Design & Technology
Patrick Pritchett
DT Subject Leader
"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
Steve Jobs
The study of Design and Technology draws on a number of related subjects and encourages children to use creativity and imagination to solve meaningful problems.
DT Programmes of Study (KS1 & KS2)
Progression in Knowledge and Skills for Personal Development at Floreat Montague Park
In Early Years, the skills and knowledge linking to the Design and Technology curriculum are encompassed within the ‘Understanding of the World’ and ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ aspects of the Early Years Framework. During the children’s child-initiated learning time, they have the opportunity to explore resources that will begin to support them to Design, Make and Evaluate their work. Resources that may facilitate this exploration include, junk modelling, Mobilo, Lego, sellotape, glue, hole punches and large construction resources. Alongside this, the children engage in Design and Technology based study focuses throughout the year that will be revisited each year as they progress through the school.
In Key Stage 1, the children engage in a variety of study focuses that begin to embed the foundational skills and knowledge to support the Design, Make and Evaluate process. To facilitate the children’s understanding and development of these key skills, the children focus on evaluating existing products, generating ideas and designing their own product and selecting appropriate materials with some support. During the Autumn term, the children focus particularly on Textiles and within this, begin to describe textiles and embed sewing skills. As the children progress through the Key Stage, they begin to apply their skills and knowledge more independently and learn how to use mechanisms in preparation for Key Stage 2.
In Lower Key Stage 2, children take an active role in the research process and continue to Evaluate existing products as the first step to the Design process. The children develop their ability to critically analyse their designs through annotated descriptions and continue to select appropriate materials considering a wide range of factors. For example, functional properties and aesthetic qualities. Building on their learning within Key Stage 1, the children have the opportunity to apply their exploration of mechanisms to now incorporate gears as part of their designing and making process as well as become more skilled in manipulating textiles through sewing skills and joining fabrics.
In Upper Key Stage 2, children have opportunities to draw upon the knowledge and skills that they have built upon throughout their time at Floreat Montague Park to create more intricate and sophisticated models. Beginning with the design process, the children draw upon existing designs and products to generate their own ideas using a computer based approach in some aspects of their curriculum study. Cross-Curricular links are made with Science as the children continue to apply their knowledge of electrical systems within their products as well as developing their Computing skills during the Design, Make and Evaluate process. The children are challenged further to encompass their developed sewing skills that build upon the stitches that they have practised as the children have progressed through the school.
Design Technology Progression Document - EYFS to Year 6
Cooking and Nutrition
Throughout the year at Floreat Montague Park, the children have enriching opportunities to practice and apply their Cooking and Nutrition skills and knowledge. The children make meaningful links between their Cooking and Nutrition skills by taking part in tasks that relate to our curriculum focus days as well as tasks that link directly to classroom learning focuses. Examples of our curriculum focus day challenges may include, creating pumpkin soup, tasting Chinese New Year recipes and being part of the potato growing, harvesting and cooking process. To conclude our curriculum focus days, the children often engage in whole school competitions which allows them the opportunity to showcase their skills and knowledge as well as compare their work to that of their peers.
Goodwood Challenge
An important part of our Upper Key Stage 2 DT curriculum is the children taking part in an electric car project. We have two electric cars in school, which the children in Year 6 have the opportunity to assemble and build prior to racing at Goodwood. Alongside this work, they create a shared project portfolio and also work collaboratively to design, source and build a body for their car, before testing the car and practising driving.
Once completed, the children visit Goodwood to take part in the Greenpower: Lockheed Martin Gathering of Goblins. The children in Year 5 then have the opportunity to disassemble the cars, before they complete the project the following year so they begin to become familiar with the different parts and tools involved.
See photos below from July 2022's day at Goodwood:
Greenpower: Lockheed Martin Gathering of Goblins 2022
