Design and Technology

PROBLEM-SOLVING

FUNCTIONALITY INNOVATION

DT - Design Technology Rationale

Aims

Our school aims to ensure that all pupils:

develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform 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;

What We Do:

At Chalford Hill School, children receive an inspiring, structured and practical design and technology curriculum that is purposeful, relevant and inspiring.

Beginning with research, children are encouraged to use their creativity, imagination and technical skills to solve real-life problems and to investigate historic inventions/structures.

Children acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art.

Work is structured using a ‘design, make, evaluate, assess’ approach, where children are encouraged to be innovative and inventive thinkers who can apply their skills, knowledge and understanding to create a finished product that meets a design brief. Children understand that evaluation/critique is vital at every stage and are encouraged to reflect upon and improve their work in response to their own assessment as well as input from teachers and peers.

Within the key themes of our DT curriculum, (health & safety, product design, graphics, textiles and food technology) children gain experience of:

electrical and mechanical systems;
structures and materials – with an emphasis on using natural/sustainable materials;
textiles;
programme, control and monitor;
food and nutrition.