Design & Technology

Intent 

At Langwathby School, we aim to provide a Design & Technology (D&T) education that fosters creativity, problem-solving skills and practical knowledge. We intend to equip our students with the necessary skills and knowledge to investigate, design, create and evaluate a range of products.

Our curriculum has been designed to ensure we provide coverage of the subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum states that 'Design and technology 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.' 

We intend to help our pupils to develop an appreciation of the relationship between a product and its intended user, teaching them to consider this when making design choices. Our pupils will be offered regular opportunity for reflection, allowing them to offer critical feedback and suggest improvements to both their creations and existing products. 
As we are living in a modern world which is reliant upon the use of technology, our curriculum embraces technology within D&T. In order to prepare learners for their futures, we want them to feel confident using technology to support both the designing and creating of products within our D&T curriculum. 
Our D&T curriculum is intended to inspire pupils to be curious and innovative whilst enjoying the challenge of designing and making products which have a clear purpose. 

Implementation 

Our D&T curriculum covers five main technical aspects; Textiles, Cooking, Mechanisms, Structures and Electrical Systems. Each year, classes will undertake a project based on each of the five main technical aspects. Once a year, a project will span over 2 half terms. This allows our pupils to complete the design process twice through for the same project, this is called iterative design. The iterative design process provides opportunity for the children to take on board critical feedback, make real-life changes to their designs and view the improvements these changes make, therefore enabling them to see the value in the whole of the design process.

Our curriculum will start with simple projects that focus on the fundamentals of design and technology and gradually progress towards more complex projects which use a broader range of techniques. The curriculum has a clear progression of skills, knowledge and understanding (see our progression documents below).

Pupils are provided with the necessary tools, materials and resources to complete their projects. Safety will be paramount, and pupils will be taught how to use tools and equipment safely.
Pupils will work in a variety of ways throughout our D&T curriculum. Children will work independently to develop their own ideas, allowing them ownership of their designs and providing opportunity for them to be led by their own interests. They will also learn to work collaboratively within group tasks/projects; learning to listen to one and others ideas, help and support one another to make improvements and work as a team to achieve the end goal. 

Impact 

Our D&T curriculum aims to have a significant impact on the development of our pupils. They will learn how to think critically, solve problems, work collaboratively and communicate their ideas effectively. We are preparing our pupils for a world which we cannot yet envisage, teaching them to think critically and creatively when faced with unknown problems will be extremely beneficial to them throughout the rest of their education and into adulthood. 

We hope that our curriculum will develop a love of the Design & Technology. By the end of their primary school education, pupils will be confident in using a diverse range of tools and materials safely and will have a solid understanding of the design process. We expect our pupils to be proud of their creations and have a deeper appreciation for the value of D&T within our world.

The following documents explain the progression of the key skills in Design & Technology which children will be taught during their time at Langwathby School.

We have chosen to use Projects on a Page to enhance our Design & Technology teaching at Langwathby School. 
Each year the children will be taught from a unit of work from each of the main concepts - Textiles, Structures, Food, Mechanics (in KS2 the children will also be taught an Electrical Systems unit). 

Here are some examples of the Project on a Page planning: