Design & Technology

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Vision and Aims

At Oxclose Primary Academy, our vision for Design and Technology is to inspire creativity, innovation, and a practical understanding of the world through hands-on experiences. Our primary aim is to equip pupils with the necessary skills to design, make, and evaluate their own products, fostering an environment where problem-solving and critical thinking flourish. We believe that the process of designing and creating can enhance not only cognitive abilities but also collaboration and communication skills.

In our Design and Technology curriculum, we focus on developing a range of key skills, including the ability to work with various materials, and an understanding of the principles of design. Pupils will engage in projects that involve researching, planning, creating, and testing products, enabling them to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts. We encourage pupils to reflect on their work and consider improvements, thereby cultivating resilience and an understanding of the iterative design process.

Ultimately, we aim to nurture a passion for design and technology that not only prepares pupils for future learning but also empowers them to appreciate the impact of technology in everyday life.

Sequencing Rationale

For Design and Technology, we follow the Design & Technology Association Schemes of Work – Projects on a Page.  Staff use and adapt the project planners and D&T association resources to both meet the specific needs, interests, and abilities of their pupils. 

The curriculum is carefully sequenced to progressively build upon the skills and understanding as the students move through school.

For each project pupils make something (product) for somebody (user) with some purpose using the iterative design process. They follow the process of design, make and evaluate.

The projects focus on:

  • Mechanisms (Y1, Y2) and mechanical systems (Y3) (Y6)
  • Structures (Y1, Y4, Y5)
  • Food (Y1-6)
  • Textiles (Y6, Y2, Y3)
  • Electrical Systems (Y4, Y5)

The skills of designing, making, and evaluating are structured to be progressively more complex, with the expectations increasing as pupils transition from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 (KS2). This progressive sequencing ensures that as students move through school, they are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to engage in more sophisticated design projects.

Extraordinary Opportunities

At OPA we enrich the Design and Technology (D&T) curriculum through a variety of extra-curricular opportunities, visits, and visitors that inspire and engage our students, such as a Chef Visit for Year 3, where children have the chance to learn practical skills and gain practical experience.  This broadens their understanding of cooking but also fosters a genuine appreciation for food preparation and nutrition.

We additionally offer an afterschool Cookery Club that allows students to explore their creativity and hone their skills in a relaxed environment.

Intent

At Oxclose Primary Academy we value Design and Technology as it encourages pupils to take a creative approach to solving problems. It is a practical based subject; children will learn about design methods and investigate their environment and materials around them following an iterative design process.  We feel that it is our role to nurture creativity and innovation through design, and by exploring how these impact on the world in which we all live and work. 

Our aim is to deliver an engaging and inclusive curriculum, relevant for all of our pupils, which enables them to gain skills and knowledge in designing, making and evaluating.  Pupils will complete projects on Mechanisms and Electrical/Mechanical Systems, Structures, Textiles, and Food.  We want our pupils to be confident in experimenting, practising and enhancing their skills, which will broaden their knowledge and understanding year on year. 

We believe that it is vital for pupils to leave primary school with a wide range of design and technology skills linked to real life projects, which will help to prepare them for their future both in education and employment as well as promote healthy and safe living in their personal lives. 

Implementation

D&T is a practical based subject; children will learn about design methods and investigate their environment and materials around them.   Our Design and Technology Curriculum follows the National Curriculum and we use ‘Projects on a Page’ from the DT Association to support planning, embed key skills, knowledge and concepts.  Children will complete one D&T project each term for half of a term helping them to develop their technical understanding and making skills. Pupils are provided with opportunities to apply learning from across the curriculum to allow them to problem solve in ‘real life’ situations thus making the work meaningful and valuable in a practical context. 

Our Long-Term Plan provides age-appropriate projects which ensure pupils are taught the skills necessary to effectively research, design, make and evaluate a variety of projects following the iterative design process, whilst learning and implementing technical knowledge and adhering to instructions for design and technology activities and safety rules.  Pupils are provided with the opportunity to design and make functional products and evaluation is utilised to enable pupils to learn from their experiences. 

Our curriculum is designed to progressively and continuously develop pupil’s skills and knowledge, which is assessed in lessons, at the end of each unit and across the school year.  Pupils will be able to demonstrate mastering design and technology skills and knowledge within the teaching sequence and after the unit has been covered.

Impact

Pupils will be able to confidently discuss all aspects of the Design and Technology curriculum that they have been covering and will demonstrate skills and understanding of their design.  They will have knowledge of specific technology, show that they can use tools correctly and safely to combine their designing and making skills alongside their knowledge and understanding, in order to construct products that satisfy needs and challenges. 

Pupils will be able to retain the skills and knowledge, and build on this each year to ensure a clear progression of skills.  To enable us to measure the impact, the subject manager and senior leaders will use learning walks, lesson visits, book scrutiny and pupil voice activities across the year.

Subject Documents Date  
DT Long Term Plan 14th Feb 2025 Download
Progression Posters 04th Feb 2025 Download