Our D & T Adventure - The Design and Technology Curriculum at Godinton

DT Long Term Overview

DT Progression of Skills

DT Knowledge

DT in Focus

Curriculum Intent

At Godinton Primary School, we believe that our Design and Technology curriculum prepares children to deal with tomorrow’s rapidly changing world and allows them to develop their creativity through designing, making and evaluating. Practical skills are combined progressively with knowledge about particular materials, tools or mechanisms to turn innovative ideas into imaginative models or products. This might be designing a pulley system to make a medieval cathedral, creating a model of a London landmark or exploring different bridge structures. Children are taught to select and use appropriate tools safely and effectively as part of their work and are actively encouraged to think about important issues such as sustainability and enterprise. Food technology also forms a core part of our DT curriculum and develops progressive skills from making simple items for a picnic to creating chocolate bars or making bread.

Within our DT curriculum, our children become independent, creative problem solvers and thinkers as individuals and within part of a team. They are able to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impacts in our world. Through positive engagement in this subject we may see future engineers, architects and product designers gain their first spark of interest and excitement in this area.

As part of our Guiding Stars curriculum, Art, Design Technology and Music are the leading light subjects for ‘Creative Thinking’.

Within these curriculum areas, the children learn how to manipulate sound, media and materials to respond to different stimuli in interesting and innovative ways and they capture ideas in visual or audio form. The children learn how to make prototypes to test ideas. They come up with new solutions and are not afraid to adopt a trial and error approach, thinking outside the box and evaluating success and looking for ways to improve. The children enjoy collaborating in order to make the best of everybody’s ideas and discover how famous artists, architects and musicians paved the way with new ideas and discoveries.

Click on the Creative Thinking icon below to find out more about how the children’s understanding of creative thinking progresses throughout these curriculum areas.

Curriculum Implementation

Across the school, each year group is allocated three areas of Design and Technology to explore. Each unit of work is taught over a series of lessons usually lasting 6-8 weeks however, we recognise the practical nature of this subject and therefore allow for flexibility in when these lessons are taught.  After initial lessons, classes may group DT lessons together for a period of 3-4 hours to allow for quality practical time to make their product.  

Our Design and Technology curriculum in KS1 focuses on Cooking & Nutrition, Mechanisms and Levers and Building Structures. In KS2 our curriculum focuses on Cooking & Nutrition, Understanding and Using Electrical Systems, Mechanisms for strengthening and stiffening linked to structures and mechanical systems.  During our curriculum design, we have ensured that the knowledge and skill level required to be successful in a particular topic builds upon the previous year’s curriculum. We recognise that to be successful in Design and Technology, children need to develop specific skills and therefore our DT skills have also been carefully chosen that there is clear progression from year to year.

During Design and Technology lessons children will have the opportunity to evaluate real-life products, develop and practise new techniques, design their own products to meet a ‘specification’, and then evaluate their work and the work of others.  During a child’s Design and Technology journey, where relevant, children will have opportunities to learn about the work of famous designers and their influence on products today. In Design and Technology lessons, children will develop confidence in handling and using the tools required to make their products and will become confident in selecting the correct tool to complete the task in hand.

EYFS

The EYFS framework is structured very differently to the National Curriculum and it is organised across seven areas of learning rather than subject areas. Physical Education appears under the prime areas of Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotion Development, but it also features in the specific area of Expressive Arts and Design. The Physical Development area of learning is made up of two components; gross motor and fine motor.

In our Reception classes we recognise the importance of Physical Education and how it underpins all areas of learning. Gross motor skills are those which require whole body movement and which involve the large (core stabilising) muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing and walking, running and jumping, and climbing. Here at Godinton we are working hard to create an environment that allows children to practise these skills. Children are encouraged to take risks by using our climbing equipment, improve their core strength through building with large resources and digging in the sand tray, and develop their self-control and awareness of others through playful games and activities. We inspire children to pursue happy, healthy and active lives through a play-based approach and carefully considered provision that fosters a love of movement. Structured PE lessons commence in Term 3, allowing the children to negotiate space, play cooperation games, and develop their balance and coordination in a variety of spaces including the school hall, large field, and playground. 

It is our aim that when children at Godinton Primary School finish their first year of school and move into Year 1, they will be able to:

• Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of a challenge.
• Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave
• Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing.
• Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others.
• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing
• Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and (when appropriate) try to move in time with music.

Curriculum Impact

The impact of our Design &Technology curriculum design will lead to secure progress over time across Key Stages 1 and 2 which will be relative to a child’s individual starting point. Children will be expected to leave Godinton reaching at least age-related expected skills. We want to the ensure that children who are achieving well, as well as those who need additional support, are identified and additional provision and strategies are planned into lessons to support their needs.