Intent

At the Queens’ Federation we aim to foster ‘Learning for Life.’

We will provide a rich, relevant and inspirational curriculum that promotes a lifelong love of learning and equips our pupils with the key knowledge and understanding, skills and personal qualities that they will need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Our curriculum is designed to be relevant to our children and is linked to the context of our school and the local community.

The intent of our Design Technology curriculum is to provide opportunities for pupils to learn and apply skills required in the designing, making and evaluating of an effective product for a specific user and a given purpose.

Design and technology lessons will enable pupils to learn about the world in which we live. They will inspire them to think independently and innovatively and use their creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. Pupils will be given opportunities to reflect upon past and present design technology, its uses in daily life, the wider world and its effectiveness.

Implementation

Our Design Technology curriculum is built around five key elements: mechanisms, construction, food technology, textiles and electrical systems. Each area is revisited, building upon pupil’s prior knowledge and understanding of each element. Skills and knowledge are built upon year by year and are sequenced appropriately to maximize learning for all pupils.  Throughout each element, pupils will follow the cycle of research, design, make and evaluate. The design process will be based on real life, relevant contexts which provide meaning to learning. While making, pupils will be given choice and a range of tools to choose freely from. When evaluating, pupils will be able to evaluate their own products, adapting and improving them against design criteria. Each stage will be given equal weighting and evidence of each stage will be seen in Design Technology books.  Pupils will be made aware of health and safety issues related to all tasks undertaken.

Our Design and Technology curriculum is enriched, wherever possible, through links to learning in other curriculum areas such as mathematics, science, computing and art.  Our curriculum is enhanced through the use of visits and visitors.

We view assessment as a holistic process, which takes place in every lesson through observation of, in questioning and in conversation with pupils and in the production of written outcomes. Design Technology assessment criteria set out the key knowledge and skills that a pupil should achieve at the end of each unit of work.

Impact

 Our curriculum aims to ensure that pupils leave the Queens’ Federation with the skills, knowledge and understanding to become discriminating and informed users of products and innovative citizens. It will enable pupils to develop a greater awareness and understanding of how everyday products are designed and use their creativity and imagination to create their own high quality products. Pupil outcomes evidence a broad and balanced design and technology curriculum and at the end of each year, pupils achieve age related expectations and retain the knowledge and skills learnt from each unit of work.

Yearly Overview

Design and technology at Queen Emma is linked very closely to the topics. Below is a table which shows the work children complete each half term in the different year groups. For each topic there is an element of designing, making (which will involve the use of a wide range of materials) and evaluating.

 

Examples of Learning

Year 2 have enjoyed their week making and eating a healthy sandwich. They practised their cutting skills and tried to make their sandwich look appealing.