Teaching Design and Technology at Haselworth Primary School

Intent

We aim to offer a challenging and engaging Design and Technology curriculum that prepares children to deal with tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. Its purpose is to encourage children to become independent, creative problem solvers and thinkers as individuals or as part of a team.

How do we teach Design and Technology

Design Technology is taught in all year groups through at least one topic per term, which includes one topic relating to food. Design Technology projects are often made cross curricular - linking to other subjects taught. All teaching of DT follows the design, make and evaluate cycle and each stage is rooted in technical knowledge.

The aims of teaching DT in our school are to:

• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in DT, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. DT is taught through a termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum.

We carry out the curriculum planning in DT in three phases: long-term, medium term and short-term. The long-term plan maps out the topic covered in each term during the key stage. The subject leader works this out in conjunction with teaching colleagues in each year group.

Our medium-term plans have been written to link to the themes that are taught in each year group each term and build upon the prior learning of the children. They identify the skills that need to be taught or practiced by children each lesson and ensure there is progress in these skills each year and that children are increasingly challenged. Class teachers then complete a weekly plan which lists the specific learning objectives for each lesson and shows brief details of how the lesson will be taught.

At Haselworth Primary School we provide a variety of opportunities for DT learning inside and outside the classroom.  Educational visits are another opportunity for the teachers to plan for additional learning outside the classroom. 

Early Years Foundation Stage

During the EYFS pupils explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult directed activities. They have the opportunities to learn to:

• use different media and materials to express their own ideas
• use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about form, function and purpose
• make plans and construct with a purpose in mind using a variety of resources
• develop skills to use simple tools and techniques appropriately, effectively and safely
• select appropriate resources for a product and adapt their work where necessary
• cook and prepare food adhering to good health and hygiene routines

Key Stage 1

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts, (for example the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment).

•    explore and use mechanisms, (for example levers, sliders, wheels and axles), in their products.

Key stage 1- Food and Nutrition:

As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

Pupils should be taught to:

• use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes 

• understand where food comes from. 

Key Stage 2

Within key stage 2 key events and individuals that have influenced the world of Design Technology are teaching focuses that are to be covered.  The use of computer programmes and applications are also a key focus to be utilised by children in their design of their products.

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts, for example, the home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment. 

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:

Design 

•   use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at individuals or groups 

•   generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design 

Make 

•   select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, such as cutting, shaping, joining and finishing, accurately 

•   select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities 

Evaluate 

•   investigate and analyse a range of existing products 

•   evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work 

•   understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world 

Technical knowledge 

•   apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures 

•   understand and use mechanical systems in their products, (for example as gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages)

•   understand and use electrical systems in their products, (for example series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors) 

•   to apply their understanding of computing to programme, monitor and control their products.

Key stage 2 – Food and Nutrition

As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life. 

Pupils should be taught to: 

• understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet 
• prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques 
• to understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed. 

Inclusion including Special Educational Needs Disability (SEND) / Pupil Premium / Higher Attainers

All children will have Quality First Teaching. A Haselworth Primary School we teach DT to all children, whatever their ability. DT forms part of the school curriculum policy to provide a broad and balanced education to all children. Through our DT teaching, we provide learning opportunities that enable all pupils to make progress. We do this by setting suitable learning challenges and responding to each child’s different needs. Teachers will also take into account the targets set for individual children in their Individual Education plans- as appropriate.

In all classes there are children of differing ability. We recognise this fact and provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the activities to the ability of the child. We achieve this through a range of strategies:

• setting common learning activities that are open-ended and can have a variety of results;
• setting learning of increasing difficulty where not all children complete all tasks;
• setting specific learning according to individual needs and targets ;
• grouping children by ability and setting different tasks for each group;
• mixed ability grouping which facilitates peer support;
• providing a range of challenges through the provision of different resources and scaffolds;
• using additional adults to support the work of individual children or small groups.

Equality

All teaching and learning of DT will ensure that every child has the right to be included and supported as far as possible in the knowledge that there is equality in terms of opportunity, social background, race, gender and disability.

Assessment and Recording

Teachers assess children’s work in DT by making assessments as they observe them working during lessons. They record the progress that children make by assessing the children’s work against the learning objectives for their lessons.

Throughout the unit of work, teachers make a judgement against the National Curriculum statements and the subject’s long-term progression of skills on INSIGHT (The school’s data tracking platform used for all core and foundation subjects). A summative assessment for the subject is made at the end of each unit of learning.

Teachers then use the data that they record to plan the future work of each child and to make an annual assessment of progress for each child, as part of the annual report to parents. Each teacher passes this information on to the next teacher at the end of each year.

Health and Safety

The safety of the children is the responsibility of the class teacher. The children are made  aware of the safe use and correct procedure involved when using tools and equipment in a  learning environment and how to follow proper procedures for food safety and hygiene. The children are made aware of the need to be careful and to understand that their actions  can affect others.

It is the duty of all staff to:

• Recognise and assess the hazards and risks to themselves and others when working with food and other materials
• Take action to control these risks and hazards.

Teachers should be aware of the following:

• Children must not use cooking appliances unless under direct supervision from a responsible adult. The portable oven may be used in an area away from the children or with a barrier between at the teacher’s discretion
• Saws and other sharp objects (nails, needles, craft knives, etc) must be used under direct supervision. The teacher will make a judgement on the undertaking of activities involving sharp and / or potentially dangerous equipment depending on the age / ability of the children in his / her class. Some activities may be undertaken by an adult or in a small group or one to one situation as appropriate
• Perishable foodstuff must be stored safely and refrigerated if necessary. Care must be taken to ensure food is not used after the given sell by / use by date
• Teachers and adult support staff must oversee that cupboards, table tops, cooker etc, are clean and in working order
• Children must wash their hands before and after any contact with food and other potentially harmful substances
• Teachers must take into account possible food allergies to food such as nuts and should be aware of the location of any medication for the allergy.

Impact

The monitoring of the standards of children’s work and of the quality of teaching in DT is the responsibility of subject leader. The work of the subject leader also involves supporting colleagues in the teaching of DT, being informed about current developments in the subject, and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school.

The subject leader has time within school in order to review evidence of the children’s work and undertake drop in visits of DT teaching across the school. The following information outlines how subject leaders monitor, evaluate and review their subject.

• Subject Leaders use self-evaluation and write clear action plans and ensure that they are understood by all those involved in putting the plans into practice, including staff who are new to the school. These are reviewed termly and contribute to the monitoring, review and evaluation of the school development plan.
• Subject Leaders develop a cycle of monitoring throughout the school for the academic year, ensuring that they are able to make judgements about the standards within their subject. This includes learning walks, planning and books looks and pupil conferencing.
• Subject leaders report their impact to Governors via reports or attending FGB to present.
• Subject Leaders ensure that teachers are clear about the teaching objectives in lessons, understand the sequence of teaching and learning in the subject, and communicate such information to pupils.
• Subject Leaders ensure curriculum coverage, continuity and progression of skills in their subject for all pupils, including those of high achievers and those with special educational or linguistic needs;
• Subject Leaders establish a clear, shared understanding of the importance and role of the subject in contributing to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development, and in preparing pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.
• Subject Leaders create a climate which enables other staff to develop and maintain positive attitudes towards the subject and confidence in teaching it