Design & Technology

• Progression of Design and Technology including alignment with the National Curriculum, substantive concepts, big ideas and questions as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary

We have deliberately built our Design and Technology curriculum around the principles of evidence-led practice. This is to ensure that pupils are equipped to successfully think, work and communicate like a designer. Unapologetically ambitious, our Design and Technology curriculum focuses on excellence in this subject through range of disciplines and by referencing outstanding practitioners in this field. The intention is that exceptional teacher instruction inspires pupils to acquire knowledge as designers and technologists and enables them to skilfully apply their understanding. It is our intention that through studying Design and Technology, pupils become more expert as they progress through the curriculum, accumulating, connecting and making sense of the rich substantive and disciplinary knowledge:

2. Disciplinary knowledge – In addition to the core knowledge required to be successful within each of these elements, our curriculum outlines key aspects of how we intend to develop working as a designer. We organise our curriculum so that it focuses on developing different aspects of these competencies at different points. The features of working as a designer in our Design and Technology Curriculum are:

Investigate Design Make Evaluate Apply

We define and regularly explore these through questioning during pupils’ study:

Investigate – This includes researching and finding about existing products and designers.
Design - The art or process of deciding how something will look or work.
Make - Create something by combining materials or putting parts together.
Evaluate - Form an opinion of the value or quality of something after careful thought.
Apply - Use something or make something work in a particular situation.

We organise intended learning into modules. These group the knowledge, skills and understanding that we want children to remember, do and use.

The learning modules are taught in extended lessons in 3-weekly blocks to make effective use of the time required when making products.

Each module aims to activate and build upon prior learning, including from the early years, to ensure better cognition and retention. It includes contextual reference materials, vocabulary modules, explanatory videos and annotated exemplifications. Teacher videos complement the content in each module and provide clear instruction about the techniques and skills that are taught. The exemplifications can be used to support assessment of pupil outcomes and to support teachers in developing their own subject knowledge. Teachers are also provided with a list of materials and resources that they will need to teach each module.

Central to the learning modules are activities designed to develop pupils’ oracy and vocabulary skills to enable them to use the language associated with design and technology meaningfully when talking about their work and the work of others. Along with this, connections to other subject areas are listed as are the links that are made, in the lesson sequences, to works of literature. Specific books and illustrators are recommended and are used as a stimulus. Background information is provided about the specific designers studied in the module. This information gives teachers an insight into where the designer sits in design history and their influences.

Key health and safety considerations needed for the block are identified to support teachers in making their own risk assessments to ensure the safety of pupils. The blocks highlight key tools, techniques and tasks for which potential risks need to be carefully managed.

An overview of the core content provides information about the skills covered across the term in each year group. This enables teachers to see the progression of skills covered within each aspect of design and technology.

Lessons typically are split into six phases:

CONNECT This provides an opportunity to connect the lesson to prior learning from a previous module or lesson. Teachers return children’s attention to the previous lesson’s knowledge note/the big idea for the learning module, including key vocabulary. Examples of thinking harder routines include Flick Back 5, Recap questions, Quizzing. Retrieval practice allows all pupils to take time to remember things and activate their memories. Quizzing allows questions to be asked and allows pupils to carry out retrieval practice. Cumulative quizzing, allows for a few questions to be asked each lesson, which are built upon the previous lesson.
EXPLAIN This is the explicit teaching that needs to take place. Teachers should ensure they are clear what they want children to know and remember. They plan for and explicitly address common misconceptions so they can address these in lessons as they arise. They should be clear about the 5 substantive knowledge and the vocabulary that they want children to understand in the session. This can be developed using key information, facts, and images so that explanations are precise.
EXAMPLE Providing pupils with high-quality examples is essential for learning. Pupils need to see worked examples. My turn, our turn, your turn is a technique that can be used to explicitly teach vocabulary and new concepts. Prepared examples should be carefully planned and need to be evident in teaching. An example in Design and Technology could be modelling how to make a slider and runner, before then making one themselves.
ATTEMPT Guiding pupil practice allows pupils to rehearse, rephrase and elaborate their learning. Children need the chance to attempt and verbalise their understanding. Children’s own attempts are what help them to secure their understanding. Children need to have time to struggle and understand for themselves. This is not necessarily something that is recorded in books. This phase provides opportunities for teachers to check in with pupils to see who may need more challenge/support/scaffolds and if any misconceptions have arisen that need to be addressed. Extending the previous Design and Technology example, pupils could practice making their own slider and runner.
APPLY This is where pupils would typically begin to record in books. The number of scaffolds may vary.
CHALLENGE Teachers get the children to interrogate their learning - summarise, explain, compare and contrast. Tools are built into routines to reduce overload and allow for hard thinking. These can be adapted for children based on their individual needs.

SEND Learners

• Pupils with SEND are entitled to think hard. We use structured CHALLENGE FRAMEWORKS to promote hard thinking, drawing on the content, including explain the word connections and sequenced thinking paths.

Careers and meaningful opportunities

At Sandringham Primary we provide career links and meaningful opportunities throughout each subject within the curriculum. Our learners benefit from: class discussions, visits from different professionals, visits, webinars and utilising our local expertise.

• Pupil Book Studies help to evaluate curriculum structures, teaching methods, pupil participation and response through a dialogic model

Teachers employ a range of strategies both at and after the point of teaching to check the impact of their teaching on the permanence of pupils’ learning. These include: retrieval practice, vocabulary use and application, deliberate practice and rephrasing of taught content, cumulative quizzing within the learning sequence, summarising and explaining the learning question from the sequence, tests and quizzes. The assessment of pupils is formative based on pupil outcomes and questioning from each lesson. The following can be used to assess pupils’ knowledge and application of skills and techniques as well as their understanding and use of relevant vocabulary:

Expectations for each block are made explicit, e.g. At the end of this block pupils will know how to waterproof cotton fabric and which fabrics are both functional and hardwearing.
The Point of reflection section specifies the expected outcomes for each lesson.
The Questions for assessment section in each block provide specific questions to be used with pupils to elicit their level of understanding of tools, techniques and effects, e.g. How have the properties of the cotton changed? Is the cotton now more or less functional?
The Oracy and Vocabulary tasks provide ample opportunities for teachers to evaluate pupils’ ability to:
- use the language of design and technology effectively;
- explain techniques, skills and processes;
- evaluate their own and others’ work.
The vocabulary quiz provides an opportunity for teachers to assess pupils’ deeper understanding and application of the technical vocabulary covered in the module.
The exemplifications demonstrate the expected standard against which teachers can assess pupils’ work.

The best form of assessment in design and technology is at the point of delivery, while pupils are working. This helps us to understand pupils’ development as designers, rather than their ability to produce a prescribed end outcome. By encouraging pupils to articulate their thinking and reflections, we can understand which aspects of design and technology may require additional teaching and reshape teaching to support this.

We use summative assessment is ‘to provide an accurate shared meaning without becoming the model for every classroom activity’ (Christodolou, 2017). If our curriculum is effective, it will lead to improvements in summative assessments over time. Teacher assessment judgements are against an agreed assessment model (the curriculum). We make summative judgements annually. Teachers record summative judgements on OTrack.

Pupil book study is used as a method to quality assure our curriculum by talking to the children and looking in pupils’ books. We do this after content has been taught to see the extent to which pupils are knowing more, remembering more and able to do more. In preparation, we review the planned content, knowledge and vocabulary, so that conversations with pupils are meaningful and focused on what has been taught. When looking at books, we look at the content and knowledge, teaching sequence and vocabulary. We also consider pupils’ participation and consider the explanations and models used, the 7 tasks the pupils are asked to do, the ability to answer carefully selected questions and retrieve information and the impact of written feedback. We ask careful questions that probe their knowledge, understanding and skills.

The Subject Leader undertakes a range of activities to understand what the curriculum looks like across the school and how well pupils know more, remember more and can do more as a result. In addition to the above tools, they use learning walks, planning reviews and book looks. They use their findings to support teachers to improve how they implement subjects and to make recommendations about the suitability of the intent for their subject. The Subject Leader formally reports on impact of the curriculum termly to the Curriculum Leader, Principal and Governors.

Progression Overview

Children in Nursery and Reception learn early knowledge and skills surrounding health and nutrition. They explore where food comes from and healthy choices whilst growing their own vegetables in the gardening area. Through daily snack time and weekly baking sessions they learn to select and weigh ingredients, use correct utensils for purpose and prepare healthy recipes.

Careful questioning by adults encourage children to talk about what they like about their own and other children’s designs, and how they would improve it.

In Year 1 pupils investigate what needs to be in place so that a structure can remain standing on its own They use a range of materials to explore and reason about why some structures may fall. In Year 2, pupils discover that they can increase the strength and stability of paper by folding. They test and record their paper structures and design a paper tower that is at least 50 cm tall and can bear a 1 kg weight.

As part of their developing understanding of materials in Year 1, pupils identify a range of construction materials. They investigate how materials can be changed by adding heat or water. They use a combination of materials to create a small model house. In Year 2, pupils investigate materials to discover whether they absorb or resist water. They also use wax or oil crayons to create a waterproof coating for a paper hat which they have made by creasing and folding a sheet of paper.

Pupils learn how to sew pieces of fabric together to form a pouch when working with textiles in Year 1. They name the parts of a needle and learn to thread it. In Year 2, pupils create a simple patchwork by repurposing clothing to create something practical and useful. They develop their skills using a needle and thread to create small, even stitches.

Year 3 pupils learn how the shape and features of a bridge can affect how strong it is. They also identify types of bridges and the structural changes that engineers and architects make to increase the stability of structures. Pupils extend this in Year 4 to make geodesic dome structures.

When beginning to study systems, Year 3 pupils look at different types of energy and how these can be used to power different devices. They consider how design choices are influenced by energy sources. As part of their study of electrical systems, Year 4 pupils learn how different types of switches work within electrical circuits and how these can be used to perform a function in a product.

Pupils start by exploring ways to stiffen fabric in their study of textiles. They have the opportunity to cover a box with cloth and then go on to create a rigid box out of fabric. Year 4 pupils develop their use of needles, learning how to sew a button onto fabric. They identify the different functions of fastenings and reflect on the advantages or disadvantages of using certain fasteners.

Pupils extend their study of systems to investigate green power sources. Year 6 pupils learn how switches can be combined with electrical components in different ways to change the functionality of a product as part of their learning about electrical systems.

When studying textiles, pupils investigate the properties of a range of fabrics and consider insulation, waterproofing and durability. They design and make a functional and hardwearing lunch bag. Year 6 pupils learn how they can reduce waste by recycling and repurposing snack packets and plastic bags into useful items.