Design & Technology

Intent
Why do we teach this? Why do we teach it in the way we do?
At Edlington Victoria Academy, we understand that DT should provide children with a real life context for learning related to solving real life problems and the needs and values of the wider world. We want to allow children to develop skills to enable them to be thoughtful, enterprising, resourceful and capable citizens. Through the DT curriculum, children should be inspired by engineers, designers, chefs and architects to enable them to create a range of structures, mechanisms, textiles, electrical systems and food products with a real life purpose. It is our ambition that children are exposed to high-quality Design and Technology education.

In order for this to be achieved, our curriculum supports children to:

  •  Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
  • Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
  • Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
  •  Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Implementation
What do we teach? What does this look like?

At Edlington Victoria Academy, our long term plan for the wider curriculum is divided in to 3 strands; Identity and Social Justice (Autumn term); Power, Leadership and Invasion (Springterm) and Sustainability and the Impact on the World (Summer term). DT units are planned to build upon key enquiry questions within these strands and are placed within real life contexts with an audience/user in mind.

All teaching of DT should follow the design, make and evaluate cycle and each stage should be rooted in technical knowledge. The design process should be rooted in real life, relevant contexts to give meaning to learning. While making, children should be given choice and a range of tools to choose freely from. To evaluate, children should be able to evaluate their own products against a design criteria.

Our focus at Edlington Victoria Academy is building a sequential progression of both the ‘Knowledge’ and ‘Practical’ skills that are needed to design, make, evaluate and apply a range of products within the key strands of:

  • Structures
  • Mechanism
  • Food and Nutrition
  • Textiles
  •  Electrical Systems

Our units of learning ensure that the National Curriculum is fully covered and that progression occurs across all year groups. The delivery of DT through these units provide consistency across the academy, ensuring that the pupils receive a broad and ambitious curriculum for all,supporting all pupils and providing challenge at all levels in order to develop children’s knowledge and practical skills.