Early Years:

Pupils will experiment to create different textures and to manipulate materials to achieve a planned effect. They will construct with a purpose in mind, using a variety of resources and simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately. Pupils will be making sense of the 'made world' in which they live. By making, changing and modifying (or designing) things for themselves, pupils will gain greater understanding of their world. 

Key Stage 1:

Pupils learn how to think imaginatively and talk about what they like and dislike when designing and making. They build on their early childhood experiences of investigating objects around them. They explore how familiar things work, talk about their drawing and model their ideas. They learn how to design and construct objects safely and may use ICT as part of this process.

Key Stage 2:

Pupils work on their own and as part of a team participating in a range of designing and making activities. They think about what products are used for and the needs of the people who use them. They plan what has to be done and identify what works well and what could be improved on their own and other people’s designs. They draw upon knowledge and understanding from other areas of the curriculum.

Intent

At Aldeburgh Primary School it is our intent that Design Technology helps pupils to deal with the rapidly changing world that we live in. D&T provides pupils with real life context for learning about past and present technology. We want children at Aldeburgh to be able to use their creativity through designing and making, with a real-life purpose. Pupils follow the National Curriculum areas of design, make and evaluate.

Pupils are encouraged to use their imagination, to think 'outside the box' in fun and engaging lessons whilst also developing technical vocabulary. The skills learned in D&T supports learning across the curriculum for example; exploration of materials in science informs their use, and understanding of the need for accurate measurements is supported within this topic in maths. Children will also experience using a range of tools and equipment in a safe environment and to use the correct tool effectively to complete the task. 

Implementation

At Aldeburgh Primary we use Kapow to teach D & T, which offers a range of exciting topics that help our pupils to solve real and relevant problems. D&T will be taught in blocks and linked to our topic work wherever possible and this ensures continuity, progression and enables a focus on the process as well as the end product. Knowledge and skills are developed through six main areas – cooking and nutrition, textiles, structures, mechanical systems electrical systems and the digital world. Pupils draw upon knowledge from various other subjects making cross curricular links wherever possible to broaden and deepen knowledge and understanding.