Our Design and Technology Vision (Intent)

 

At St Joseph’s, our purpose is to recognise the worth and dignity of all and to fully develop the talents of each person.  Design & Technology enables pupils to experiment, design, make and build……. to develop technical skills and craftsmanship to execute practical tasks.  It inspires and challenge pupils to think critically, which help us to explore, evaluate and respond to our practical ever changing world. God is the Master Builder and we are made in His image. Design & Technology enables us to use the gifts of problem solving, creativity and imagination, which God has given us, to shape our history and culture.

 

In conjunction with the aims of the National Curriculum, our Design & Technology teaching offers opportunities for children to:

• To develop human creativity and imagination.

• To communicate pupils’ own feelings and ideas through a range of materials, tools and techniques.

• To engage, inspire and challenge pupils to think critically to gain an understanding of design.

• To give pupils the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own recipes and designs.

• To make, informed judgements, evaluate and solve problems when designing and using materials.

• To explore how Design and Technology has shaped our history and culture.

​

Our Design and Technology Practice (Implementation)

​

1. Pupils will be taught to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products

2. Pupils will use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.

3. Pupils generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.

4. Pupils will be taught to select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks (for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing, as well as chopping and slicing).

5. Pupils will select from and use a wider range of materials, ingredients and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties, aesthetic qualities and, where appropriate, taste.

6. Pupils will investigate and analyse a range of existing products and evaluate their own ideas and products against their own design criteria.

7. Pupils will apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures, understand and use mechanical and electronic systems in their products, apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products.

8. All children will have the opportunity to access cookery corner every half term. They will understand some of the ways that food can be processed and the effect of different cooking practices.

​

​

Our Design and Technology Outcomes (Impact)

​

​During their time at St Joseph’s, children will benefit from a rich broad and balanced programme of design and technology. 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 gain a firm foundation of knowledge and skills to see them equipped to take on further learning in High School and adulthood.  Children have regular opportunities to revisit and consolidate prior skills and knowledge.

 

Key Skills and Areas Explored at St Josephs:

 

Design– What is the context and purpose? Who is the user?

Generate and communicate ideas. Model ideas.

Make– Planning. Developing practical skills and techniques

Evaluate– Our own ideas and designs and designs of existing products.

Technical knowledge - Making products work, Taking inspiration from designers

Understanding historical and cultural developments of Design Technology.

Food and nutrition - Where food comes from…Food preparation.

Construction– using tools

Mechanical Systems – Eg: levers, wheels, pulleys.

Materials– cutting, shaping, joining, measuring.

Textiles– using templates, stitching, decorating.

Computing– using software to model and control designs.

Electrical Systems – create circuits using kits.