BPS Subject Information

Design and Technology

Rationale: (why we teach the subject, context of BPS, why we teach and plan the subject as we do)

Our vision at Bournville, is for our Design and technology curriculum to be 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, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. We feel it is vital to nurture creativity and innovation through design, and by exploring the designed and made world in which we all live and work.

Subject organisation: (eg hours taught if year groups)

Design and Technology is taught for at least one hour per week in KS1 and KS2, every other term. Each unit of learning has 6 lessons planned to deliver knowledge and to progress skills from year to year.

Pedagogical approaches: (how do we teach the subject and why do we choose to use that approach)

Our curriculum is planned coherently for children to acquire both knowledge and skills, matching the requirements of the National Curriculum.

Within our planning, a structure of design, investigate, make and evaluate is followed with technical knowledge threaded throughout each stage. Designing, making and evaluating structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food and nutrition, are all part of our design and technology curriculum.

We plan learning opportunities to enable pupils to:

· 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;

· Make an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of their future nation.

We recognise that we have children of differing confidence, experience and backgrounds in our classes and so we provide suitable learning opportunities to enable all children to progress and feel accomplished. We can achieve this through a range of strategies:

· Discreetly teaching key skills and supporting individual needs to be able to achieve all aspects of design and technology;

· Setting common tasks that are open-ended and can have a variety of responses;

· Providing a range of challenges with different resources;

· Using quality questions to enable the children to evaluate considering how their design and make can become more successful;

· Extending the curriculum beyond the classroom in clubs, visits and competitions, offering further opportunities for children to discover personal interests and talents.