At Portfields Primary School, we believe that Design and Technology helps to prepare children for the developing world and encourages them to become curious and 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. Design and Technology helps all children to become discerning and informed consumers and potential innovators. It provides children with a greater awareness and understanding of how everyday products are designed and made.
 
Our Design and Technology teaching and learning develops imaginative thinking in children and enables them to talk about what they like and dislike when designing and making. Children will talk about how things work, draw and model their ideas and select appropriate tools and
techniques for making a product, whilst following safe procedures. Through Design and Technology, we encourage children to foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making. Children will use ICT software to assist their designing and learning.
 
Children are encouraged to think and work independently and collaboratively to evaluate, extend and improve their ideas.
 
Throughout the school, we plan Design and Technology activities so that they build upon their prior learning. We give children of all abilities the opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding while ensuring progressive challenge, breadth and depth to their design and making.  Our Design and Technology focuses on cooking and nutrition, digital technology, materials, and construction including mechanics.
 
Children are given the opportunity to work within four main areas of development:

• Investigative tasks including analysing existing products;
• Focused practical tasks allowing children to learn, practice and develop key skills;
• Design and make final pieces allowing children to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding when developing their ideas and creations;
• Evaluate final pieces in a variety of ways.

At Portfields Primary School, we intend to build a Design and Technology curriculum which develops the learning of skills and knowledge. As a school, we intend to teach a Design and Technology curriculum that embeds the appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding set out by the National Curriculum. Within this, the school will ensure the curriculum is balanced and promotes spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, giving them
the skills and confidence to tackle problems in future experiences later on in life.

A Portfields child will:

• Show enjoyment and confidence in Design and Technology that they will then apply to other
• Areas of the curriculum.
• Learn, remember and understand more about Design and Technology, demonstrating this
• Knowledge when using tools or skills in other areas of the curriculum.
• Design a product based on evaluating existing products.
• As designers, children will develop skills and attributes they can use beyond school and into adulthood.

 
Implementation:

• At Portfields, each year group has an opportunity to take ownership and responsibility for cultivating and growing flowers and crops which can then be used in curriculum projects.
• Curriculum books will show children’s design tasks, use skills from across the curriculum to fully explore the design process, evaluate work and self-evaluate. Teachers will ensure work is assessed against the curriculum objectives.
• The Design and Technology National Curriculum is planned for and covered in full within the EYFS, KS1 and KS2 school curriculum. Whilst the EYFS and National Curriculum forms the foundation of our curriculum, we make sure that children learn additional skills, knowledge and understanding and enhance our curriculum as and when necessary.
• At Portfields, we will ensure the delivery of Design and Technology projects with a clear structure. Children will undertake construction, mechanics (including electrical circuits), textiles, digital and food technology topics. Each project will follow the research, design, make and evaluate process.
• As designers, children will learn a range of skills that ensures that the children are aware of health and safety issues related to the tasks undertaken. These cross-curricular links will help develop children’s opportunities to learn life skills and apply skills to ‘hands on’ situations in a purposeful context. These will include solving problems, independent learning and collaborative learning. Children may well be asked to work as part of a team, learning to support and help one another towards a challenging, yet rewarding goal.