Design and Technology
At Hemlington Hall Academy, our children use their creativity and imagination to solve real-life problems, taking ideas from and evaluating existing products and solutions in addition to applying maths, science, engineering, computing and art skills. Our children use a wide range of media to design and make a finished product, including learning about nutrition and cooking, all whilst developing critical thinking skills.
Key Stage 1
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment].
When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:
Design
• design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
• generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology
Make
• select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing]
• select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics
Evaluate
• explore and evaluate a range of existing products
• evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria
Technical knowledge
• build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
• explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles], in their products.
Key stage 2
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment].
When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:
Design
• use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
• generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
Make
• select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately
• select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities
Evaluate
• investigate and analyse a range of existing products
• evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
• understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world
Technical knowledge
• apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
• understand and use mechanical systems in their products [for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages]
• understand and use electrical systems in their products [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors]
• apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products
Cooking and nutrition
As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.
Pupils should be taught to:
Key stage 1
• use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
• understand where food comes from.
Key stage 2
• understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
• prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques
• understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
Ten things to celebrate about Design Technology at Hemlington Hall Academy are:
- Our Creative Curriculum.
The school’s creative curriculum enables us to teach all subject areas through each ‘context’. Our creative curriculum is something as a school we are very proud of. Teachers plan and teach a bespoke curriculum to cover all subject areas through exciting and imaginative learning projects.
Awe and Wonder- Our new Awe and wonder days help to raise the profile of Design Technology. The experiences we have been able and continue to provide are priceless and enable children to access specialist equipment. - Forest schools.
Forest schools plays a large part of the Y5 curriculum and is integrated into the children’s learning by focussing on a wide range of skills such as; developing their understanding of the world, environment and everything in it through the use of imagination, emotions and senses. - Technology at our fingertips.
We have carefully invested time and money into selecting the most appropriate and up to date technology available to schools to enable the children to have ‘technology at their fingertips’. We have a wide range of Design and technology resources and staff use them at age appropriate levels. - Extra-curricular clubs, visits and activities requiring a range of skills linked to DT enquiry.
Science days- We have run a number of successful science days in school for children and parents. The children are given a focus and a range of resources to build something for a given purpose. The aim of the session is to develop and build upon scientific enquiry, planning and discussion, making products work (talking about how and why) and evaluating their product.
Cookery- Food and Nutrition is a valuable aspect of Design Technology as it underpins many other areas of learning- overlapping Science, English and Maths. We are very fortunate to use the school’s kitchen to access cookery clubs.
Wild Country week- providing children with opportunities to deepen their technical knowledge and ability to design, make and evaluate.
Awe and Wonder- Special visitors, visits and the use of specialist equipment and resources to set the start of our exciting creative curriculum topics. - Inspiration, determination and skills to allow children to become innovators.
We have a very skilled team in school, both teaching and non-teaching staff. All staff are inspirational, determined and highly skilled in many areas of the curriculum. Staff offer a range of opportunities for the children from EYFS to Y6.
Planning is skill based and skills are differentiated and built on from year to year.
Skills we display-
Developing, planning and communicating ideas
Food- food preparation, cooking, weighing and measuring and tasting.
Textiles- sewing and crafts
Construction and sheet materials- using a range of tools safely and correctly.
Evaluating - Children’s responses.
Pupil interviews reflect positive attitudes towards DT.
There is evidence of reasoning and evaluating through school. “When I have made something, I have learnt the skills to think how I could make it better.” “If we could make more food, because I loved making brownies and I make them with my Gran” - Planning shows learning objectives and key skills are in line with year group curriculum expectations. Our aim is that every child has a deeper understanding of these key skills within their year group expectations.
- Links with Science PSQM award.
- Family engagement.
We value the wide range of skills our parents bring to our school and our local community and we are always keen to have parents share their skills and passions in school. We pride ourselves on our parental engagement and we offer as many opportunities as possible for parents to come into school and work with our children on projects. - Our school displays reflect the high levels of skills taught! Come and take a look!
