plan to show future developments and review progress;
• provide specialist support and guidance to colleagues on teaching projects and planning;
• audit, purchase and organise resources and maintain equipment
• attend courses for CPD and report back to staff;
• explore ways to raise the profile of design and technology within school and make links with local businesses;
• encourage parents to be involved in their children’s learning in design and technology.

• Develop pupils’ creative, technical and practical expertise.
• Stimulate pupils’ interest and enthusiasm for designing and making.
• Encourage children’s capability and confidence in their own ideas.
• Provide pupils with an understanding of the ways in which people from the past and present have used Design and Technology to meet their needs.
• Develop pupils’ curiosity and interest in the designed and made world.
• Foster a sense of responsibility in pupils to use a range of tools and materials safely.
• Promote an ability to criticise constructively in order to evaluate their own ideas and products and those of others.
• Pupils will feel able to take risks, and become resourceful, enterprising and capable citizens needed to excel in an increasingly technological world.
• Provide pupils with a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
• Pupils will be instilled with an enjoyment of cooking.

Ms Lee (KS2) and Mrs Welton (KS1) are the Design & Technology Subject Coordinators.