Design and Technology (DT)

Intent, Implentation and Imapct Statement 

Through the teaching of design and technology, we will prepare our children to deal with tomorrow’s rapidly changing world.  

Intent  

At the British Section, children receive a design and technology curriculum which allows them to exercise their creativity through designing and making. The children are progressively and systematically taught to apply skills, knowledge and understanding in order to design and make a product with a concrete, real world application. 

Evaluation and explanation are an integral part of the design and assessment process and support children to adapt, improve and justify their product and design choices. The pupils are also given opportunities to reflect upon and evaluate past and present design technology, to encourage them to become innovators, risk-takers and autonomous learners. 

The British Section creates strong cross curricular links with other subjects, such as mathematics, science, computing, and art, and it is a subject that whenever possible should be linked to the worlds of industry, design, and digital technology. Within our military setting, links are made between design and technology as a subject and the practical applications evident in the working life of all three armed services.  

At every opportunity, the intent of the British Section DT curriculum is to develop powerful and meaningful associations between the subject content and the military and civilian professional applications of that content.     

Teaching and learning within the design and technology curriculum supports the fostering of the British Section’s Character Virtues and Learning Powers as an essential aspect of the culture and ethos of our school. 

The aims of teaching Design and Technology in our school are:  

• to develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world 
• to 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  
• to critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others  
• to understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
• to enable pupils to become familiar with the knowledge, principles, skills and vocabulary of design and technology along with a developed knowledge of different categories of materials (smart) and their properties. 
• to enable students to evaluate and improve upon a design or product as well as considering the needs of the user and evaluating it against specification criteria. 
• to develop an awareness of the role of design and technology in the development of the modern world and emerging new technologies and their impact upon the planet and the human race.
• to develop an enjoyment in risk-taking, creativity, innovation and problem solving of technological problems. 
• to develop the skills which enable students to make reasoned decisions about the implications of technological advances and to apply principles of nutrition and health to improve their lifestyles? 
• to reflect and draw upon the work of past and present designers and design movements along with gaining inspiration from other sources such as nature. 

 Implementation 

At SHAPE International School British Section, we ensure high standards of teaching and learning in design and technology through implementation of a progressive curriculum. Design and technology is taught discreetly, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills taught in each Key Stage. Teachers plan lessons for their class using the D&T Association ‘Projects on a Page’ curriculum to ensure the teaching is progressive from year group to year group.  

All teaching of DT follows the design, make, evaluate cycle, and each stage purposefully nurtures the development of technical knowledge and the progression of a culminative skills base. The design process is rooted in real-life and, where appropriate, cross-curricula as relevant contexts give meaning to learning and provide a purpose for the project. While making, children are given the choice of a range of tools and materials to select from. Children are encouraged to evaluate their own products against a design criteria and to develop their ability to explain process, purpose and product as a means of both progression and assessment. 

The key skills we teach are: 

• Textiles 
• Food 
• Structures 
• Mechanical Systems 

Impact 

The effective planning and teaching of design and technology by our staff, which develops the culminative progression of skills and knowledge from EYFS to Year 6, and which incorporates all of the strands of the National Curriculum, allows us to ensure that the pupils of the British Section are able to nurture a profound understanding of, appreciation for, and expertise in design and technology. 

Our focus on design and make, explain and evaluate, enables pupils to be inspired to develop increasing levels of expertise in design and technology. The impact of our design and technology curriculum is in the development of our pupils being able to approach problems creatively and in a range of ways, applying their knowledge from across the curriculum areas independently. By providing a range of contexts and the necessary skills, we endeavour to support pupils in their future educational journey and in the understanding of the ever-developing world around them. 

Our effective teaching of design and technology will impact on the students in the following ways: 

• The design and technology curriculum provides children with access to an investigative, cyclical approach, with a mix of research, teacher led/child initiated practical lessons. They are taught knowledge and skills through this process and will evaluate, test, and critique their products as well as those of others. This will help to foster an enquiring mind and develop resilience. 
• Children will explore and use a range of materials to create a working product. 
• Children will understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook. 
• A varied, progressive and rich vocabulary enables children to articulate orally their ideas and work independently and with others productively. 
• Design and technology lessons are engaging, fun and designed to encourage all learners to succeed, manage risks effectively and develop skills at their own level. 
• Children’s understanding in design and technology is consistently being built upon year on year, term on term with high aspirations. The skills and attributes they develop will benefit them beyond school and into adulthood.