Our aims in teaching Design Technology at Lady Margaret Primary School are to
- To develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
- build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
- critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
- understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
How Design Technology is taught at Lady Margaret Primary School
At LMPS, Design and Technology is taught distinctly separate from Art and Design. Although projects undertaken in Design and Technology link to the core text or foundation subjects, this is not at the expense of key Design and Technology skills.
Our Design and Technology learning aims to inspire pupils to explore and understand how to generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas. The kinaesthetic manner of Design and Technology is crucial in developing children’s abilities to select appropriate resources and immediately use these for practical tasks, thus cementing an understanding of purpose for the children. Throughout their time at LMPS, pupils develop their capacity to use a range of construction materials (including textiles and resistant materials). We also link this learning to our curriculum theme of sustainability and incorporate the Edible Playground into as much learning as possible to enhance the children’s experience.
As the children progress through KS2, they are increasingly able to utilise the skills that they have learnt – such as using a range of tools and understanding different ways to join materials. Through guidance and support, pupils will develop a deeper understanding of the multi-step approach that forms a crucial part of Design and Technology, thus preparing them effectively for KS3.
By the end of year 6, we want pupils to:
- Understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
- Prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes – using a range of cooking techniques
- Understand seasonality, through knowing where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
- To apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce structures that are more complex.
- Understand and use mechanical systems in their products
- Develop their understanding of how to use electrical systems in their products, for example, when making a theatre with in-built circuitry in Year 6.
- Develop their skills of evaluations through critically analysing their own products and sharing what they will change in future.
How to support your child at home with Design Technology
Please find below the links to some websites you may find useful when thinking about DT at home with your child. If you have any suggestions of websites you have found useful, please do let us know.
Eat Happy is the initiative linked to Tesco and ‘Farm to Fork’. On this page there are many useful recipes and activities associated with food preparation. The activities are fun to do and help children to become motivated in finding out where their food comes from.
Nadia Hussain and Jamie Oliver’s home cooking skills page provides you with a large number of videos to demonstrate a variety of food preparation skills. They are quick to watch and very informative.
There are lots of workshops and exhibitions you can visit at the design museum