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Design Technology Curriculum Statement

Intent 

Here at William Ford School, we strongly believe all children, regardless of ability or outlook, deserve full access to a stimulating and engaging education that will allow them to gain fundamental life skills that will support them to succeed in life.  

We have designed our approach to teaching Design and Technology with the priority of immersing all children in their learning. We believe that the skills and deeper understanding help all children to maximise their progress and skills within each subject. We want our curriculum to challenge and enthuse our children, as they gain these essential life skills. We plan lessons which provide children with the following essential characteristics: 

  • An excellent concrete approach to undertaking practical activities involving creativity and experimentation. 

  • A brilliant knowledge of a range of different design techniques.  

  • An enhanced understanding of the nutrients of food through cooking. 

  • The ability to research, plan, make and evaluate a range of different products with a specific purpose. 

  • The ability to work together and encourage peer work and assessments. 

  • An opportunity for all children to explore different ways to reach the same outcome, building on their personal understanding of design and technology. 

  • Cross-curricular learning opportunities. 

Implementation 

Throughout the year groups, all children will be taught four units across the year in an inclusive and safe environment, which follows the National Curriculum objectives. Design and Technology is taught once a term, with an additional focussed cooking unit taught at some point throughout the academic year. We feel that this approach of teaching Design and Technology gives the children an opportunity to deepen their understanding and gain a more in-depth set of skills. The units of teaching DT within our school are mapped as shown below: 

Year Group 

Autumn 

Spring 

Summer 

Cooking Unit 

British Inventors 

Light-up Signs 

Moving Monsters 

Sandwich Snacks 

 

Alarms 

Storybooks 

Making Mini Greenhouses 

Seasonal Food 

Moving Toys 

Bridges 

Fairground 

Biscuits 

 

Bird Feeders 

Chinese Inventions 

Programming Pioneers 

Great British Dishes 

The emphasis on designing a range of different products ensures that all children understand the context on researching, designing, producing and evaluating a product and ensuring that it meets a set of design criteria requirements. These lessons are supported by a range of quality resources, which are readily available, and give opportunities to develop children’s decision-making skills. 

Impact 

The Design and Technology curriculum at William Ford School is monitored closely and adapted accordingly to ensure that it is meeting the needs of all children. This is undertaken in a range of strategies; however, a fundamental task is that the Subject Lead continues to look at the children’s folders, observe lessons and ask the children about their learning throughout the year. We evaluate the knowledge, skills and understanding that children have gained in their DT lessons against carefully planned end points to measure progression.