Newsome Junior School Curriculum Statement and Policy

Intent

At Newsome Junior School we are committed to providing all children with learning opportunities to engage in design and technology. Our planning and practice is based on the 2014 National Curriculum for Design and Technology.

Newsome Junior School believe design and technology is about designing and making products for a specific user and purpose. It involves children in learning about the world we live in and developing a wide range of knowledge and skills through designing and making. It helps children to think through problems creatively, about how to organise themselves and how to use knowledge and skills to bring about change and to shape the environment. Through design and technology children become discriminating and informed users of products and become innovators.

Newsome Junior School believe Design and Technology offers opportunities for children to:

• develop their capability to create high quality products through combining their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding;
• develop a sense of enjoyment and pride in their ability to make;
• nurture creativity and innovation through designing and making;
• Develop an interest and understanding of the ways in which people from the past and present have used design to meet their needs.

Implementation

Time allocation

Newsome Junior School Design and technology will be taught for 8-12 hours each term, depending on the project being undertaken. Each design and technology project will be taught for one afternoon per week in a six to eight week block to give greater coherence to children’s learning.

Planning

The D&T Association’s Projects on a Page scheme of work provides the framework for learning and teaching in design and technology. (See long term plan in appendix).

• One project is planned and undertaken each term.
• Colleagues should use the learning challenges in the scheme imaginatively, whilst ensuring the learning objectives remain the same in order to ensure progression.
• Children in their designing and making will apply knowledge and skills of: textiles, food, mechanisms, mechanical systems and structures. Electrical systems are taught in KS2.
• All design, make and evaluate assignments provide learning opportunities for developing creativity through designing skills such as generating, exploring, modifying ideas through drawing, and modelling with materials.

Links with other subjects and key competencies.

• We believe design and technology provides a natural opportunity for children to practice and improve basic skills such as spoken language, English and mathematics.
• In our design, make and evaluate assignments we aim to provide learning opportunities for developing key competencies such as problem-solving, teamwork, negotiation, consumer awareness and organisation.
• One learning challenge each year will focus on team or group work in Key Stage 2.
• Through evaluating the process and their final products children will be encouraged to improve their own learning and performance.
• Children develop and apply knowledge and skills from art and design, science, computing and English in design and technology. Teachers will make links wherever possible to help raise standards in both subjects and enhance children’s learning.
• The school curriculum map indicates how relevant subjects are grouped together with design and technology; specific links are made with science.
• Design and technology is used to raise children’s appreciation of fundamental British values.

Computing

• Programming and control is used in electrical systems projects in Y5 and Y6 to operate children’s products. This builds on work developed in computing.
• Paint software is used for finishing techniques and simple paper pattern making in textiles projects.
• Our computer-aided design (CAD) software is used when children are designing the net for packaging.

Extending the curriculum

• Children should develop an understanding of the design and made world through first-hand experience.
• Wherever possible children will be given opportunities to visit local museums, shops and restaurants and meet with designers, engineers, chefs, architects and students from college or secondary schools.

Organisation

All class teachers will have responsibility for planning and teaching D&T to their classes.

Inclusion

A wide range of cultural images and contexts will be used in design and technology, and we will use these opportunities to challenge stereotypes.

For all children to produce their best, we plan differentiated resources and tasks through:

• adapted worksheets;
• changing the demands of a task;
• more limited choices;
• greater teacher intervention, small group work and teaching assistant support;
• ensuring manipulative skills needed are manageable;
• Selecting appropriate tools and equipment.
• Talented or able children are challenged through more demanding tasks such as more open-ended design briefs, rigorous testing of their products, carrying out independent research, giving additional responsibilities such as leading a team.
• Newsome Junior School intend to offer a design and technology club for children who show a particular aptitude or enthusiasm for design and technology.

The learning environment

• Newsome Junior School aim to provide a learning environment where children feel secure and creative risk-taking and problem-solving is encouraged and children’s design ideas and suggestions ideas are valued.

Assessment, recording and reporting

• The design and technology subject leader at Newsome Junior School will collect selected examples of children’s work from the learning challenges in our scheme of work. The examples will be used for identifying progression and expectations.
• Children in Key Stage 2 will keep sketches, plan drawings, paper mock-ups, notes and evaluations in a process diary. These can be used for assessment purposes and for monitoring progression.
• Teachers make notes, on Target Tracker, at the end of each learning challenge on children who were significantly above or below expectations set out in the learning challenge; this will inform future planning.
• Children are encouraged to make self- assessments of their own work through evaluating activities and identifying what they need to do to improve.

Management and organisation of resources

• The design and technology subject leader, at Newsome Junior School, will order consumable resources at the end of each term for specific planned learning challenge. A request for alternative or additional resources can be made at this time.
• The consumable resources are stored in learning challenge boxes and must be used for the planned learning challenge only. These are based in the resource room and can be taken to the classroom for the duration of the project.
• Supporting materials: help sheets, worksheets and products for investigation, posters and photographs are included in the learning challenge boxes.
• Teachers are asked to check that supporting materials are complete prior to returning the learning challenge box to the resource room.
• Consumable materials such as masking tape and PVA will be given out at the beginning of the year to class teachers.
• Tools and equipment such as wire strippers, hacksaws, bench hooks, snips are kept centrally in the resource room.
• Food will be bought and used on the day it is needed.
• Utensils and equipment for food will be stored in the labelled box in the kitchen store cupboard.

Health and safety

• Risk assessments will be carried out prior to design and technology projects.
• Teachers will always teach the safe use of tools and equipment and insist on good practice.
• Children will be taught how to take steps to control risks.
• Glue guns will be used by Key Stage 2 children under close supervision, only when there is no other appropriate joining technique.

Food – hygiene and safety

• A trained teaching assistant will support with work on food. He or she will ensure all equipment is clean and in working order. Plastic aprons will be worn by adults and children when working with food. Adults and children will always follow the preparation and cleaning routine that is displayed in the food utensils box.
• Prior to food activities, children who are not permitted to taste or handle food products or ingredients will be identified.

Role of the design and technology subject leader

The subject leader will:

• inspire learning through bringing design and technology alive for our children;
• monitor and evaluate the learning and teaching of design and technology within the school;
• devise an action plan to show future developments and review progress;
• provide specialist support and guidance to colleagues on teaching projects and planning;
• purchase and organise resources and maintain equipment to make them easily accessible for colleagues;
• attend courses for CPD and report back to staff;
• explore ways to raise the profile of design and technology within school and make links with local businesses;
• Encourage parents to be involved in their children’s learning in design and technology.