Design and Technology at Springwell Park
In EYFS, we begin developing our Design and Technology skills and knowledge in the 'Expressive Arts and Design' area of development, specifically 'creating with materials'. This learning is the foundation for our Design and Technology work when we start KS1.
Our curriculum is organised so that the generation of design ideas is rooted in solving real problems within a variety of contexts. This means that both the purpose a product serves and who it is for lie at the heart of developing ideas for designs.
Throughout the process of generating design ideas, children develop ideas into a design brief, and then refine design briefs according to further information they gather. Children research materials and methods based on exploring and analysing real products. In so doing, they identify elements which will need deliberate practice.
The techniques and methods within the design technology curriculum are separated into four elements which help teachers plan for progression in the use of tools and materials. These elements are Structures, Textiles, Mechanisms including control technology and food and nutrition.
Evaluation is undertaken against the design brief. The appearance of the product may be a factor in the brief but it vital that evaluation focuses principally on the purpose of the product and whether it fulfils that purpose and meets that need.
Pupils also evaluate their capabilities in handling different materials, using tools and developing techniques in order to inform their choices and what they need to practise.
Design Technology is taught weekly within each term, sometimes organised flexibly depending on the logistics of the projects involved. Some projects are taught by a specialist teacher which serves additionally as professional development for our teachers.
Teachers identify the key knowledge specific to each element of projects. This is set out in teachers’ planning and in the curriculum progression document.
This knowledge is what we want children to refine and master over time so that they can be more ambitious in their design work and transfer their knowledge between different
elements.
As well as creating products which reflect their design ideas, children learn to articulate their plans and explain how they have chosen materials and how to go about their work. As they become more experienced, they record and annotate these plans, using them to adapt their designs as they learn from testing, experimentation and the use of prototypes.
In talking about and reviewing their own work and the work of others, pupils develop an appreciation of the value of revising, adapting and refining their work, valuing the process as well as the product. The development of children’s capacity and vocabulary to talk about their work, alongside the improvement in the quality and range of their work, is a central element of the curriculum.
Please view the progression map below for an overview of how Design and Technology is taught in our Early Years. Please also click the link below to visit our Early Years page.