Design & Technology
Vision
At Seaview Primary School, within design and technology, we nurture creativity, curiosity and imagination. Pupils design, make and evaluate a range of products that resolve real life and relevant problems, with a variety of contexts, whilst considering the product design criteria and target audience. We aim for children to acquire a range of practical skills and knowledge, within cooking and nutrition, textiles and technical knowledge, to allow them to be successful in adulthood and to enable them to pursue careers within the design and technology sector.
Curriculum
Our design and technology curriculum consists of three main strands: cooking and nutrition, textiles and technical knowledge. The technical knowledge strand includes; structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, computer aided design and computer programming.
Within the design and technology curriculum, children design purposeful, functional and appealing products, that are fit for purpose, for themselves and other users. They use research and design criteria to inform their designs and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, prototypes and computer aided design.
Children make their products by selecting from a range of materials and components and use a wide range of tools, skills and equipment. Children acquire the skills necessary to perform practical tasks such as cutting, shaping, joining and finishing.
Through investigations, children analyse a range of existing products. They evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work. They learn about key events and individuals in design and technology and how they have shaped the world.
In technical knowledge, children in KS1 build structures, such as a chair, and explore how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable. They explore and use mechanisms in their products. They learn about, and use, wheels and axels to develop their own moving vehicle. In lower KS2, children apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce structures to advance their learning and construct a more complex castle structure, made up of 3D shapes. Children understand how mechanical systems are used in products and they use levers and linkages to make their own moving monster. In upper KS2, children build on their knowledge of electrical systems, by using series circuits, incorporating switches, wires and buzzers to design and make a steady hand game. The children’s knowledge and understanding of computing is used to program, monitor and control a navigation tool, that the children have designed in response to a client’s design brief. They use computer aided design to build a 3D model, before pitching their product to the client.
In cooking and nutrition, children are taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. By learning how to cook, this life skills enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life. Children understand seasonality and where their food comes from. Children comprehend and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet by making a wide range of food dishes: healthy smoothies, balanced wraps, savoury tarts, biscuits and bolognaise sauce. After acquiring a range of skills, children in upper KS2 take part in their own ‘Come Dine with Me’ experience.
SEND & Inclusion
Inclusivity is key to our culture at Seaview Primary School. The design and technology curriculum is adapted and scaffolded to remove barriers and to make learning assessible to all. Practical skills are a key feature of the curriculum, with a reduced focus on written word to communicate ideas, responses and reflections, allowing all children to engage to the best of their ability. Resources, skills and methods are adapted, across the curriculum, to meet the needs of pupils. Enhanced adult and peer support is used throughout design and technology lessons to enable all children to access the curriculum.