Capel Manor Primary School

D&T (Design & Technology)

At Capel Manor Primary School, Design and Technology is taught through a variety of practical activities. Using creativity and imagination, children design and make real and purposeful products such as night lights for our Year 5 Capel Camp with an intended user in mind whilst also learning to be inquisitive, self-confident and independent.

Design and Technology also encourages children to learn to think about and solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team such as how to make a vehicle that can travel the furthest to win the Great Egg Race.

Our Curriculum is split into units of learning which are built around the following key strands of learning:

Materials/Textiles
Mechanical systems
Structures
Cooking and Nutrition
Electrical and Program systems

Key skills and key knowledge for Design and Technology have been mapped across the school

to ensure progression of learning between year groups.

Click here to view Our Capel Design and Technology Curriculum

Whilst engaged in their learning, the children develop an understanding of the role of Design and Technology in the real world and its relevance to industries such as Engineering, Manufacturing and Textiles and how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape our world. We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, computing and art. Links are also made to cultures, cultural events/traditions and additional industries such as UK crops and farming.

Through planned projects in each unit of learning children are provided with opportunities to

experience a transferable pathway of researching, investigating, designing, planning, making and evaluating which they will then be able to draw upon in their future life endeavors.

They also learn valuable life skills of cooking a balanced meal drawing upon an increasing understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet.

The Design and Technology Process

Design and Technology follows a cyclical process of Designing, Making and Evaluating. The process summarised below usually starts when children investigate and analyse a range of existing products which then leads to engagement in the design process.

Designing

Studying the design and making of specific products
Studying how designers and inventors work and innovate
Generating ideas
Brainstorming
Design specifications
Design brief
Modelling & prototypes

Making

Applying learnt techniques such as cutting, shaping, joining
Selecting and using a range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients
Applying their design ideas
Applying their understanding of learnt technical knowledge such as how to reinforce more complex structures and how to apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products

Evaluating

Investigating and analyse a range of existing products
Evaluating their ideas and products against their own design criteria
Considering the views of others to improve their work

Whilst the emphasis in Design and Technology is on practical activity, children also learn key technical vocabulary to better enable them to discuss, plan and evaluate their products.

Vocabulary and Oracy

Throughout their learning in Design and Technology, in addition to a focus on practical learning, there is also a focus on enhancing outcomes through the development of children’s vocabulary and oracy. Through an age related progression of “Expectations for Talk” children learn to: