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Denbigh Design and Technology Curriculum

Subject Lead: Mrs Gulston

Design Technology (DT) at Denbigh is taught through designated DT weeks, which are undertaken termly. Staff teach children a range of skills that are progressive across the age range of the children.

In EYFS children are encouraged to explore a range of construction equipment, junk modelling, both indoors and outdoors, designing and building for a purpose, while also learning the vocabulary that is associated with this.  In conjunction with our STEM learning, children are encourage to use scissors, tape and glue with increasing independence to think creatively, solving problems and evaluating their success, through first hand experiences.

In KS1 and KS2, staff allocate objectives across the year, using appropriate curriculum coverage based on need and key skills. The tasks are made to support the topic area e.g. a Tudor house, Egyptian headdress or Victorian bridges. This helps the children to develop a deeper understanding of their topic knowledge via the practical aspect of Design Technology.

At Denbigh we use a variety of teaching and learning styles in order to develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding. We provide children with opportunities to experiment and explore a range of media and tools, in order to make discoveries for themselves. We provide guidance through specific teaching of a range of techniques and use tools, as is appropriate, to the age and stage of development of the children.

Year 1 Design Technology Curriculum

Say where some food comes from and give examples of food that is grown

Select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks e.g. cutting, shaping, joining and finishing

Cut food safely

Use a range of simple tools to cut, join and combine materials and components safely

Make a model stronger by altering shape and structure

Ask simple questions about existing products and those that he/she has made

Describe how something works

Talk with others about how he/she wants to construct a product

Make a product which moves using wheels and axles

Year 2 Design Technology Curriculum 

Understand the need for a variety of food in a diet

Prepare a healthy food product

Design purposeful, functional, appealing products for himself/herself and other users based on design criteria

Evaluate a product against design criteria

Generate, develop, model and communicate his/her ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology

Choose appropriate tools, equipment, techniques and materials from a wide range

Safely measure, mark out, cut and shape materials and components using a range of tools

Think of ideas and plan what to do next

Measure materials to use in a model or structure

Evaluate and assess existing products and those that he/she has made using a design criteria

Write a set of simple design criteria

Explain what went well with own work

Evaluate an existing product suggesting improvements

Investigate different techniques for stiffening a variety of materials and explore different methods of enabling structures to remain stable

Join things (materials/ components) together in different ways

Explore and use mechanisms e.g. levers, sliders, wheels and axles, in his/her products

Year 3 Design Technology Curriculum

Use a variety of ingredients and techniques to prepare and combine ingredients safely

Evaluate a diet and say whether it is healthy and varied and suggest improvements

Create designs using annotated sketches, cross sectional diagrams and simple computer programmes

Show that own designs meet a range of requirements

Make a product which uses both electrical and mechanical components

Safely measure, mark out, cut, assemble and join with some accuracy

Work accurately to make cuts and holes

Choose suitable techniques to strengthen a product

Make suitable choices from a wider range of tools and unfamiliar materials and plan out the main stages of using them

Put together step-by-step plan which shows the order and also what equipment and tools he/she needs

Investigate and analyse existing products and those he/she has made, considering a wide range of factors

Make sure that a product looks attractive

Year 4 Design Technology Curriculum 

Understand what makes a healthy balanced diet, and that different foods and drinks provide different substances the body needs to be healthy and active

Know what to do to be hygienic and safe, when preparing food

Understand seasonality and the advantages of eating seasonal and locally produced food

Explain the origin of a variety of ingredients

Read and follow recipes which involve several processes, skills and techniques

Evaluate own product, thinking of both appearance and the way it works

Use knowledge of existing products to design a functional and appealing product for a particular purpose and audience

Know how key events/ individuals’ designs have shaped the world

Create designs using exploded diagrams

Take account of the ideas of others when designing

Produce a plan and explain it to others

Continue to work on own product even though the original idea might not have worked

Consider how existing products and his/her own finished products might be improved and how well they meet the needs of the intended user

Produce sample parts of a design to evaluate and improve

Apply techniques he/she has learnt to strengthen structures and explore his/her own ideas

Use knowledge of transference of forces to choose appropriate mechanisms for a product (e.g. levers, winding mechanisms, pulleys and gears)

Think about what to do to present a product in an interesting way

Understand and use electrical systems in products

Year 5 Design Technology Curriculum 

Understand how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed to make them safe and palatable/tasty to eat

Produce a food product with seasonal vegetables

Come up with a range of ideas after he/she has collected information

Create prototypes to show design ideas evaluating their strengths and weaknesses

Suggest some alternative plans and say what the good points and drawbacks are about each

Produce a detailed step-by-step plan

Make careful and precise measurements so that joins, holes and openings are in exactly the right place

Use a range of practical skills to create a product including cutting, drilling, screwing, filing and sanding

Make detailed evaluations about existing products and his/her own considering the views of others to improve his/her work

Explain how the final product will appeal to the audience

Evaluate appearance and function against original criteria

Refine and improve products

Build more complex 3D structures and apply his/her knowledge of strengthening techniques to make them stronger or more stable

Use a range of tools and equipment expertly

Understand how to use more complex mechanical and electrical systems

Year 6 Design Technology Curriculum

Generate, develop, model and communicate his/her ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design

Use market research to inform plans

Follow and refine own plan if necessary

Justify why he/she selected specific materials

Work within a budget

Ensure own product meet all design criteria

Use his/her knowledge of famous designs to further explain the effectiveness of existing products and products he/she have made

Convincingly justify own plan to someone else

Consider culture and society in own designs

Test and evaluate a final product in detail

Think about how the final product could be sold

Apply his/her own understanding of computing to program, monitor and control his/her product

Use innovative combinations of electronics (or computing) and mechanisms in a design

Denbigh Primary School