Design & Technology

DT Intent

At Ridgeway Farm, we value Design and Technology as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum.

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. Our Design and Technology curriculum ensures the children acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as oracy, mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art.

We aim to develop the whole child. We have a Design and Technology curriculum that meets the National Curriculum and that develops many skills in the children.

We encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering the user, purpose of products and the user’s wants and values to develop a design criterion. The children are also given opportunities to reflect upon and evaluate past and present design technology, its uses and its effectiveness and are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers.

DT Implementation

As a school and in accordance with the National Curriculum’s expectations, we aim to ensure that all pupils:

• 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.

We use a scheme called Projects on a Page, which was developed by The Design and Technology Association. Using the scheme ensures our curriculum is progressive and meets national curriculum expectations. Every two years the children develop their skills and knowledge in designing, making and evaluating in the key strands in Design and Technology (Structures, Mechanisms, Textiles, Food and Electrical systems in Key Stage 2). Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in the process of designing, making and evaluating.

Key knowledge, skills and vocabulary for Design and Technology have been mapped across the school to ensure progression year on year. All teachers have access to progression maps to differentiate learning for those children who have gaps in their learning or who have SEND needs. Design and technology lessons are taught once a term as a block so that children’s learning is focused throughout each unit of work and the children can discuss previous learning and see their progression.

In cooking and nutrition lessons the children learn where their food comes from and how to prepare and cook progressively more skilled recipes year on year. 

The school’s Design and Technology curriculum is supported through the availability of a wide range of quality resources, which are used to support children’s confidence in the process of designing and making.

DT Impact

Our Design and Technology curriculum contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. This can be seen in the children’s work on display and their Design and Technology.

Further information is gathered through pupil questionnaires; highlighting strengths and achievement and any improvements, knowledge and skills that still need to be embedded. The children are keen to learn new skills and work hard to perfect those shown to them.

Teachers make formative assessments against objectives and use this information to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. Children are given an assessment on their end of year reports and this is shared with parents.

Children in Foundation Stage are assessed within Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development, Health and Self Care and Technology. Age related expectation levels are reported to parents at the end of the reception year.