Design Technology

Design and Technology at Alexandra Primary School

Alexandra Primary School is committed to the Creative Arts.  In order to ensure that we teach the Creative Arts, including D & T, to our best ability, we have signed up to the Artsmark.  This is the creative quality standard for schools and is accredited by the Arts Council England.

As part of our Artsmark journey, we have created a Creative Arts Action Plan which identifies how to ensure that we plan, develop and evaluate our arts, culture and creativity across the curriculum in a coherent and consistent way.

D & T has obviously cross-curricular links, particularly with our work in Science, and we build on this every year by having a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Maths) Week where we can build our knowledge and skills across these areas.

What we teach?

D&T Overview 2021-2022

Key stage 1

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils are taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making.

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:

 Design

• design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria.
• generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology.

 Make

• select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, including cutting, shaping, joining and finishing.
• select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics.

 Evaluate

• explore and evaluate a range of existing products.
• evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria.

 Technical knowledge

• build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable.
• explore and use mechanisms, including levers, sliders, wheels and axles in their products.

Key stage 2

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils are taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making.

When designing and making, pupils are taught to:

Design

• 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.

 Make

• select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks including cutting, shaping, joining and finishing, accurately.
• select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.

 Evaluate

• investigate and analyse a range of existing products.
• evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work.
• understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.

 Technical knowledge

• apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures.
• understand and use mechanical systems in their products including gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages.
• understand and use electrical systems in their products, for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors.
• apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products.

How and when?

All classes from Year 1 – Year 6 study Art and Design and Technology (D&T);  usually, one half term focuses Art and one half term focuses on DT.  Our DT usually links to the work we are doing in other parts of the curriculum, particularly in Science.