Design Technology at Cuddington and Dinton

Intent

At Cuddington and Dinton C of E School, Design and Technology (D&T) is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Our pupils are provided with opportunities to develop functional products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts and purposes, using creativity and imagination. They will be inspired by engineers, designers, chefs and architects and through the evaluation of past and present D&T, our pupils are encouraged to be creative and innovative.

The knowledge and skills acquired will help learning across a range of curriculum subjects and the children will develop resilience in their problem-solving both as an individual and as members of a team. As pupils progress, their understanding of the impact of design and technology on our daily life and the wider world will prepare them for our rapidly changing world.

Implementation

At Cuddington and Dinton C of E School, Design and Technology is planned to follow our progression of knowledge and skills document alongside resources from the D&T Association. We plan our units in paired year groups which gives our pupils the opportunity to design, make and evaluate areas of D&T with a range of their peers. Our two-year rolling cycle is in place to ensure that a range of D&T units are covered, with progression between the paired year groups, across the two years. We teach one D&T unit per term, with cooking and nutrition taught every year.

Our key aim is to ensure that our pupils know how to design, make and evaluate a product for an intended user and a purpose. This process is present in every unit, with the time spent on each element differing depending on the unit. The children develop the process of designing, making and evaluating throughout their time at Cuddington and Dinton and, by the end of Year 6, the children are considering how manufacturing, culture and functionality impact their product.

We informally assess our pupils throughout a unit through observations, focused tasks and questioning and provide additional support within the lessons for the children that need it. At the end of each unit, we formally assess the pupils’ attainment. This enables teachers to track the pupils’ progress throughout the year and to track the progress in particular units over the course of our pupils’ primary education. By doing this, it provides us with guidance to inform which pupils need support or challenge in Design and Technology.

Impact

By repeating the design, make and evaluate process our pupils will know more, remember more and understand more about Design and Technology and the course it takes to develop a product. This impact will be measured through formative and summative assessment, interviewing the pupils and moderating the progression in planning, books and final products.

Our pupils will understand how vital D&T is in our world and they will develop their ability to solve real life practical problems using innovation and creativity, both as an individual and as part of a group. Our pupils will have resilience and perseverance by knowing that ideas and products can be improved, and that feedback given by adults and their peers is supportive. By teaching Cooking and Nutrition each year, our pupils will know the importance of a healthy and varied diet and they will have gained skills in cooking which will last a lifetime.