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. |
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Key Stage One
Maple Beech |
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Key Stage Two
Cedar |
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Our DT curriculum overview:
Autumn Term |
Spring Term |
Summer Term |
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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
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Cedar |
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.