Design & Technology at Sir Francis Hill

Intent

At Sir Francis Hill, we have developed a Design & Technology curriculum to encourage creative thinking and a thirst for answers. Combining areas from all subjects, DT creates fantastic opportunities for children to design, make and evaluate in open discussion. Each and every part of our school is designed to encourage questions, from... 'How did they make that?' to 'Can I make a door that opens by itself?'. Our school strives to stimulate these types of questioning and provide them with the skills to independently answer them, preparing them for new situations they might encounter outside of school.

Implementation

We have a clear and comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum. Skills in the Foundation Stage are planned through the objectives within the EYFS. Throughout Year 1 to Year 6, there is a programme of study which is taught through our Creative Curriculum Planning by using the Cornerstones programme. Throughout the school, teachers plan to ensure that there is a comprehensive cover of Design and Technology in each term. Each topic ensures that a range of skills are built on.

Our teachers use a rich and varied vocabulary to enhance a child's way of thinking and model a more inquisitive mindset. Lessons are encouraged to produce independent ideas and children may be asked to solve problems by themselves, allowing them ownership of their own progress. We ensure that the children have access to key knowledge, language and meanings to understand what is covered in Design and Technology lessons, but also how they can use their knowledge across the curriculum. As the subject utilises many subjects, such as Maths, English and ICT, children are provided with opportunities to reflect on their learning in a consistent way that they will become very quickly confident with. Our school also values learning that comes from external sources, and as such, plan visits, visitors and involve ourselves in our local community. This allows the children first-hand experiences to support and develop their learning. 

Assessment is a continuous process carried out over the child's time in Primary school, utilising a range of assessment methods. These range from individual discussions with the child about their work, to observations in lessons and to assessment against particular lesson objectives. At the end of a unit of work, teachers make a judgement against the Key Learning Skills.

Impact

From Nursery to Year 6, our children are taught to explore their ideas through their own creations. By Year 6, we aim to produce confident, well-practised young designers who can discuss their progress with balance and forward-thinking. They will understand the impact of Design and Technology and how it links to other areas of learning, particularly in a world with rapidly changing technologies. As designers, children will develop skills and attributes they can use beyond school and into adulthood.

Qualities gained from DT at SFH

• Opportunities to design and make quality products. 
• Opportunities to explore food and cooking techniques along with healthy eating and environmental issues within food production.
• Developed design and making skills, knowledge and understanding to the best of each child’s ability; using and selecting a range of tools, materials and components. 
• Become a creative problem solver as an individual and member of a team. 
• To be able to use computing in conjunction with the design and making process. 
• To develop an ability to criticise constructively and evaluate their own products and those of others. 
• To develop an understanding of the ways people in the past and present have used design to meet their needs.
• To reflect on and evaluate such techniques, its uses and effects. 
• To prepare for living in a multicultural society by teaching consideration for other cultures, which will be both important and beneficial.

Design & Technology Websites

HowStuffWorks A great website to encourage questioning, which is recommended to use with an adult. They post relevant articles which you can discuss with your child.

Lego Kids Lego! You might not expect it, but Lego is a great way to encourage designing for a purpose and evaluating their design. This site has lots of fun activities online and challenges for you to try at home.

TopMarks This is a collection of games and activities for design and technology.

Funkidslive A great website for kids! It has a kids' radio station and this page has some great articles designed to stimulate questions.