We aim to provide all children with hands-on, creative experiences to support the development of their individual practical identity and nurture a capability for innovation. Design and Technology provides opportunities for collaboration, team working and communication; all skills that we believe are essential in daily life and for future employment.

Collaborative work in design and technology develops mutual respect for the differing opinions, beliefs and abilities of others. In addition, children are supported to develop a respect for the environment, for their own health and safety and that of others. They learn to appreciate the value of similarities and differences and learn to show tolerance. A variety of experiences teaches them to appreciate that all people – and their views – are equally important. Children are encouraged to work in a democratic way, exercising the ‘give and take’ required for successful teamwork.

Design and Technology gives all children the opportunity to develop relevant skills, knowledge and understanding of designing and making functional products with an intended purpose. It is vital to nurture creativity and innovation through design by exploring the designed and made world in which we all live and work.

Through a progressive extension of design skills throughout each child’s learning journey with us at Mevagissey school, we aim to equip children with the skills to approach any task using previously learned problem solving strategies and encouragement of their independent use of these skills, as well as new ones, as they progress through their school journey.

Children will acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Design and technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators. It should assist children in developing a greater awareness and understanding of how everyday products are designed and made and consider their own abilities in adapting, re-designing and re-imagining their own products as future designers and innovators themselves.

The national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to all participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
• Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others, understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Design and Technology is a crucial part of school life and learning and it is for this reason that as a school we are dedicated to the teaching and delivery of a high-quality Design and Technology curriculum. This is implemented through a two-year rolling programme of half termly Design and Technology then Art and Design units of work, delivered using Kapow Primary Framework of lessons. These provide us with the opportunity to deliver:

• A well thought out, whole school, yearly overview of the Design and Technology and Art and Design curriculums, which allows for progression across year groups in all areas of Design and Technology (textiles, mechanisms, structures, food and electrical systems) alongside Art and Design.
• Well planned and resourced projects providing children with a hands-on and enriching experience
• A range of skills being taught, ensuring that children are aware of health and safety issues related to the tasks being undertaken
• Teachers being given ownership and flexibility to plan for Design and Technology; often teaching Design and Technology as a block of lessons to allow the time needed for the children to be critical, inventive and reflective on their work.
• Each project from Year 1 to Year 6 addresses the principles of designing, making, and evaluating and incorporating relevant technical knowledge and understanding in relevant contexts.
• Pupils being introduced to specific designers, chefs, nutritionists, etc. helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement and increase the cultural capital from which they can draw in the future.

As a school, we promote Design and Technology in the wider school with a weekly shared KS1 and KS2 gardening club. Here the children learn about where our food comes from by growing their own, and the importance of a balanced, healthy and varied diet and how to prepare this. We have a newly re-purposed allotment plot area at school and this is the process of being cleared and prepared for planting with a wide variety of flowering and productive plants.

We have made plans to introduce a whole school Design and Technology food focus from Autumn Term 2; with the introduction of a food technology based ‘competition’ style activity that will involve children across the school over the school year being involved in planning, practising and creating their food creations that will then be judged by others, including previous pupils of Mevagissey school. This role-modelling from older experienced peers will, we hope, ignite the passion for others to follow in their footsteps in their future career pathways.

 

Early Years Foundation Stage

Throughout EYFS, children explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult directed activities. They have the opportunities to learn to:

• Use different media and materials to express their own ideas
• Use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about form, function and purpose
• Make plans and construct with a purpose in mind using a variety of resources
• Develop skills to use simple tools and techniques appropriately, effectively and safely
• Select appropriate resources for a product and adapt their work where necessary
• Cook and prepare food adhering to good health and hygiene routines

Children will have clear enjoyment and confidence in Design and Technology that they will then apply to other areas of the curriculum. Through carefully planned and implemented learning activities the pupils develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. They will gain a firm foundation of knowledge and skills to see them equipped to take on future learning in Secondary school and future everyday life. Children’s skills and knowledge are built upon using Kapow Primary’s progression of skills, spiral-curriculum based approach.

We ensure that children build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users and critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others as well as understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn the basic knowledge of how to cook through theoretical and practical stages.

Children will design and make a range of products. An achievable age and attainment appropriate quality finish will be expected in all design and technology activities. We believe that Design and Technology is experiential. We see skills develop with children taking pride in and seeing the purpose of their design and making.

We celebrate their success by sharing with parents and the whole school through displays and Seesaw posts.  We liaise with CELT Trust Secondary schools to build early transition opportunities. Subject Lead staff are building links with our feeder Secondary schools to re-enforce positive relationships and better equip children to move from Primary to Secondary education with relevant and purposeful Design and Technology skills and knowledge.

 

Design Technology  Key Progression skills

Click on the document below to view our Key Progression skills that we have created to support our curriculum. Progression in computing and skills is explicitly planned for and intertwined through our termly curriculum mapping.