The National Curriculum requirement for Key stage 1 pupils regarding Design and Technology: Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils will be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment].
When designing and making, pupils are taught to:
Design
design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology
Make
select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing]
select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics
Evaluate
explore and evaluate a range of existing products
evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria
Technical knowledge
build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles], in their products.
Cooking and nutrition
As part of their work with food, pupils should 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.
Pupils should be taught to:
use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
understand where food comes from.
At Maple Infants’ school, Design and Technology is a practical subject which aims to use and enhance pupil’s creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills to design and make products with a purpose. By investigating a range of materials and products the pupils are able to make an informed decision on what they will use and how they will create their product. Pupils will build on successes, and evaluate past experiences in order to develop an understanding of tools and materials which can be used innovatively in future projects.
As well as designing, creating and evaluating products using a variety of construction tools and materials, having the opportunity to gain experience using ingredients in order to create food products is part of the Design and Technology curriculum. Pupils have the opportunity to use our ‘community kitchen’ while they cook or bake various dishes.
Design and Technology skills are taught across both Year 1 and 2 being spread appropriately across the two year groups in such a way that allows the children to experiment with different materials and build upon their skills to ensure national curriculum expectations are met.