Intent

Design and Technology education helps develop children’s skills through collaborative working and problem-solving, and knowledge in design, materials, structures, mechanisms and electrical control. They are encouraged to be creative and innovative, and are actively encouraged to think about important issues such as sustainability and enterprise. It is also a great way for pupils to apply their knowledge from other subjects in a purposeful way.

Design and Technology education involves two important elements:

  • learning about the designed and made world and how things work,
  • learning to design and make functional products for particular purposes and users.

At Gastrells we aim for D&T to be accessible and that pupils are aware of the future careers available to them. We actively challenge stereotypes of any form associated with the subject.

Implementation

Content

At Gastrells we follow the national curriculum statutory requirements for Key Stages 1 and 2. Our subject content is comprised of:

DesignElectrical ControlEnterpriseFood
MechanismsStructuresTextilesSustainability

Learning

There are three core activities children will engage with in Design and Technology:

  • Activities which involve investigating and evaluating existing products
  • Focused tasks in which children develop particular aspects of knowledge and skills
  • Designing and making activities in which children design and make ‘something’ for ‘somebody’ for ‘some purpose’

These three activities are combined in sequence to create a Design and Technology project.

Experience

In addition we encourage curriculum links wherever possible. At Gastrells pupils will be familiar with the term STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Maths). We also provide:

  • a STEM club (currently in KS2)
  • celebration of past and current technology stories in termly science assemblies.
  • participation in the annual KNEX challenge in year 6 held by Stemworks.
  • STEM and D&T also feature prominently in our Forest School and Spanish provision