DT at Chandlers Ridge


Curriculum Intent

Design is a funny word. Something people think design is how it looks, but of course if you dig deeper it is really how it works.

Steve Jobs

Our Design Technology Curriculum will provide our children with a wide range of experiences, allowing us to nurture and grow their creativity and equip them with relevant skills for life in our rapidly changing technological world.

We want our children to be inspired by a range of professionals including engineers, designers, architects and chefs and have high aspirations for their futures.

We encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products using a wide range of tools and equipment that solve real and relevant problems with a variety of contexts.

We believe that design technology helps prepare children in a developing world and encourages them to become curious and creative problem solvers both as individual and as part of a team.

The Design Technology Curriculum is based on the National Curriculum 2014 guidance:

  • Products are to be made for a purpose.
  • Individuality should be ensured in children’s design and construction of products.
  • Delivery of the two strands: Designing, Making and Cooking and Nutrition.
  • Teaching the importance of evaluating and making improvements during making stages.
  • Looking into seasonality of ingredients and how they are grown, caught or reared.
  • The introduction of computing and coding of products in KS2.
  • Researching key events and individual designers in the History of Technology in KS2.

Curriculum Implementation

DT starts by teaching basic knowledge, understanding and skills needed to design and make products linked to the NC KS1 expectations. KS2 then continues to embed these skills with a deeper level of subject knowledge, vocabulary and new and additional skills linked to the KS2 NC expectations.

The curriculum is covered in a sequential manner to ensure the NC content is covered between each year group. The Plan Bee scheme of work ensures the content is age appropriate and provides engaging lessons. KS1 lessons link DT to their topic related content helping children learn more knowledge about their other subjects in school to strengthen their learning. SMART task questions provide children with the opportunity to revisit and discuss prior knowledge, ensuring knowledge and understanding is embedded in the children’s long-term memory. The use of the correct vocabulary and terminology related to the area of DT being taught is modelled throughout lessons. Children are encouraged to use a range of challenging vocabulary during the planning, making and evaluation of products.

The curriculum is balanced through the teaching of food technology, Lego (electrical systems), structure, mechanisms and textile. Lessons are mainly practical with a small level of recording for the planning and evaluation of a made product. The curriculum is balanced by providing opportunities for speaking, listening, reading, writing and developing cultural awareness.

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