Intent, Implementation and Impact

The national curriculum ensures that all children are prepared for an inspiring, rigorous and practical journey in Design Technology:

• 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 in order 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.

Intent

At Mill Hill Primary School our design and technology curriculum is designed to prepare children for the developing world.  The subject encourages children to become creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team.  Through the study of design and technology children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, in order to design and make a product.  Evaluation is an integral part of the design process and allows children to adapt and improve their product, this is a key skill which they need throughout their life. Design and Technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators.

We feel that the teaching of food and nutrition is of great importance and holds great relevance in current times. For this reason, children will study a food and nutrition unit every year.  By 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.

Implementation 

At Mill Hill Primary School our design and technology curriculum is built around essential knowledge, understanding and key skills.  These are broken into year group expectations and show clear continuity and progress.  All teaching of design and technology follows the design, make and evaluate cycle.  The design process should be relevant in context, while linking to the class foundation journey. While making, children are exposed to a range of tools to help them to select, practice and evaluate which were successful and which were not. Helping them to develop a trial and evaluate approach to Design Technology. When evaluating, children should be able to evaluate their own products against a design criteria.  Each of these steps should be rooted in technical knowledge and vocabulary.

Key Stage 1

Cooking and nutrition

Textiles

Mechanisms

Use of materials

Construction

Key Stage 2

Cooking and nutrition

Textiles

Electrical and mechanical components

Stiff and flexible sheet materials

Mouldable materials

Impact

The impact of our design and technology curriculum can be seen not only in our children’s Foundation books but also in whole school celebration assembly.

Everything we do is with the child in mind, and strong relationships are built between pupils and staff, which create an atmosphere for learning which is conducive to success.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
• Images of the children’s practical learning.
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
• Pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.
• Marking of work in books.