Design and Technology

Aims

Our curriculum encourages all children to develop creativity and to solve problems. We aim for the pupils to learn skills which will help them to embrace the technological aspects of their ever-changing world.

We aim to:

• provide practical opportunities for all children to design and make good quality products
• encourage innovation and problem solving while working from a shared design brief
• develop designing and making skills, knowledge and understanding to the best of each child’s ability, using a range of tools, materials and components safely
• develop an understanding of the ways in which people have designed products in the past and present to meet their needs

Organisation

Head of Department – Mr M Buck

All children from Year 3 to Year 8 enjoy Technology lessons each week and are taught by specialist Design and Technology Teachers in our well-equipped workshop, which has a range of dedicated tools and equipment allowing them to learn various techniques and skills.

Content

The Design and Technology curriculum has a varied programme throughout the year and an emphasis is placed on hands-on learning. Children are taught how to express ideas verbally, on paper and in model form.

Throughout the School pupils are encouraged to take an interest in creating objects for particular purposes. Their work is evaluated as it progresses and formal evaluations are often done at the end of projects.

Activities and projects allow pupils to learn and understand the working characteristics of a variety of materials (including wood, card, fabric, food and plastics) and they are encouraged to combine them in appropriate ways.

Various activities allow pupils to learn about simple mechanisms and many provide the opportunity to learn about and incorporate electrical circuits. In addition, they are also introduced to Computer Aided Design (CAD) using a dedicated suite of laptops.

All pupils are encouraged to find out information for themselves; from books, computer sources and particularly by experimentation. Practical work takes precedence. Pupils additionally plan work using sketches and diagrams, and evaluate some manufactured products to help them implement improvements into their own. It is expected that the children will use their imagination, think for themselves and innovate, suggesting ways in which things can be done.

Trips and Events

Year 5 pupils enjoy technology workshops while visiting the Imperial War Museum’s collection at Duxford. Children in Year 6 are offered the chance to compete in Formula Goblin; a highly successful project which stimulates interest in sustainable engineering. We have two Goblin electric racing cars which are constructed annually by the pupils in Year 7 then raced in events, notably at Ford in Essex and at the Rockingham Motor Speedway.