Curriculum Intent for Design Technology

Our aim is to provide a high-quality design technology education to ensure that all pupils have faith in developing the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. Thus, flourishing and achieving their full potential in this subject.

Our curriculum is sequenced and designed to develop a life-long love of learning by revisiting, remembering and applying old skills and learning new skills to achieve the objectives set by the 2014 National Curriculum.

The curriculum is to promote and develop new skills and challenge the children to have high aspirations in a nurturing and inclusive environment. Children remember, apply and build upon those skills in order to progress and develop new knowledge and look at designers, chefs and architects.

It is vital that our children are able to critique, design, evaluate and test their own ideas and products as well as the work of others. We encourage the children to show kindness and respect of each other’s work reflecting the school’s Christian values rooted in God’s love.

By the end of each key stage, children are expected to know, apply moral values and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study.

Through a journey of exploration, the children learn to understand and apply the principles of nutrition, learn how to cook, understand the importance of healthy eating and how to keep safe in the kitchen.

Design and Technology Implementation Statement 

 At Eastchurch CE Primary School, our Design and Technology (DT) curriculum is based upon the Kapow scheme of work which has been adapted to meet the needs of our pupils. We have ensured that the units chosen, enable pupils to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. EYFS (Reception and Nursery) units provide opportunities for pupils to work towards the Development Matters statements and the Early Learning Goals.  

DT is taught in terms two, four and five, alternating with Art and Design. This is to ensure that the knowledge and skills in DT can be taught in depth. The topics in DT across these three terms are mostly the same for each year group so clear progression of skills can be monitored from one year to the next. Any different topics taught across terms will be fitted in and linked to the year group topic or text. 

The DT curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical, and technical understanding required for each strand. 

Cooking and nutrition has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality. Cooking and nutrition is given a particular focus and we have made this one of our six key areas that pupils revisit throughout their time in our school: Cooking and nutrition, Textiles, Mechanisms/Mechanical systems, Electrical systems (KS2 only), Structures and Digital world (KS2 only). 

At Eastchurch School, our DT lessons provide pupils with the opportunity to respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in the six key areas. 

Each of our key areas follows the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has a particular theme and focus from the technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition section of the curriculum.  

Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work including practical hands-on, computer-based and inventive tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge and skills organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.  

Strong subject knowledge is vital for staff to be able to deliver a highly effective and robust DT curriculum. Each unit of lessons includes multiple teacher videos to develop subject knowledge and support ongoing CPD. 

At Eastchurch, we are fortunate enough to have a whole school resource cupboard full of lots of useful resources to teach the DT topics. Resources have been clearly separated into DT and Art and Design resources and they are set out accessibly for teachers to use. We also have a fully functioning kitchen area in our Nursery which includes a small oven and lots of cooking equipment to enable staff to teach cooking and nutrition easily. 

There have been three Arts and Crafts clubs taught across the year led by different staff members. This has been to encourage children to become creative in designing and making a range of different things. Not only does this support children’s creativity in new ways, it enables staff to meet new children from different year groups and build on their knowledge and skills from their lessons.