Design Technology
At The Olive School, Bolton, our fundamental vision is to provide for pupils the opportunities to develop the creative passion and knowledge for designing and making functional products. In a world where there are many problems to solve, we recognise that the world of business, manufacturing and industry has an increasing need for skilled technicians, designers and engineers. We believe that our role is to set our pupils off on that potential career path by providing opportunities to engage in exciting and thought-provoking design and technology projects which will generate the desire to continue the subject into the future. When they leave us, we want our pupils to have mastered all aspects of the design and technology process and have the motivation to continue their journey as young designers and engineers into future learning and careers.
We believe that to cultivate such pupils, we need to create resilient, creative problem solvers and critical thinkers, because these are the skills that future businesses and industries want school leavers to have, and a knowledge-rich, inspiring design and technology curriculum is one of the ways of achieving this.
We will deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum that:
- Systematically develops an understanding of the design process – investigating, designing, making, evaluating, using technological knowledge and cooking and nutrition, as per the progression map below, arching across the whole primary age range.
- Focusses exciting sequences of learning on discrete component knowledge and applies these to a meaningful composite outcome, allowing children to develop functional, appealing products that are aimed at particular individuals or groups and are fit for purpose. The emphasis here is developing the knowledge of the various stages of the design process, rather than simply the end product.
- Ensures children progressively master the use and application of a range of tools and equipment through the years, such as construction kits, needles and thread and mechanical components.
- Facilitates creative learning that provides opportunities for the development of higher order thinking skills.
- Promotes analytical thinking, identifying the features, problems and solutions.
- Develops an understanding of how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.
Our knowledge-rich design technology curriculum is taught according to the following whole school long term plan:
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homes | Winding Up Toys | Packaging | Pavilions | Recycled Fashion | Bridges |
| Moving Pictures | Puppets | Cushions | Adapting a Recipe | Pop Up Book | Steady Hand Game |
| Fruit and Vegetables | Food: A Balanced Diet | Moving Monsters | Moving Toys | Healthy Meals | Fairgrounds |
Our curriculum plan begins with the National Curriculum programmes of study and the requirements of the Expressive Arts and Design aspect of the EYFS framework. The National Curriculum contains the strands of designing, making, evaluating, technological knowledge and cooking and nutrition, and our curriculum plan then expands upon and sequences these strands over time, in our well-sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum.
We categorise the knowledge in design and technology as being substantive knowledge, disciplinary knowledge and procedural knowledge and each of these types of knowledge are carefully developing through the years through meaningful DT experiences.
Resources
To view our Progression Map, click here
To view our Design Technology Pathway Roadmap, click here