Intent

Design and Technology at Ellison Boulters develops children’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. It encourages children's creativity and encourages them to think about important issues. D&T gives children the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of designing and making functional products.

Implementation

Design and Technology education involves two important elements - learning about the designed and made world and how things work, and learning to design and make functional products for particular purposes and users.

There are three core activities children engage with in Design and Technology:

·        Activities which involve investigating and evaluating existing products

·        Focused tasks in which children develop particular aspects of knowledge and skills

·        Designing and making activities in which children design and make 'something' for 'somebody' for 'some           

         purpose'

Children acquire and apply knowledge and understanding of materials and components, mechanisms and control systems, structures, existing products, quality, and health and safety.

Impact

The skills learned in D&T compliment other areas of learning across the curriculum. For example, knowledge gained in Science about the properties of materials informs decisions about the materials chosen in the design or making of a product in D&T. The importance of being able to measure accurately in Maths is given real purpose when components need to fit together effectively. All three core D&T activities are compatible with work in Art and Design.

Design and Technology education helps develop children’s skills through collaborative working. They are encouraged to be creative and innovative, and are actively encouraged to think about important issues such as sustainability and enterprise.

D&T brings learning to life. It is a motivating context for discovering literacy, mathematics, science, art, PSHE and ICT. Primary Design and Technology also provides a firm basis for later learning in the subject and a platform for developing skills in literacy and numeracy. It nurtures creativity and innovation through creating designs, and by exploring the designs of the World in which we all live and work.