“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you look deeper, it’s really how it works.” Steve Jobs
Design Technology prepares our children to deal with tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. It encourages children to become independent, creative problem-solvers and thinkers as individuals and as part of a team - making positive changes to their quality of life. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond to them by developing a range of ideas and by making products and systems. Through the study of Design and technology, they combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impacts. Design and Technology helps all our children to become astute and informed future consumers and potential innovators.
At Ringway Primary School, we value Design Technology as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Design and Technology is taught through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils are taught the knowledge, understanding, skills and vocabulary needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. We engage our children through activities which involve investigating and evaluating existing products, focussed tasks in which children develop particular aspects of knowledge and skills and then designing and making in which the children design and make ‘something’ for ‘somebody’ for ‘some purpose’.
Curriculum Intent
In Design Technology, our pupils progressively develop technical knowledge, skills and vocabulary through structured and memorable experiences. We strive for children to work both confidently (self-belief) and collaboratively using a 'design, make and evaluate' model and develop determination and perseverance to refine their product, showing an understanding of users' needs. We inspire children to take innovative creative risks in order to produce prototypes, applying their mathematical knowledge.
Pupils develop the curiosity and are respectful when carrying out research discovering up-to-date technological innovations in materials, systems and products, raising questions and developing initiative. Children also develop their excellence and the skills to work safely with tools, equipment and materials, as well as manage risk to produce products safely and hygienically.
As such, we inspire a lifelong passion for our children to become designers who are resilient to the eco logical demands in this evolving world.