Design Technology Intent

It is our intent for the DT element of our school curriculum to inspire pupils to use creativity and imagination to design and make products that will solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and other’s needs, wants and values. They will explore a wide range of materials and processes to make things of quality that work and develop the importance of precision and working carefully.

By the time children leave St John XXIII, they will have mastered a range of skills that will support their future development. These are –

· To be good communicators – language will be modelled daily to encourage speaking and listening and understand that art and DT is another form of communication to those around them and how feeling scan be portrayed in different mediums.

· To be enthusiastic, lifelong learners with an interest in art and DT when they can visualise it in the world around them

· To understand how to keep themselves safe and be respectful in their communities by using art and DT to express their feelings in a way that is considerate to their different audiences.

· To develop their God given talents by being creative 

· To be independent, resilient learners who enjoy challenges and can link this learning to their STEM activities

The children will develop a broad range of subject knowledge with many cross curricular links such as maths, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils will learn how to take risks and be more resourceful and innovative in their designs. Children will learn to critically evaluate products the use in order to inform their own designs and then evaluate their own work, thinking about how they can make changes and keep improving. When children leave St John XXIII Catholic Primary School, we expect them to have a sound understanding of the key skills and techniques required in D&T. They should be able to build simple structures, construct mechanisms, sew competently and cook a range of products. They should be competent designers, who are able to evaluate their own work and who are well-equipped to take part in the next stage of their education. They should be able to see and engage with links between STEAM subjects and DT and be inspired to study

We plan using the National Curriculum and a range of planning sources and enhance the curriculum through the use of progression maps. Units are selected to make cross curricular links building on prior knowledge and as hooks into new topics. DT is taught alongside a series of STEAM projects. This means that each project encompasses elements of science, technology, engineering, art and maths. These subjects are carefully integrated into the DT process to deepen children’s technical knowledge and encourage cross-curricular links. By engaging our children with STEAM subjects in action, we increase their science capital which better enables them to consider STEAM related subjects and careers. All of this, along with the dedication of our teachers, ensures that we are inspiring the designers and engineers of the future.