Becoming Designers and Makers

God saw all that he made, and it was very good.

Genesis 1:31

Design and technology at Whitegate CE Primary School

At Whitegate Primary School, we aim to develop children’s curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills through Design and technology. We aim to teach pupils about how the world works, how things are made, and give them opportunities to take on exciting challenges and become young inventors.

Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make their own products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants, and values. Through making and evaluating the things they have designed they learn to critique and refine their ideas and find new and better ways to do things. Through this process they develop resilience and perseverance as they tackle problems and find solutions.

We aim to give children the opportunity to complete one design and technology project per term in order to develop a wide set of practical skills throughout their school career. Through these projects, they acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing, and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising, and capable citizens. Design and technology develops children’s life skills and helps prepare them for life in all its fullness.

Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth, and well-being of the nation.

The aims of Teaching Design and technology in our school are:

develop the creative, technical, and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Websites we recommend to explore:

BBC Bitesize KS1: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zb9d7ty

BBC Bitesize KS2: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zyr9wmn

Curriculum Coverage In KS1 and KS2 our school delivers the Design and technology curriculum using termly projects and cross curricular learning. The projects cover food technology, mechanisms, structures, and textiles. In Foundation Stage, our children learn Design and technology by exploring a variety of materials and creating different products. They design their products before they build. They also learn how to handle real tools safely.
Key Stage One Maple Beech	design products based on a design criteria communicate design ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate use of ICT select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles, and ingredients. explore and evaluate a range of existing products evaluate ideas and products against design criteria build structures and explore how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable explore and use different mechanisms Use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes understand where food comes from
Key Stage Two Cedar Willow Oak	use research and develop a design criteria to inform the design of products communicate design ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design. select from and use a wide range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction, materials, textiles and ingredients investigate and analyse a range of existing products evaluate ideas and products against design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world apply understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures understand and use mechanical systems in products understand and use electrical systems in products apply understanding of computing to program, monitor and control products understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet prepare and cook a variety of savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.

Curriculum Coverage

In KS1 and KS2 our school delivers the Design and technology curriculum using termly projects and cross curricular learning. The projects cover food technology, mechanisms, structures, and textiles. In Foundation Stage, our children learn Design and technology by exploring a variety of materials and creating different products. They design their products before they build. They also learn how to handle real tools safely.

Key Stage One

Maple

Beech

design products based on a design criteria
communicate design ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate use of ICT
select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks
select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles, and ingredients.
explore and evaluate a range of existing products
evaluate ideas and products against design criteria
build structures and explore how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
explore and use different mechanisms
Use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
understand where food comes from

Key Stage Two

Cedar
Willow
Oak

use research and develop a design criteria to inform the design of products
communicate design ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.
select from and use a wide range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks
select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction, materials, textiles and ingredients
investigate and analyse a range of existing products
evaluate ideas and products against design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world
apply understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
understand and use mechanical systems in products
understand and use electrical systems in products
apply understanding of computing to program, monitor and control products
understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
prepare and cook a variety of savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques
understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.

Our DT curriculum overview:

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Maple
Year 1

Sea Creatures

Textiles - Templates and Joining

Apple Crumble

Food - Preparing Fruit and Vegetables

Drawbridges

Structures and Mechanisms – Freestanding structures

Beech
Year 2/3

Bunting

Textiles - Templates and Joining

Moon Buggies

Structures and Mechanisms –

Wheels and Axles

Shortbread

Food – Health and Varied Diet

Cedar
Year 3/4

Pizzas

Food – Healthy and Varied Diet

Boats

Mechanisms – Pneumatics

Viking Purses

Textiles – 2D to 3D product

Willow

Year 4/5

Boxes

Structures – Frame structures

A Greek Banquet

Food – Celebrating Culture and Seasonality

Puppets

Textiles – Combining different fabrics

Oak
Year 5/6

Prayer Mats

Textiles – Combining different fabric shapes

A Boat for the River Weaver

Mechanisms – Cams

A Loaf of Bread

Food – Celebrating culture and seasonality

If you have any questions about our Design and technology curriculum, please contact Mrs Freedman (subject lead) via the school office.
Thank you.

Files to Download

DT Progression Grid Design and Technology Policy

Becoming Designers and Makers

Files to Download

Student Login