Intent

At St James Primary school, we are committed to providing a rich and engaging Design and Technology curriculum that empowers our students to become innovative thinkers, problems solvers and creators, through hands-on activities, projects and design challenges. Our intent is to inspire a love for design and technology, equipping our learners with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in an ever-evolving world by nurturing their curiosity, resourcefulness and resilience. 

Through our Design Technology Curriculum, we aim to:

1. Foster creativity: Encouraging students to think imaginatively, explore ideas and develop innovative solutions to real-world problems through hands-on design projects.
2. Develop critical thinking and problem solving skills: Equip students with the ability to analayse problems, generate ideas, and evaluate the effectiveness of their designs, fostering resilience and perseverance in the face of a challenge.
3. Promote collaboration and communication: Provide opportunities for students to works collaboratively in teams. Communicate their ideas effectively, and listen to and respect perspectives of others, preparing them for future work environments.
4. Develop technical skills: introduce students to a range of tools, materials, and techniques, allowing them to develop practical skills in areas such as construction, textiles, mechanism and structure.
5. Cultivate an understanding of sustainability: Raise awareness of the environmental impact of design choices and encourage student to consider how their designs can be sustainable, ethical and socially responsible.
6. Celebrate cultural diversity and heritage: Explore the rich history of Design Technology from different cultures and time periods, fostering an appreciation for diversity and encouraging students to draw inspiration from a variety of sources.
7. Encourage a growth mindset: Nurture a positive attitude towards learning, where mistakes are seen as an opportunity for growth and improvement, and where students are encouraged to take risk and learn from their experiences.

Implementation

At St James school we follow the ‘Design, Make, Evaluate and Technical knowledge’ approach outlined in the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. These four strands run throughout our six key skill areas of study that we teach:

• Cooking and nutrition
• Mechanisms/Mechanical systems
• Structure
• Textiles
• Electrical systems (Key stage 2 only)
• Digital world (Key stage 2 only)

Each year group will be taught one skill-based project per term, ensuring progression of skills that will build on prior learning. All children will have a scheduled Design Technology lesson each week for the duration of each project with evidence of each project recorded within their topic books.

Impact

Our children enjoy and value Design Technology and know why they are doing things, not just how. Children will understand and appreciate the value of Design Technology in the context of industries and the potential career opportunities.

Progress in Design and Technology is demonstrated through regularly reviewing and scrutinising children’s work, to ensure that progression of skills is taking place. Namely through:

• Looking at pupils’ work, especially over time to show progression of skills and knowledge
• Observing how they perform in lessons and how they apply their skill set
• Talking to them about what they remember and how they can do more (pupil book study)

The Design Technology curriculum will contribute to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. This would be seen in them being able to talk confidently about their work, and sharing their work with others.