Design and Technology
We teach the Design and Technology National Curriculum through Cornerstones projects. DT projects are smaller projects that make links to the overarching project of the term. All of the DT projects are well sequenced, so that they develop children’s designing, planning, making and evaluating skills. They will design, make, test and evaluate their products to match the design criteria and ensure they are fit for purpose. Each of the projects will have a focus on either structures, mechanisms, cooking and nutrition or textiles. The children are also taught to work hygienically and safely. The DT objectives that link to electronic circuits are explicitly taught through the Science units that link.
All of the DT units follow the same structure, where children are introduced to a concept and build up knowledge and skills over time, using a comprehensive range of equipment, building, cutting, joining, finishing and cooking techniques as they progress through the school.
EYFS
In Nursery and Reception art is developed through 'Expressive Arts and Design'. The children have access to activities linked to this in their independent learning time as well as being part of focused teaching activities. During Reception and Nursery, children will have the opportunity to safely explore a wide range of materials, tools and techniques. The children are encouraged to talk about their creations and the processes they have used.
KS 1
In the Autumn term of Year 1, children begin to learn about structures before they start to design and make their own shelter. In the Spring term, the children are introduced to the term mechanism and make and test wheels and axles. In the Summer the children start to learn about food sources and use simple preparation techniques to make a sandwich.
At the start of Year 2, children continue to look at food sources and learn to follow recipes and simple techniques. In the Spring term, children are introduced to textiles and will learn how to sew a simple running stitch. The children will also use pattern pieces and will add simple embellishments. The children then move onto looking at mechanisms, by using sliders, levers and linkages in products. In the Summer term children will look at structures and will start to learn how to cut, join and strengthen wood.
Lower KS 2
In the Autumn term of Year 3, the children continue their knowledge of cooking and nutrition and start to look at a balanced diet. In Spring, the children build on previous knowledge of mechanisms by looking at cams and using joining and finishing techniques to make automaton toys. In the Summer, children develop their knowledge of structures, using triangles and braces for strength. The children will design and build a greenhouse, using their understanding of opacity and transparency and the needs of plants from their Science learning to inform their design.
In Autumn of Year 4 the children will learn about food safety and preservation technologies before designing and making packaging for a healthy snack. During the Spring, the children will continue to explore textiles, learning about the work of William Morris before designing, embellishing and finishing a fabric sample. In the Summer they will build on their knowledge of mechanisms, learning about 6 simple machines and using their knowledge to create a lifting or moving device prototype. The children will also explore and use electrical systems and IT monitoring and control in their Science unit – Electrical Circuits and Conductors.
Upper KS 2
In the Autumn term of Year 5, children deepen their understanding of mechanisms by studying pneumatic systems. They will learn about the forces at play and create a prototype for a functional pneumatic machine, which links to their Science learning. In the Spring, children will continue to explore food and nutrition by looking at seasonal foods and the benefits of eating seasonally. In the Summer the children will learn more about structures, by looking at the history of architecture and will develop new ways to create structural strength and stability. They will also build their knowledge of electrical conductivity of materials before making products incorporating circuits.
In the Autumn term, Year 6 will learn about processed and whole foods and will create healthy menus from unprocessed foods. In the Spring term, children will consolidate their knowledge of structures, joining and strengthening techniques and electrical systems by completing a bridge building challenge. In the Summer term, children will extend their knowledge of textiles by learning new stitches to join fabrics and using pattern pieces to create a range of products.
