Design and Technology statement of intent:

At Emmanuel, Design and Technology is a key component of our broad and balanced curriculum as we aspire for all children to experience ‘life in all its fullness.’

We intend for our Design and Technology curriculum to:

• Fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for DT.
• Reflect and celebrate the diversity of our school community as children cook food from their home community in the cooking curriculum, for example.
• Develop a love of learning by engaging and challenging pupils to think creatively to solve real-life problems.

Introduction about Design and Technology

The Design and Technology curriculum at Emmanuel is carefully planned and sequenced to equip pupils with the knowledge and skills needed to design and make products that solve problems in different contexts with a clear purpose and audience: ‘something for somebody, for some purpose’.

All children complete a DT project once a term, ensuring progression in skills through the school in the four areas set out in the National Curriculum of designing, making, evaluating and technical knowledge.

Design and Technology skills from EYFS to Year 6

In EYFS, children explore and experiment with media and materials, safely using a range of tools and techniques in original ways, beginning to think about use and purpose.

In KS1, key vocabulary is introduced and children learn to further develop their ideas and use a variety of tools and techniques to produce their designs.  Pupils begin to review their work and discuss what they think was successful as well as identifying what they might change or develop next time.

In KS2, DT learning builds on the foundation of skills children acquired in KS1.  Pupils develop their skills in different contexts e.g. working with mechanics and textiles and learn that ongoing testing and final evaluation is vital to understanding how and why a product or design element has been successful or not.

Our Design and Technology curriculum makes links to learning in other subject areas including Maths, Science, Computing and Art and Design and is the foundation of engagement in STEAM in secondary education and beyond: Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics.

We enrich the children’s experience of Design and Technology through a range of trips and visits e.g. to the Waitrose cookery school, to help children fully immerse themselves in the subject.