At Denmead Infant School, D&T is taught as part of a broad and balanced curriculum which is accessible for all children.
We aim for all children to develop a wide range of skills through exciting and engaging units, whilst taking pride in their outcomes. We believe that high-quality D&T lessons encourage children to be creative problem solvers by giving them the opportunity to design, make and evaluate purposeful products whilst also gaining technical knowledge and vocabulary.
Our curriculum design allows children to develop their subject knowledge, skills and understanding whilst promoting their spiritual, moral, social, cultural and mental development which prepares them for future opportunities and experiences.
Through our D&T projects, we link units together where children build on their previous learning. This enables them to develop their technical skills and knowledge whilst exploring and handling a variety of tools and materials in order to design, make and evaluate a product from a given specification. Our learning journeys are planned as ‘first hand’ practical experiences and they have purposeful outcomes which enable the children to show what they have learnt. We know that children learn best when they are investigating and exploring through questioning and purposeful challenges.
Our intention is to develop confident, enthusiastic and responsible individuals who are confident to express their own opinions and ideas as well as being able to question and show curiosity towards the ideas of others. Our children will be able to evaluate theirs and other’s work in a critical way.
We aim to prepare our children for their future and the ever-changing world in which we live.
At Denmead Infant School design and technology is a creative and practical subject. In Key Stage 1, we follow the Programmes of Study in the National Curriculum and in Year R, our provision for Design and Technology falls within the Educational Programmes for the Expressive Arts and Design and Physical Development in Development Matters.
We have developed a clear progression of learning, which ensures that children build on their design and technology skills and knowledge year on year from the moment they join us in Early Years to when they leave us at the end of Key Stage 1. This ensures that learning is well planned and sequenced in order to maximise learning for all children. This also means that children extend their own knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of design and technology by referring to what has already been learnt and by then making connections with the new learning taking place. Teachers ensure that children are engaged in design and technology learning though carefully planned hooks, questioning and enquiries that require the children to develop their thinking and technical skills.
As part of our implementation, we aim to challenge, enthuse and involve all learners through an enquiry-based cycle of learning. Children have the opportunity to learn to design, make and evaluate products that solve real problems, this ensures purposeful learning journeys, which inspire and motivate all children. Our learning journeys also include the teaching of technical knowledge, this means that our children are able to use and select from a wide range of tools and equipment in order to perform tasks such as cutting, shaping, joining and finishing. Children will also develop life skills and gain knowledge associated with healthy living, food nutrition and cookery in every year that they are with us.
Children at our school learn how to take risks and how to be resourceful. They are able to use their imagination and experiences to create simple products; this promotes the enjoyment and challenge in solving problems. We believe that the promotion of a language rich design and technology curriculum is essential to the successful acquisition of knowledge and understanding and it is therefore carefully planned for progressively across the school. Meaning children are able to build on their design and technology language each year.
In order to ensure equity and high quality outcomes for children, our approaches to learning are sensitive to the needs of them all, especially those who are vulnerable. We use a range of flexible and responsive teaching strategies, alongside effective assessment to ensure all children receive the support and challenge they need to be successful.
At Denmead Infant School our provision for design and technology encourages and allows our children to explore the human made world around them in order to evaluate and appreciate creativity, whilst teaching them the practical skills and techniques to make design come to life.
