Design & Technology at Rolls Crescent

At Rolls Crescent, the children learn the essential skills of designing, evaluating and making in line with the 2013 National Curriculum. They learn to join materials and evaluate their own and other’s products.

Teaching every child

Key Stage 1

Children are taught to:

• Look at and talk about familiar products (made of materials such as card, textiles and food) to see how they work
• Practise simple practical skills and do tasks, such as cutting, folding and gluing, which they will use as they make their own products
• Plan and create their own products, using what they have learned.

Teaching every child

Key Stage 2

Children are taught to:

• Look at products to see how they work and how they are used, and ask the view of people who use them
• Practise practical skills and tasks, such as cutting, joining, fixing and connecting
• Design and create their own products, using what they have learned. They learn how to test their work, and may use computers to help them. The products use familiar materials such as card, textiles and food, but also mouldable materials, and electrical and mechanical parts.

Design and Technology (D&T) gives the children the opportunity to develop skill, knowledge and unextending of designing and making functional products. It develops children’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, such as food and textiles. Design and Technology can provide excellent opportunities to develop some vital skills such as; communication, team work, problem solving, application of number, information of technology, team work, creative thinking skills and evaluation skills.

At Rolls Crescent we feel that Design and Technology prepares children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. Creative thinking encourages children to make positive changes to their quality of life. The subject encourages children to become autonomous and creative problem solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond by developing ideas and eventually making products and systems. Through the study of design and technology they combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impacts. Design and technology helps all children from foundation stage upwards to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators.

Aims and Objectives

The aims of Design and Technology are:

• To deliver programmes of study for Key Stages 1 and 2 of the National Curriculum in Design and Technology
• To develop imaginative thinking in children and to enable them to talk about what they like and dislike when designing and making;
• To enable children to talk about how things work, to draw and model their ideas;
• To encourage children to select appropriate tools and techniques for making a product, whilst following safe procedures;
• To explore attitudes towards the made world and how we live and work within it;
• To provide all pupils with equal access and opportunity to Design and Technology, with particular awareness of gender and technology in other cultures.
• To develop an understanding of technological processes, products, and their manufacture, and their contribution to our society;
• To foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making.
• To ensure progression and differentiation within the process of Design and Technology and the context as outlined within the National Curriculum, considering all individual needs.

Intent

At Rolls Crescent Primary School children are taught to select and use appropriate tools safely and effectively to make a product. In all areas of Design and Technology the children are encouraged to consider the effectiveness of their designs and requirements of the product. Every child will have the opportunity to learn and extend their understanding, experience and application in the use of technology, including computing, in as wide a variety of situations as possible, in order that their skills may be utilised in a full cross-curricular sense.

At Rolls Crescent Primary School, we believe that Design and Technology prepares children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. Creative thinking encourages children to make positive changes to their quality of life. The subject encourages children to become autonomous and creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond by developing ideas and eventually making products and systems.

Our curriculum is adapted for pupils with SEND to ensure they are included and can access the learning. We ensure that they have access to prior learning to ensure they can link previous learning to new learning as well as being able to access the skills and knowledge being built upon in new learning.

Implementation

At Rolls Crescent Primary School, through the study of Design and Technology children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues. This allows children to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impacts. Design and Technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators.

At Rolls Crescent Primary School, Children are encouraged to listen to the ideas of others, and treat them with respect, to critically evaluate existing products, both their own work and those of others. They have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including ICT.