Vision 

Through practical experiences, children at St Mark’s will be inspired to design and make purposeful products they can be proud of. They will be supported in learning lifelong problem-solving skills which can be utilized in our constantly evolving environment. They will know how to create affordable, balanced meals so they can utilize these skills in adulthood. 

Design and Technology is a foundation subject in the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum and our St Mark’s Design and Technology Curriculum Knowledge and Skills Progressions inform planning, coverage, progression, and challenge. 

Wherever possible, Design and Technology teaching and learning takes place within the context of the class project.  Skills are taught alongside the designing and making of the product, with the use of tools and materials clearly taught and modelled for the children.  Teachers ensure that the children apply their knowledge and understanding when developing ideas, planning, and making products, and then evaluating them.  Within lessons, children are given the opportunity to work on their own and to collaborate with others.  Children critically evaluate existing products, their own work and that of others. They have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including ICT. 

Each Year group outlines the Context, Problem and Products in their planning.  Planning lists the skills that should be covered for that age group; specifically: Designing, Making Evaluating, Technical Knowledge and Understanding and Food. In addition, the St Mark’s Design and technology Curriculum Skills Progression enables teachers to check the prior learning of pupils in previous year groups and the extent to which they should further develop the children’s skills. 

The Design and Technology curriculum has been constructed using the National Curriculum content alongside links to the geographical surroundings of St Mark’s and specific areas of the interest of our children. This has been developed into a thorough skills and knowledge progression that divides the intended learning into 4 key recurring strands: Designing, Making, Evaluating and Technical Knowledge and Understanding.  The children revisit these strands in each unit to develop an understanding of the design and technology process. 

Food is taught a minimum of three times in each year group, with one dish focusing on sweet, one savoury and one from another culture. 

Design and Technology is taught as part of cross-curricular project approach, which includes a range of subjects that link together to give children a broad and well-rounded experience. Before the start of each project, the children are given an opportunity to examine vocabulary and pictures relating to the project. The children can then offer their ideas and ask questions about the areas of the project they would like to find out more about. This information then informs the direction of the teacher’s planning and the key areas and questions to be answered throughout the project.  

Throughout the projects, we plan activities and lessons to build on the children’s prior learning within Design and Technology while also making meaningful links across the curriculum so that the children are able to learn and remember more. This includes simple prior knowledge assessment tasks to establish their individual starting points. We give all children opportunities to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding through a progressive scheme of work, so that there is an increasing challenge for the children as they move through the school.  

Throughout the projects, the children also experience a range of WOW days linked to different topics.  

EYFS 

At St Mark’s the children in EYFS follow the BWMAT Long Term Curriculum Progressions, which is underpinned by the Birth to 5 Matters document and the curriculum set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Stage. The provision of Design and Technology is assured through the area of learning, ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ and assessed against the Early Learning Goal (ELG).  

SEND  

At St Mark’s, we ensure that all children have the opportunity to take part in Design and Technology and that lessons are adapted accordingly to meet the needs of all children in the class, including those with SEND. 

How is our curriculum unique to St Mark’s? 

At St Marks we have chosen to celebrate our locality being by the sea by learning about local seaside structures. Due to its status of a large village, we provide opportunities to visit rural farms and experience first-hand the journey of farm to plate. We also visit more developed areas so they can experience larger structures.

We have identified the need to support our children in understanding the production process to deepen their understanding of where everyday objects come from and how simple objects around them are made. We will support them in making links between how they approach the design process in school and how it works in the wider world. 

As it is an economically diverse area, we provide the children with the skills to produce healthy meals within a budget. 

We also provide opportunities to experience food from a range of cultures the children may have not previously encountered. 

St Marks encourage learning about successful black and ethnic minority designers. 

At the end of Year 6 our children will be able to: 

• Understand the importance of Design and Technology in our world and in their future, especially in solving world-wide problems such as disability, diminishing resources, transport, environmental issues, climate change and poverty. 

• Be able to use imaginative thinking to develop designs or solutions to problems and needs. 

• Be able to identify how products work and how they have been made. 

• Be able to evaluate a range of products designed and made both by themselves and in the past and present. 

• Be able to select appropriate materials, fixings, tools, and techniques for making a product. 

• Know how to use a range of tools safely and accurately. 

• Be able to persevere to find solutions. 

• Understand where food comes from and seasonality.  

• Know the importance of a healthy, varied diet and how to create affordable, balanced meals. 

• Be able to use a range of cooking techniques. 

What does it mean to be a Designer and Technologist? 

Design and Technology is the planning, designing, creation and evaluation of items people use. 

Through Design and Technolgy we learn the skills of creating, planning, evaluating, problem solving, teamwork and communication. 

It can lead to jobs in electronics, food, graphics and materials such as wood, metal and plastic, and / or textiles. These could include being a fashion designer, architects, tailor, product designer, civil or software engineers.