The Rissington School Design Technology
Intent
At The Rissington School, we value Design and Technology as an important part of our pupil’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. We are committed to ensure that Design and Technology provide the pupils with the opportunities to develop and extend skills: encouraging them to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.
Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. It can be found in many of the objects children use each day and is a part of children’s immediate experiences. Design and Technology at The Rissington School will encourage children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team.
Our Design and Technology curriculum combines skills, knowledge, concepts and values to enable children to tackle real problems. It will improve analysis, problem solving, practical capability and evaluation skills. Our pupils are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers whilst reflecting upon how Design and Technology have shaped history, and learn about how the subject continues to contribute to the creativity, culture and wealth of our nation.
The Rissington School is a split site school. Whilst we embrace the differences this may bring, the children across both sites belong to one school; and as such receive the same provision in Design and Technology.
In addition to the school values of Aspire, Belong, Challenge the Design and Technology Curriculum is planned carefully to represent our school and outlying community. Throughout the Design and Technology Curriculum our key drivers (golden threads) are woven throughout the planning, teaching and learning:
Vocabulary and language- ensuring that our pupils develop the use of a wide and ambitious vocabulary across the whole curriculum.
Resilience and independence- instilling a growth mindset, so that pupils persevere and are independent in both their learning and social skills
Equality and diversity- ensuring that learning encourages connections with both our local community and wider world
Through the Design and Technology Curriculum, we ensure that all children are active in the learning process and have implemented common language around good independent learning and characteristics of effective learning, starting from Early Years. Growth mindset is embedded, using the ‘Power of Yet!’, and understanding the importance of the 5 R's (Resilience, Responsibility, Reciprocal, Resourceful, Reflective), Growth mindset is rewarded and recognised when children support each other to overcome challenges and to be proactive in their learning.
As part of our curriculum we promote and encourage the children to recognise The Characteristic of Effective Learning; these are:
- Go For it Gorilla - I will have a go.
- Exploring Elephant - I am an Explorer
- I know Rhino - I play with what I know
- Proud Peacock - I am proud of what I do
- Concentrating Crocodile - I join in and concentrate
- Persevering Parrot - I keep trying
- Choosing Chimp - I choose ways to do things
- Creative Chameleon - I have my own ideas
- Slinky Linky Snake - I can make links
Our Design and Technology curriculum has been designed so that all lessons give the children opportunities to display one or more of the characteristics for example making connections from previous knowledge like a Slinky Linky Snake.
Implementation
The teaching and implementation of the Design and Technology Curriculum at The Rissington School is based on the National Curriculum and is linked to topics to ensure a well-structured approach to this subject.
The children are taught Design and Technology as part of their termly topic work and more detail can be found in our Long and Medium term plans. Our young designers will be given a variety of experiences both in and out of the classroom, where appropriate, to participate in memorable learning opportunities which will further support and deepen their understanding.
We aim, wherever possible, to link work to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art.
Early Years Foundation Stage
During the EYFS pupils explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult directed activities. They have the opportunities to learn to:
- Use different media and materials to express their own ideas
- Use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about form, function and purpose
- Make plans and construct with a purpose in mind using a variety of resources
- Develop skills to use simple tools and techniques appropriately, effectively and safely
- Select appropriate resources for a product and adapt their work where necessary
- Cook and prepare food adhering to good health and hygiene routines
National Curriculum requirements at Key Stage 1
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts, (for example the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment).
When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:
Design
- design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
- generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology
Make
- select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, (or example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing)
- select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics
Evaluate
- explore and evaluate a range of existing products
- evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria
Technical knowledge
- build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
- explore and use mechanisms, (for example levers, sliders, wheels and axles), in their products.
National Curriculum requirements for food and Nutrition at KS1
As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.
Pupils should be taught to:
- use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
- understand where food comes from.
In Key Stage 2:
Within key stage 2 key events and individuals that have influenced the world of Design Technology are teaching focuses that are to be covered.
The use of computer programmes and applications are also a key focus to be utilised by children in their design of their products.
National Curriculum requirements at Key Stage 2
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts, for example, the home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment.
When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:
Design
- use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
- generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
Make
- select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, such as cutting, shaping, joining and finishing, accurately
- select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles 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 to improve 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 systems in their products, (for example as gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages)
- understand and use electrical systems in their products, (for example series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors)
- to apply their understanding of computing to programme, monitor and control their products.
National Curriculum requirements for food and nutrition at KS2
As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.
Pupils should be taught to:
- understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
- prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques
- to understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
Impact
At The Rissington school our pupils are able to talk confidently about what they have learnt and created in Design and Technology, using subject specific vocabulary.
In the Early Years, children have developed a love for designing and experimenting with different materials and tools for a range of meaningful purposes. They are proud of their work.
Pupil voice, throughout the school, demonstrates that pupils enjoy Design and Technology and are able to recall their learning over time.
Pupils’ work demonstrates that Design and Technology is taught at an age appropriate standard across each year group with opportunities planned in to support pupils as well as challenging and stretching all learning including those pupils working at greater depth.
Pupils’ work, whether on display, in books or across subject areas is of good quality and demonstrates that pupils are acquiring knowledge, skills and vocabulary in an appropriate sequence. There is clear evidence of a progression of skills.
National curriculum in England: design and technology programmes of study - GOV.UK