Design & Technology

Subject vision

Our curriculum supports pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers, who have an appreciation for the product design cycle of ideation, creation and evaluation. We encourage pupils to be ambitious in their drafting of design concepts, and to understand that creating great products can involve taking risks. Our curriculum supports pupils to be confident, reflective learners by modelling, testing and evaluating their own and others' work.

We aim to provide pupils with skills that are useful and applicable to their futures, alongside developing an awareness of Design and Technology's role in our lives. Our curriculum supports pupils to become resourceful and enterprising citizens, who will have the skills to contribute to pioneering design advancements. 

By the time our pupils reach Year 6, they will have a refined understanding of how real life design structures work, as well as an established confidence in using a range of materials. 

How do children learn DT at Goose Green?

The children learn about the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. They do this through a spiral curriculum, where children revisit six key areas throughout their time at Goose Green, allowing them to revisit and build on their previous learning.

The six areas are:

• Cooking and Nutrition
• Mechanisms/ Mechanical Systems
• Structures
• Textiles
• Electrical Systems (Key Stage 2 only)
• Digital World (Key Stage 2 only)

Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge, which encompasses the contextual, historical and technical understanding required for each area.  In Cooking and Nutrition, we have a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality.

Our DT curriculum is built around the Kapow scheme, which we have tailored to support the learning of Goose Green’s broader curriculum. Projects in each year group relate to the topics being studied, allowing pupils to extend their knowledge, as well as build their practical and evaluative skills. By linking the projects to the studied topics, creativity is valued and pupils are encouraged to be critical thinkers. There is an in-depth immersion of learning that facilitates excitement and curiosity. 

The progression of skills, knowledge and vocabulary has been carefully sequenced, aligning with attainment targets in the National Curriculum, as well as providing learning opportunities that correspond to the Development Matters statements and Early Learning Goals. Whilst developing their planning, making and evaluative skills, pupils will also develop their technical vocabulary, which further enhances their understanding of design processes. 

How do we know what children have learned?

• Questioning
• Pupil Learning Reviews 
• Learning walks
• Quizzing and retrieval practice
• Feedback and marking
• Progress in books matches the curriculum intent