Design and Technology
Design and Technology
"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." - Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, Inc.
Intent
At St. Francis de Sales, we aim to deliver a high-quality Design and Technology curriculum, providing pupils with the foundations to understand the influence of design and technology in the modern world and enabling them to develop the creative and technical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to meet the design and technology challenges of today and the future.
The content of our curriculum has been designed to meet the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and reflect our context and community, with our planning structure aiming to promote continuity and progression through inspiring projects which enable pupils to: acquire key technical knowledge and skills; develop their practical, critical thinking and problem solving skills; and apply their learning from other subjects.
Our Cooking and Nutrition curriculum also aims to provide pupils with high-quality learning experiences which enable them to develop key technical life skills, an understanding and cultural appreciation of food and a love of cooking as a form of creative expression.
Planning
Implementation
The design of our curriculum embraces divergent fields of design and technology, enabling pupils to develop an appreciation of quality design and the importance of design and technology in the wider world. Projects within engaging and challenging contexts inspire pupils to use their creativity, imagination and resourcefulness to design and make practical and innovative products that solve real and relevant problems.
Guided by the expertise of our teachers, pupils acquire a broad range of subject specific knowledge, practical and technical skills and an understanding design criteria and the iterative design process, with cross-curricular projects also providing opportunities for pupils to apply their learning in other subjects. Through this, pupils are empowered to take risks and express their ideas through annotated designs and diagrams, making and testing quality prototypes, and learn how to improve their products through critical evaluation.
Pupils also develop the key life skills of how to prepare and cook food, as well as an understanding of where food comes from and the principles of healthy eating. Moreover, they are encouraged to embrace cooking as an enjoyable, creative process; developing a range of technical skills and an understanding and appreciation of food culture in different parts of the world.
Learning is further enriched by working with industry experts, who provide pupils with specialist technical support and valuable insights into the world of work and potential future career opportunities.
Learning Outside the Classroom
Extra Curricular Activities
Impact
We use a number of ways to test, measure and assess the impact of our curriculum and its implementation. This enables us to continually refine and adapt our planning to further improve the quality of teaching and pupil’s learning experiences.
- The monitoring of books each half-term by the subject leader helps to ensure quality and consistency across all year groups.
- On-going formative assessment allows teachers to measure pupil's understanding and assess the teaching of D&T lessons. Through early intervention, teachers can assess pupil knowledge, offer guidance and support learning when needed.
- Observations by the subject leader are used to monitor that projects represent an appropriate level of challenge, promote the independent application of knowledge and skills, and that learning and practical tasks are accessible to all pupils.
- Summative testing before and after each project and at the end of the academic year is used by teachers and the subject leader to measure and analyse the impact of learning and pupil progress, as well as to inform future planning.
- Pupil voice is used by both teachers and the subject leader to assess pupil's interest and engagement, their acquisition of knowledge, understanding of technical skills and application of skills in other areas of the curriculum or outside of the school setting.
- Teacher voice surveys together with an open discussion policy ensures that a constructive dialogue exists between teachers and the subject leader to address any issues in respect of planning, teaching and learning, and is also as a transformational tool to aid in the design, planning and implementation of a high quality Design and Technology curriculum.
Pupil Voice
Gallery
