Welcome to the St Peter’s Design and Technology Curriculum Page

 

This is how we ensure the National Curriculum is covered within each year group’s skills and that we plan for progression from EYFS to Year 7 – NC and I know from focus education links with Year 7 - see below

Hello, I am Mrs Plant and I am the Design and Technology lead here at St Peter’s. Being the leader of a subject like Design Technology in an fast paced ever changing world is an exciting prospect.

“Design and technology is 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. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.”

Quote from the National Curriculum, 2014

Our Design and Technology Vision

St. Peter’s Catholic Academy is committed to delivering a curriculum accessible to all which provides the broadest possible range of opportunities for children. One which will allow children to become self-motivated and confident learners, who can work independently and as part of a team. We aim to ensure that learners develop technical and practical competencies. Our main priority is for students to be problem solvers who are not afraid of making mistakes.

Intent

We follow the National Curriculum Guidelines and these are incorporated into our topic overviews. This provides children with opportunities to ensure that investigating and making includes exploring and developing ideas and evaluating and developing work to develop their skills using a range of media and materials.

Implementation

Through a broad and balanced curriculum, the aims for Design and Technology are to ensure that all pupils:

• Are offered opportunities to stimulate their creativity and imagination by providing visual, tactile and sensory experiences and a unique way of understanding and responding to the world.
• Learn about the function of design in their own lives and in different times and cultures
• Learn how to make thoughtful judgments and aesthetic and practical decisions

• Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
• Become proficient in design techniques, research, evaluating
• Evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
• Know about great designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their designs.
• Become visually literate and to develop their individual capacity for imaginative and original thought.

Impact

Our Design Technology Curriculum is of a high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes;
• A celebration of learning for each term which demonstrates progression across the school;
• Pupil discussions about their learning; which includes discussion of their thoughts, ideas, processing and evaluations of work.

At St Peter’s we alternate between Art and DT. We spend one half term on our Art skills and one half term on our DT skills. This equates to three half terms on each subject.

What does DT look like in our school?

Spring, 2024

February, 2024

In Year Five the children have been evaluating existing textile products to help them with their own pencil cases that they will be designing, making and evaluating at the end of the half term.

The children in Reception were practising their fine motor skills today as they cut, rolled and moulded dough to make different shapes. One little boy told me he was making pancakes and another little boy said he was shaping cookie dough - they look like they will taste delicious, well done Reception.

Autumn, 2023

December, 2023

In Year Six the children had to design, make and evaluate a World War Two, Woolton style pie. The children had to work within a budget to create their pie whilst also keeping in mind the types of ingrediants that were readily available during the War. (I have asked Mrs Belford for some pictures so I am hoping to add these to our website very soon.)

In Year Five the children had to design, make and evaluate some spicy toast for our local Parishioners to enjoy. The children represented the school beautifully and our guests really enjoyed their toast although lots of the children decided during the designing and tasting process that they didn't really like tomatoes! Well done Year Five!

The children in Year Four had to make a creature that could open it's mouth using a pneumatic system. We had great fun designing, making and then evaluating our products.

Look at Amaaz with his big, scary lizard.

Summer, 2023

Year 5 made their own marble-tastic structures. It was great to see the big smiles on their faces as they tested their products in order to see if they were fit for purpose.

May, 2023

The children in Year 2 have used combined their learning from History and made their own fire engines (something which I think they wished they had had during The Great Fire of London). The children have combined and connected axles so that their vehicle will move. I am going to come and see your projects children I just can’t wait!

Year 2 are the only class that have completed DT during Summer 1 the rest of us are going to be teaching DT during Summer 2.

Spring, 2023

Year 5 have been looking at where foods are harvested around around the world. They used this knowledge to plan their own breakfast meal using their chosen countries specialties.

Reception have been looking at the story The Little Red Hen. They made their own bread and enjoyed eating it covered with jam. Well done Reception, did you save me a slice?

Year 3 are getting ready to make their own Roman Chariots this Friday and they have worked hard to make their own designs on paper and then using the computer to improve their technical knowledge.

At St Peter’s we are so lucky because each class has Forest School lessons for half a term. This half term Early Years have been visited by Mr Butcher and Mr Lloyd, look at the creative skills they have been using in our garden space.

Autumn, 2022

Autumn 2

I was lucky enough to spot Year 2 decorating their puppet faces this afternoon. The children were working so creatively and they could tell me all about the stitching technique they were using.

 

Year 4 children have had a fabulous time designing a broach with Anglo-Saxon symbols, and replicating their designs on to cuttlefish!

Autumn 1

It is only Year 3 doing DT lessons this half term, but what a fun time we are having. We are designing our own Juggling Balls that need to be fit for a circus.

At the end of September, we tie-dyed our fabric to see if that is how we would like to design our juggling balls.

It was messy, but so much fun!