Design Technology Subject Leader - Miss Walsh
Why I am passionate about Design Technology ...
Hello, I am Miss Walsh and I am the subject leader for Design Technology. Throughout my life, I have always loved being creative and building new things. One aspect of Design Technology that I particularly loved as a child was modelling clay. I remember I had designed and created a clay pot, in the shape of a football, for my Dad's cufflinks as his father's day present. He still has to it to this day- but I'm not sure he still stores his cufflinks there! Design Technology enables our children to really get stuck in and have a go, I love seeing how creative and amazing our children are at St James'.
'Design and technology gives young people the skills and abilities to engage positively with the designed and made world and to harness the benefits of technology. They learn how products and systems are designed and manufactured, how to be innovative and to make creative use of a variety of resources including digital technologies, to improve the world around them'
James Dyson
Curriculum Intent
It is our intent for DT to offer children the chance to use creative thinking and design within a defined purpose and tangible outcome. Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils are taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in a process of designing and making. They work in a range of contexts through our topic based approach which allows for cross curricular links to be made.
Through the study of DT, pupils acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.
Curriculum Implementation
To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in design and technology, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Design and technology is taught as part of a termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. At St James', we ensure that design and technology is given the same importance as the core subjects, as we feel this is important in enabling all children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences.
The design and technology curriculum at St James' is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills taught in each Key Stage.
At St James', we provide a variety of opportunities for design and technology learning to take place inside and outside the classroom. We have had a chef come into school to deliver a cooking master class with the children, a tapestry artist that has worked with the children to create our beautiful mural when you walk through our foyer as well as working with the local community.
Curriculum Impact
Within design and technology, we strive to prepare children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. We aim to encourage children to become creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. Through the study of design and technology, children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as of functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impact. Our design and technology curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills and discreet vocabulary progression also form part of the units of work.
We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught.
Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
Images and videos of the children’s practical learning.
Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
Learning Walks where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.
