Good design puts people first. It uses creativity to solve problems, challenge thinking and make lives better. Designers shape the built environment, the digital world and the products and services we use, creating better places, better products, better processes and better performance.
Design and Technology (DT) is a growing and integral part of our lives; our children will be the innovators and designers of the future so our DT curriculum requires children to show innovation, creativity and to develop specific skills.
In all our projects we ensure each stage of the design process is fully explored starting with understanding the ‘audience’ or ‘purpose’ of the product and involves: exploring, planning, market research, communicating, making, modelling, reviewing and evaluating.
'My prototype has helped me get my model right and solve any problems.' Rory, Year 4
Children build their skills progressively in six strands so children have a wide experience of design fields including: textiles, structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, computing, cooking and nutrition. In many cases the projects will dovetail with other aspects of the curriculum deeper learning and relevance for example:
- Stop the intruder! Using knowledge of electrical system to create a burglar alarm, consider adaptations for a deaf person (Science, English)
- Design, produce and market a pizza to reflect the seasonality for UK or the Mediterranean (Geography, Science. Maths, English)
- Creating a pop-up book to meet the interests and handling of Nursery children (English, maths)
- Sustainable clothing – giving new life to old garments (geography, science)
We are proud that in DT:
- Our DT blocks of two or three days enable designs to be developed effectively, as children can really get 'stuck in' to their projects.
- We have a range of really exciting, relevant projects in every year group.