Design and Technology - Windmill L.E.A.D. Academy

Legal Framework

The Expressive Arts and Design section of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2017) and the National Curriculum Design and Technology Programmes of Study (2014) form the roots of Windmill L.E.A.D Academy’s DT curriculum. From this national documentation, Windmill L.E.A.D Academy’s DT curriculum has been devised, developed and personalised to our school community, having evolved from our values, vision, and mission statement.

Our design and technology curriculum is underpinned by the national curriculum statement for DT:

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. 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. 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.

Intent

Design and technology prepares children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. Creative thinking encourages children to make positive changes to their quality of life. The subject encourages children to become autonomous and creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond by developing ideas, and eventually 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 of 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 children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators.

At Windmill, we aim for all children to:

be imaginative, creative and ambitious thinkers;
through spoken and written form, develop honest and courageous analytical skills regarding their thoughts and preferences when designing, making and evaluating;
be able to explain how things work, and to draw and model their ideas;
know how to select appropriate tools and techniques for making a product, whilst following safe procedures;
have a developed knowledge and understanding of technological processes and products, manufacture and their contribution to our society;
approach design technology with positivity, showing joy, pride and satisfaction through all stages of the process;
see meaningful connections between design technology, other subjects and the wider world;
be individually creative, yet value collaborative teamwork to reach a purpose;
have the skills to analyse problems, innovate new ideas and generate suitable solutions;
be resilient when facing challenges and adaptable in order to overcome them;
be reflective when evaluating existing products, as well as their own work.

Our DT curriculum is divided into five concepts. These concepts are the ‘big ideas’ in DT and travel through the curriculum, being built upon, progressively, year upon year as our children move through the school.

The concepts are as follows:

A: Cooking and Nutrition

B: Design

C: Make

D: Evaluate

E: Technical Knowledge