Kanes Hill
DT
At Kanes Hill Primary School, our Design and Technology (DT) curriculum encourages children to think creatively, solve problems, and bring their ideas to life. Through designing, making, and evaluating a range of projects, pupils develop practical skills, imagination, and confidence in their ability to create.
Our approach combines hands-on learning with real-world contexts, helping children understand how products are designed and made, and giving them the opportunity to develop skills in planning, construction, and testing. DT lessons also support teamwork, resilience, and critical thinking, preparing pupils for a wide range of future learning opportunities.
Curriculum Statement
Intent
At Kanes Hill Primary School, we deliver high-quality DT that is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation, as well as re-enforcing positive mental and physical health.
Implementation
Using the National Curriculum, we will ensure that children receive a rich design and technology curriculum that build on skills and knowledge from Year 1 to Year 6. Design and Technology will be taught in topics ensuring the integrity of the subject remains at the forefront, with links to the wider curriculum where appropriate.
Design and Technology knowledge organisers for all Year groups will be in place to ensure all aspects of the topic are covered, allowing children to follow the process of design, make, evaluate, for their products. This will also ensure that children are aware of the wider impact of DT skills throughout their education.
Our Design and Technology topics will include our curriculum principles:
- Enrichment/Enjoyment (eg learning from experts/investigating existing projects/extending learning outside in the local and wider community)
- Depth & Challenge (A depth of experience is gained through learning skills-eg creating/designing/developing/appraising/questioning/experimenting/analysing/evaluating)
- Quality Outcome which gives purpose to the learning (eg lanterns/sandwiches/structures/remote control cars)
- Personalisation (Giving children choice and a passion for following own lines of enquiry-allow them to choose the outcome where appropriate/give them a selection of resources to complete tasks/choose how to achieve the final outcome)
- Connections (link to prior DT topics through school and skills from other areas of the curriculum)
- Relevant to our children and context (Sculpt houses to re-enact the Great Fire of London/building Roman armour for human sculptures/designing torches using working circuits)
- Purposeful (Identify the purpose for learning and the intended outcome with real life implications or audiences/connecting to a real experience)
- Enquire based/igniting curiosity (Learning journey to progress alongside a direct enquire/allowing child to explore curiosity/P4C)
- Writing opportunity (children will be given an opportunity for some form of writing during the topic) Where appropriate, each DT unit will be linked to a current unit of work that is being studied end will be displayed at an exit point (display of work/assembly)
Intended Impact by the end of EYFS
By the end of early years we want our children to be able to manipulate materials to create a planned effect and to construct with a purpose in mind, using a variety of resources. Our children will be able to use appropriate tools competently. Children will evaluate their work and adapt based on their decision. Children will safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function
Intended Impact by the end of KS1
By the end of Key Stage 1 we want our children to have had experience using a wide range of materials and tools to create based on a criteria. This will be designed to their own standard with appropriate material choices made. These will be purposeful and functional using a range of tools and equipment. The children will be able to evaluate a range of existing products and use this to shape their own designs, and adjust their final product with the same standards. The children will have a basic understanding of healthy and varied diets, including where food comes from.
Intended Impact by the end of KS2
- use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
- generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
- 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.
Curriculum Map
Progression of Skills