Design Technology prepares children to deal with tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. It encourages children to become independent, creative problem-solvers and thinkers as individuals and as part of a team – making positive changes to their quality of life. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond to them by developing a range of ideas and by making products and systems. Through the study of Design and technology, they combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impacts. Design and Technology helps all children to become astute and informed future consumers and potential innovators.
Our intent is to build a Design Technology curriculum which develops learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Children will know more, remember more and understand more.
The design technology curriculum will give the children at Grove Lea the appropriate subject knowledge skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum Design Technology Programmes of study. It will fulfil the duties of the NC whereby schools must provide a balanced and broadly-based curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and prepares them for the opportunities and responsibilities and experiences for later life.
Our intent is that pupils use their creativity and imagination 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. By doing so, pupils will acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art.
Design Technology is taught throughout school and is heavily embedded into the Early Years framework. Children are delivered a vocabulary rich Design Technology curriculum, which is essential to successful acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding in the subject. Children are given the opportunity to work collaboratively as well as individually to design, create, test and evaluate their models. Food technology is taught through ‘Grow it’ sessions across the school, in which children are taught the skills of both gardening and cooking. We plan termly visits, visitors and involvement in the community activity to provide first-hand experiences for the children to support and develop their learning.
Through high quality teaching and opportunities to make links to the wider world children will learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. The evaluation of past and present design and technology will enable children to develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. As designers children will develop transferable skills and attributes that can be used beyond school and into adulthood and future careers.
