Design & Technology
At Coltishall Primary School, we encourage children to use their creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. The children learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.
Aims
- To develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
- To build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
- To critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
- To understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
Coverage
The school uses a variety of teaching and learning styles in design and technology lessons. The principle aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding in design and technology. Teachers ensure that the children apply their knowledge and understanding when developing ideas, planning and making products and then evaluating them. We do this through a mixture of whole class teaching and individual/group activities. Within lessons, we give children the opportunity to both work on their own and collaborate with others, listening to other children’s ideas and treating them with respect. Children critically evaluate existing products, and their own work and that of others. They have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including computers.
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 task to the ability of the child. We achieve this through a range of strategies:
- Setting common tasks that are open-ended that can have a variety of results
- Setting tasks of increasing difficulty where not all children complete all tasks;
- Providing a range of challenges through the provision of different resources
- Use additional adults to support the work of individual children or small groups
EYFS
In Early Years, we promote the development of children's artistic and cultural awareness to support their imagination and creativity. Children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. The environment provides a variety of resources which the children can access independently and promote creativity.
SEND
Our DT curriculum is carefully planned, adapted and delivered to ensure every child can access and achieve all projects. This is achieved in many ways, these include: -
- Using a variety of adapted resources, such as larger needles or adapted scissors,
- Clear/simple instructions and chunking content,
- Peer support, 1:1 support or working in pairs,
- Allocating extra time to complete tasks,
- Modelling the technique and using pictures to support the child's understanding.
Teachers adapt their sessions to support the needs of their cohort by using the appropriate strategies from this list. Our DT curriculum is planned and delivered in order to accommodate and challenge pupils of all abilities.
