Design Technology
Our vision
DT is a subject that sparks curiosity and imagination. It helps to prepare children to meet the needs of the 21st century; to stimulate originality, enterprise, practical capability in designing and making and the adaptability needed to cope with a rapidly changing society.
This vision is what our DT curriculum is built around. Children not only will become problem-solvers, but they will develop into confident designers and engineers. Our DT curriculum intends to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to build on what children already know about how things work on our planet and to make something even better. Children should leave Hartwell recognising their designing and making skills and know how to use these to produce something to not only meet a criteria, but something that can make a difference in our ever-changing world.
The subject leader
To ensure an effective DT curriculum, I monitor teaching and learning through lesson observations, book looks and by gathering pupil voice. I work closely with teachers to support planning, resourcing and teaching of content so that they can feel confident with what is being delivered. As a staff team, we regularly discuss good practice and share examples of work from the children.
Pupil Voice
Pupil voice is incredibly valuable as it allows teachers to hear about how our provision is going and further enhance our high-quality teaching and learning.
Click here to see our most recent pupil voice survey.
Click here to see our SMSC in DT
Click here to see our most recent Subject Development Plan
The DT curriculum at Hartwell
At Hartwell, DT is taught in all year groups. The objectives for the subject from the National Curriculum (NC) are split into cross-curricular topics, such as 'Puppets' in Year 2 linking to the Literacy unit 'Meerkat Mail', and in Year 5 a ‘Roman food’ cooking project is part of the children’s wider study of the Roman times. This enhances not only cross-curricular content but gives DT knowledge and skills a sense of purpose and real-life application – to solve a problem or meet a criteria and apply into a meaningful context. Each year group focuses on one textile, one construction and one food and nutrition project to allow clear progression of skills and knowledge in these areas. This also ensures that DT in school is enjoyable and creative, and widens children’s appreciation that DT is important in our lives as it contributes to the way we live, and may live, our lives.
The DT objectives in KS1 and KS2 are set out for each year group in the NC. They are as follows:
Key Stage 1
Design
- Design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
- generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology
Make
- select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing
- select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics
Evaluate
- explore and evaluate a range of existing products
- evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria
Technical Knowledge
- build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
- explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles], in their products.
Key Stage 2
Design
- use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
- generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-section 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 [for example, 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, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages]
- understand and use electrical systems in their products [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors]
- apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products.
Cooking and nutrition
Key Stage 1
- use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
- understand where food comes from. Key stage 2
- 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
- understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
Key Stage 2
- 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
- understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
Early Years Foundation Stage
DT takes place regularly in EYFS at our school, contributing significantly to many of the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) including ‘Being Creative and Expressive’. Activities such as making a daily snack and continuous access to a workbench in class where children can create without boundaries offer children the chance to not only solve a problem, but to think about how things work and the impact they can have on making something succeed. It introduces children to the concept of many areas of DT, such as designing before making and how to meet a criteria. DT is therefore a regular part of continuous provision.
Useful Documents
Please click here to see our DT Long-Term Map
Please click here to see our Progression Document
Please click here to see our Vocabulary List for EYFS, KS1, LKS2 and UKS2
Useful web links
Bitesize DT - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zykw2hv
At home projects https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/craft-ideas/how-to/g1389/diy-kids-activities/?slide=50
Recipes: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/no-cook-kids-recipes