Design and Technology (DT)

Our intent:

Our children will gain invaluable knowledge, vocabulary skills essential to be rounded and grounded individuals and participate in modern British life. All children will show aspiration and ambition, and be expected to achieve regardless of their starting point. All children will take part in enriching experiences involving life skills, such as cooking, enabling them to be successful citizens of the future. They will be curious, innovative, creative and eagerly apply their knowledge to a range of real-life problems and scenarios with a real purpose which links to other curriculum areas.

Please click here to see our long term overview for D&T.

Our way:

Our progressive Design and Technology curriculum covers the main strands outlined in the Key Stage 2 Primary Framework: designing, making, evaluating, technical knowledge and cooking and nutrition. At South End Junior School, we plan and sequence the Design and Technology curriculum so that the skills and knowledge are interwoven into our Cornerstones Projects. Through doing so, we hope to embed knowledge, skills and understanding, and enable pupils to fluently recall key technological and scientific facts and make meaningful links in their learning.

Our pupils will design, make and evaluate products. Their technical knowledge will develop and build on existing skills to strengthen and reinforce more complex structures. They will use mechanical systems in their products (for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages); understand and use electrical systems in their products (for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors); and apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products. In cooking and nutrition, our pupils will develop their knowledge of balanced diets and apply their skills in order to prepare and cook a variety of predominately savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques. Pupils will also be taught to understand seasonality and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.

The Design and Technology specific vocabulary is modelled and reinforced by staff, with discussion-based tasks part of each lesson to allow pupils to apply this vocabulary competently. Pupils are given the opportunity to research and evaluate existing products, analysing successful components that they may want to include in their own product whilst exploring how they will creatively integrate their own ideas. Through this thoughtful and careful evaluation, pupils will be able to create their own new and exciting product. They will carefully select their own materials and tools, considering which ones would be appropriate for the design criteria and which ones will help them successfully finish their product. Good health and safety routines are modelled and reinforced throughout each project.

Throughout their time at SEJ, children will build their own Design and Technology portfolios. Here, the children will demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding of each unit. Key vocabulary will be used by the children when designing and making a product that fits the brief, using technical knowledge, and evaluating its effectiveness critically. Children are assessed summatively 3 times a year.