Design Technology

Design and Technology Curriculum Scheme of Work: United Learning

Design and Technology Subject Leader: Mrs Casewell

Design and Technology Senior Leadership Team Link: Mrs Prinsloo

An introduction to Design and Technology at Hill View

Intent

At Hill View, Design and Technology aims to inspire children through a broad range of practical experiences to create innovative designs that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of different contexts. The iterative design process is fundamental and runs throughout our teaching sequences. This iterative process encourages children to identify real and relevant problems, critically evaluate existing products, and then take risks and innovate when designing and creating solutions to the problems. As part of the iterative process, time is built in to reflect, evaluate, and improve. Opportunities are provided for children to evaluate key events and individuals who have helped shape the world, showing the real impact of design and technology on the wider environment and helping to inspire children to become the next generation of innovators. Design and Technology is taught through coherently planned sequences of lessons, ensuring progression and coverage of the knowledge, understanding, and skills required in the National Curriculum.

Implementation

The Hill View Design and Technology curriculum is adapted from the United Learning curriculum. It is aligned to the National Curriculum 2014 and Programmes of Study for KS1 and KS2 and ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  

Our Design and Technology curriculum sets out the units that should be covered in each year. Within each year, the units have been sequenced in a chronological way, which means that substantive knowledge and skills progress from one to the next and there is a gradual understanding of ‘vertical concepts’. 

All lesson plans are based on Rosenshine principles and reflect best practice. Teachers use assessment for learning to tailor lessons around our children and help plan for subsequent sequences of lessons.  

All units include:  

• a pre-unit formative assessment  

• a knowledge organiser that outlines knowledge (including vocabulary) all children must master  
• a cycle of lessons for each subject, which carefully plans for progression and depth 
• continuous formative assessment to identify misconceptions and fill gaps in knowledge 
• opportunities to apply ideas and knowledge, for example, trips and visits from experts 

At Hill View, Design and Technology is taught for half a term (with the other half-term being Art and Design) per full term. Within each lesson, opportunities for formative assessment are provided, and teachers continually adapt their lesson delivery to address misconceptions and ensure that children are keeping up with the content. 

The Hill View design and technology curriculum is adapted from the United Learning curriculum and is aligned to the National Curriculum 2014 and Programmes of Study for KS1 and KS2 and ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Hill View Design and Technology curriculum sets out the units that are covered each year. Within each year, the units have been sequenced in a chronological way, which means substantive knowledge and skills progress from one to the next and there is gradual understanding. Skills and understanding are built into lessons following an iterative process. This allows for the revision of ideas and techniques, and ultimately helps to build a depth to our children's understanding. Through revisiting and consolidating skills, children build on prior knowledge alongside learning new skills, knowledge, and challenges. The revision and introduction of key vocabulary is built into each lesson. This vocabulary is then included in display materials and additional resources to ensure that children are allowed opportunities to repeat and revise this knowledge. Through these lessons, we intend to inspire pupils and teachers to develop a love of Design and Technology and see how it has helped shape the ever-evolving technological world we live in.

Impact

Our Design and Technology curriculum is high quality, well-sequenced, and is planned to demonstrate progression. At Hill View, we want to ensure that Design and Technology is loved by teachers and pupils across school, therefore encouraging them to want to continue building on this wealth of skills and understanding, now and in the future. Impact will be seen in the learning environment across the school and through the use of vocabulary spoken and used by all learners. Whole-school and parental engagement will be improved with design and technology-specific home learning tasks and opportunities suggested in lessons and overviews for wider learning.

If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress.  

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:  

• tracking of knowledge in Design Technology workbooks or floor books
• tracking of knowledge in post-learning quizzes 
• challenge questions for children to apply their learning in a logical, analytical, and reflective manner