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Design and Technology

Mrs Cadman

Design & Technology Lead

At Chadsmead, children experience practical learning experiences that develop creative ideas, technical expertise and skills though the processes of designing, making and evaluating so that they become socially aware, environmentally aware and problem solvers of the future.

Pupils have opportunities to design, make and evaluate useful, functional and aesthetically pleasing products across the 5 areas of design and technology: mechanical construction, electrical construction, textiles and structures as well as food and nutrition during each phase. They work with different materials, learn new skills and link their learning to well-known technological people.

As the pupils progress through our curriculum, they accumulate knowledge of product design - from the materials they chose, to the labour required and the improvements required to bring a product to market. They develop their functional skills as well as problem solving skills to become critical thinkers and learn to understand that failure is part of the design process and that prototypes can be imperfect: an idea that can grow and lead to an improved outcome.

We teach Design and Technology through following a planned process that corresponds to the National Curriculum subject content areas for Design and Technology and is supported by the DT Association’s ‘Projects on a Page’ ensuring progression of skills and knowledge across the school.

  • Research & Design – to research products and develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform tasks confidently and participate in an increasingly technological world.
  • Make – to build and apply learnt knowledge and skills in order to design and make high-quality           prototypes and products for a range of users.
  •  Evaluate – to evaluate and test prototypes/products and the work of others.
  •  Technical Knowledge – to understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook; to understand systems, structures and control of mechanics, electrics and structures.

We assess Design and Technology through the observation, application and reflection of the skills taught and learnt through each phase, making teacher judgements against National Curriculum expectations. We know the children have gained their knowledge and skills through the pupil’s ability to talk through the written and photographic record of their work in their Design and Technology books.