Design & Technology
At Damers, Design and Technology (DT) is an inspiring, practical and relevant subject. The DT curriculum is divided into key areas of learning which include cooking and nutrition, resistant materials and textiles. During each academic year, every child will gain experiences in all areas of the DT curriculum
DT encourages children to use creativity and imagination to design and make products and recipes. Our children are encouraged to take risks and experiment when solving design problems.
The Design Process
In both key stages projects are developed by using a structured design process. At the beginning of a topic the children will be given a design brief. This tells them what they are expected to produce by the end of the topic. A design brief might be very simple such as ‘Design and bake a healthy flapjack’.
The Design Process is central to the development of any new product. At Damers we structure the process into 4 key sections.
Phase 1: Research
This phase allows the children to find out what products/recipes are already available and encourages the children to find out the strengths and weaknesses of these products. During this phase children will test new materials or ingredients.
Phase 2: Design
Using the knowledge they have gained during the research phase, the children design their new product. This will often include detailed annotated drawings and lists of ingredients, tools and materials.
Children are encouraged to follow their original designs very carefully. During this phase children will have the opportunity to learn new skills and develop their technical expertise.
Phase 4: Evaluate
Children are encouraged to be critical thinkers. They evaluate whether their product or recipe was successful and fulfilled the design brief. If it did – fantastic, if not the children are encouraged to think about how they would improve their product in future.
Cooking and Nutrition
As part of their work with food, pupils are taught the importance of good nutrition and healthy eating. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill and at Damers we aim to instil a love of cooking in our children. With our class gardens producing an array of seasonal vegetables, we aim to use as much home grown produce as possible.
What Skills Will My Child Learn?
Years 1 & 2
- Generate designs that are functional and appealing.
- Select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks such as cutting, joining, shaping and finishing.
- Select and use appropriate materials and components for construction, textiles and ingredients for cooking.
- Be able to evaluate existing products.
- Evaluate their own ideas and final products against the design criteria.
- Explore how structures can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable.
- Use mechanisms such as levers, sliders, wheels and axels.
- Understand the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet.
- Understand where food comes from.
Years 3 & 4
- Research products and generate designs that are functional, appealing and innovative, that are fit for purpose and aimed at a particular market.
- Model and communicate ideas through discussion, sketches, diagrams, prototypes and computer-aided design.
- Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks such as cutting, joining, shaping and finishing accurately.
- Select from and use a wider range of materials and components for construction, textiles and ingredients for cooking, according to their functional and aesthetic qualities.
- Investigate and analyse products that are already available.
- Evaluate their own ideas and final products against the design criteria and begin to think of ways to improve their work.
- Explore how more complex structures can be made stronger, stiffer and reinforced.
- Begin to use more advanced mechanisms such as gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages.
- Use simple electrical systems such as switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors.
- Apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet.
- Prepare and cook a selection of dishes using a variety of cooking techniques.
- Understand seasonality and know where and how ingredients are obtained.
Sewing is great fun, really creative and great for motor skills. At Textiles Club, children have the opportunity to further their skills and learn new techniques in textiles. We learn about fabrics, stitches and design. Check out some of our fantastic felt monsters.