At Crompton Primary, we are all designers and technologists! We want our pupils to appreciate design and technology. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up wanting to be architects, graphic designers, chefs or carpenters! High quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation. The Design and Technology curriculum has been carefully designed so that our pupils develop their designing knowledge and skills. We want all our pupils to remember their Design and Technology learning in our school, to cherish these experiences and embrace the opportunities they are presented with.
The Design and Technology curriculum promotes curiosity and a love and thirst for learning. It is ambitious and empowers our pupils to become independent and resilient.
We want to equip pupils with ambition beyond the minimum statutory requirements of the Design and Technology National Curriculum and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. The curriculum is meticulously planned with the intention to address social disadvantage and ensure that all pupils - including those with SEND - have an opportunity to engage with a challenging curriculum and achieve success. Any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are quickly identified and addressed to ensure that pupils are supported to meet the ambitious intended end points of the curriculum in design and technology. We have designed the curriculum as a school and therefore the curriculum is unique to our school and meets the needs of our pupils and our context.
Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. The curriculum is focused upon the development of practical, theoretical and disciplinary knowledge drawing on disciplines from other subjects such as mathematics, science, computing and art. The curriculum is progressively sequenced to ensure that pupils learn how to take risks, become resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through practical work, the pupils learn the discipline of the subject and apply their knowledge and skills to think and work as a designer and technologist. The units studied supports the application of technical knowledge gained and encourages learners to design, make and evaluate the success of their product.
We want our pupils to use the vibrancy of our great town and wider city to learn from other cultures, respect diversity, co-operate with one another and appreciate what they have. We achieve this by providing a strong local contextual links where possible. For example, the curriculum offers a visitor to school from a local restaurant to promote healthy eating and balanced diets in a practical and engaging approach to cooking and nutrition.
British Values and our core values placed at the heart of everything we do. This often feeds into the Design and Technology curriculum. Cultural capital development is addressed through visits, online exploration virtual and first-hand experiences. We enrich pupils’ time in our school with memorable, unforgettable experiences and provide opportunities to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.
We effectively develop and invest in our teaching staff to ensure that they are fully equipped with expert subject knowledge in order to support the delivery of the exceptional design & technology curriculum. Teaching is highly effective for all pupils. Teachers present the curriculum content clearly through composites and component parts supported by unit booklets which break the unit knowledge, concepts and skills down for each lesson in each year group.
The curriculum is delivered through a subject specific approach which supports pupils to develop the key concepts and knowledge of the design & technology curriculum. Each lesson within a unit of work is carefully crafted and builds upon what has been previously taught from one year to the next.
Frequent audits of the design and technology curriculum take place. Following the findings from these audits, the design and technology curriculum is adapted to build upon the learning opportunities and assessment end points for each year group and ensures progression and repetition in terms of embedding key learning, knowledge and skills.
Pupils take inspiration from designers and technologists throughout history to help generate ideas for their work. They explore and practice the knowledge, skills and techniques involved in the unit and use their workbooks to record their plans and designs and to review and revisit ideas before producing a final product. This process is replicated for each Design and Technology unit. The way each discipline is taught is revisited in each phase, at a progressively deeper level.
Design and Technology subject specific characteristics, which we expect the pupils to demonstrate, have been developed and shared with all stakeholders. These characteristics underpin all work in Design and Technology and form a focal point for display areas and provide a common subject specific vocabulary for staff and pupils. These characteristics are:
The teaching of the design and technology curriculum is planned and delivered to support pupils to transfer key knowledge into their long-term memory and therefore improve the progress they make. Essential vocabulary is identified within each lesson and unit of work to ensure that our pupils can discuss and evaluate the design and technology content effectively.
Whilst delivering the curriculum, teachers are constantly checking to ensure that pupils are learning the necessary knowledge and identifying and addressing misunderstandings. Assessment is used as a tool to support pupil learning.
The design and technology curriculum is research evidence informed in relation to the content, delivery and process of learning.
We use both formative and summative assessment information in design and technology.
Assessment informs learning to ensure that all pupils including disadvantage and those with SEND achieve highly and acquire the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Staff use assessment information to inform their short-term planning and address misconceptions. This helps us provide the best possible support for all of our pupils. The end points for each phase have been carefully mapped out and further broken down. This means that the essential knowledge, skills and concepts in design and technology are progressive and build year on year.
Our well-constructed curriculum in design and technology leads to pupils successful learning. This is evidenced in the outcomes within workbooks and practical work produced. Pupils are well prepared for the next steps and stages of their learning due to the progressive and well sequenced curriculum. As a result, pupils know more and remember more as they move through the design and technology curriculum at Crompton Primary.
Design and Technology Curriculum Documents
Design and Technology - Whole School Learning Journey
Design and Technology - National Curriculum Overview
Design and Technology - Whole School Overview
Design and Technology - Vocabulary Progression Map
Miss Carfoot is our Design and Technology leader.
Our link Governor for Design and Technology is Victoria Binns, Victoria came to school to look at Design and Technology and meet our children.
This year the teachers have had training to develop their own knowledge and skills of CAD for the classroom.
We are working with a local secondary school Design and Technology department to develop our teachers’ knowledge of teaching Design and Technology and the expectations at KS3 and 4.
Our Design and Technology Clubs include:
We are proud members of the Design and technology association. We are working towards gaining the ‘Quality Mark’ for Design and Technology.
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