Design and Technology
Curriculum Intent
Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject that should provide children with a real life context for learning. At Bushfield Road Infant School, Design and Technology will allow children to solve real life and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.
By the end of KS1, our children will have developed the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. They will be able to critique, evaluate and test their products to match specific design criteria and ensure they fir their purpose. Throughout the projects, children are taught to work hygienically and safely.
At Bushfield Road Infant School, Design and Technology will be taught in all year groups through at least one topic per term. Each project is based around a design and technology subject focus of structures, mechanisms, cooking and nutrition or textiles. Where possible, meaningful links to other areas of the curriculum have been made. All the projects follow a structure where children are introduced to key concepts and build up knowledge and skills over time, using a more comprehensive range of equipment and building, cutting, joining, finishing and cooking techniques as they progress through school.
In the autumn term of Year 1, children begin to learn about structures before designing and making a shelter. In the spring term, they will learn the term ‘mechanism’ and assemble and test wheels and axles. In the summer term, children begin to learn about food sources and use simple preparation techniques to create a supermarket sandwich.
In the autumn term of Year 2, children learn more about food in the project Remarkable Recipes, where they find out about food sources, follow recipes and learn simple cooking techniques. In the spring term, children develop their knowledge of structures further, learning to cut, join and strengthen wood for the first time. In the summer term, children begin to develop their understanding of textiles. They learn to sew a simple running stitch, use pattern pieces and add simple embellishments. They also continue to learn about mechanisms in the project Push and Pull by using sliders, levers and linkages in products.