Design and Technology
Intent
At Kings Oak Primary School we aim to provide all children with a diverse and balanced curriculum which prepares them for life beyond primary education. We have a carefully planned curriculum in DT which covers the full breadth of the National Curriculum. Learning is progressive and links are made to support children knowing and remembering more: this helps to prepare them for the next stage of their learning and education. Our broad DT curriculum offers pupils the chance to strive for excellence in their practical abilities. We encourage children to design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and others based on a set design criteria. Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Due to the fact It can be found in the making of many of the objects children use each day, Kings Oak encourages students to develop an appreciation of the process of designing, making and evaluating their own products. Design and Technology encourages children to work both independently and together as a team and in order to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems.
At Kings Oak the D.T. curriculum combines skills, knowledge and concepts through mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art to enable children to tackle real world problems. Children will develop a critical understanding of the impact of D.T. on daily life and the wider world, therefore helping them to value their own global citizenship. Through a variety of innovative and practical activities, children can develop their creative, technical and practical expertise that are needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and successfully. The children are encouraged to take risks and create ambitious projects, therefore becoming resourceful, enterprising, imaginative and capable citizens.
Cooking and Nutrition
Through the use of our state of the art cooking facilities children are able to experiment with cooking while also developing and understanding the principles of nutrition and how to implement them into their daily lives. As part of their work with food, pupils will be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.
Kings Oak believes that high-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.
Implementation
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, KOP teaches the knowledge, understanding and skills needed for students to engage in a recurring process of designing, making and evaluating. The children work in a range of relevant contexts (for example home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment).
As per the national curriculum, when creating a product, KOP pupils are taught to:
Design
• use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
• generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
Make
• select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks (for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing) accurately
• select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities
Evaluate
• investigate and analyse a range of existing products
• evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
• understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world
Technical knowledge
• apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
• understand and use mechanical systems in their products
• understand and use electrical systems in their products
• apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products
