Design and Technology
Design and Technology in primary schools develops young children’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. Design and Technology encourages children's creativity and encourages them to think about important issues.
At Mount Nod Primary School, our intent is to provide all of our children access to a broad and balanced D&T provision, enabling them to demonstrate increased independence in the planning, designing, making and evaluating of their work. Skills which will prepare them for tomorrows ever changing innovative world.
D&T brings learning to life. Children like making decisions for themselves and doing practical work. By combining their design and making skills with knowledge and understanding, they learn to create quality products.
"Design and technology should be the subject where mathematical brainboxes & science whizzkids turn their bright ideas into useful products." James Dyson
Our well-planned D&T curriculum effectively encourages children to draw on their imagination and think creatively, to design and create products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering needs, wants and values of themselves, others, the local and wider community. The children build on skills that encourage them to think and work both autonomously and as a team. Our D&T curriculum covers the following core themes - cooking and nutrition; stable structures; programming and electrical systems; mechanical systems and textiles.
Following an iterative design process is key to enabling children to evaluate and adjust their designs and products. We achieve this though various approaches such as: the use of handling displays for children to explore existing designs and products; well-structured lessons allowing time for exploration, discussion, practise and research; designing a product for a specific audience and by making cross-curricular links that allow children to make connections between subjects
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risk, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.” Mary Lou Cook
Using the Chris Quigley Milestones, we are able to assess the development of skills as the children progress through the key stages. Work is planned carefully to meet the needs of the pupils and adheres to the National Curriculm requirements. Children are supported throughout D&T projects to ensure that progress is made and they are increasingly challenged. They are able to evaulate and discuss their designs with increasing confidence and make changes to prototypes as a result.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
Maya Angelou
Click here to view our Design and Technology Milestones
Click here to view the Design and Technology Programmes of Study
