Design and Technology Rationale

The teaching of Design and Technology at Newnham Infant and Nursery School aims to inspire pupils to design and make purposeful products that solve real and relevant problems in a variety of contexts.  The Design and Technology curriculum provides pupils with the necessary skills, knowledge and technical vocabulary to successfully complete their learning objectives.  Design and Technology fosters an entrepreneurial spirit offering pupils practical knowledge and skills that can be applied in real life contexts throughout their school life and beyond. 

Curriculum Intent

In the Foundation Stage children access Design and Technology through the Early Learning Goals of Expressive Arts and Design (Exploring and Using Media and Materials) and Understanding the World (Technology). Planning ensures that children are encouraged to think imaginatively and use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about their uses and purposes. They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques to experiment with design, texture, form and function.

These skills are built upon in Key Stage 1 where children enjoy designing and making products for a specific purpose. In Year 1 children begin to understand and use mechanical systems to create moving pictures as an accompaniment to their wonderful story telling! They apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating to design and prepare simple, delicious dishes for their peers, including lots of fruit and vegetables. They also design and make their own sock puppet using a range of tools and equipment, selecting materials according to their functional and aesthetic properties. 

In Year 2 children further develop their construction skills to design and create their own wheeled vehicles applying their knowledge of vehicle parts and functions. Their knowledge and application of nutrition and healthy eating is built upon by designing and making healthy meals using combinations of ingredients. They also develop their cutting and sewing skills by designing and making their own delightful Christmas stocking using textiles. As part of the overall process children in Key Stage 1 evaluate their finished products at the end of each unit to reflect upon what went well and what could be improved. These considerations are then applied to help them improve their next project.

Curriculum Implementation

At Newnham Infant and Nursery School Design and Technology follows the National Curriculum programme of study for Key Stage 1.  Medium-term planning for each unit of work includes various components of the National Curriculum including designing, making, evaluating, technical knowledge and cooking & nutrition.as well as individual lesson plans. A long-term curriculum map sets out the units covered in each year group across the year.

Curriculum Impact

A variety of teaching and learning styles are used in Design and Technology lessons and activities are differentiated appropriately according to the needs of each child. Teachers ensure that the relevant subject-specific vocabulary is taught related to each topic, and that this vocabulary is applied, along with children’s knowledge and understanding, when developing ideas, designing and making products and then evaluating them. This is achieved through a mixture of whole-class teaching and practical individual and group activities. During lessons children are given the opportunity both to work on their own and collaborate with others; and learning is shared through class discussions. Children critically evaluate existing products, their own work and that of others. They have access to a range of materials and resources, including ICT. 

Monitoring for Design and Technology includes learning walks and pupil voice interviews to ensure full coverage of curriculum content and quality of children’s learning. This information is then used to inform further curriculum developments and provision.