Design Technology Curriculum at Geoffrey Field Junior School
The aim of our Design Technology curriculum
At Geoffrey Field Junior School, we understand the importance of design and technology in the world around us. We want to give our children a range of opportunities to explore and develop their skills in the process of investigating, designing, making and evaluating. We believe that DT stimulates creativity and imagination through problem solving and the production of quality products, which we want our children to be proud of. We want to provide children with practical life skills they can take beyond the classroom by providing a range of opportunities within our DT curriculum and, in order to make learning meaningful, most of our DT units are linked to other areas of the curriculum. We also believe it is important for our children to have an understanding of how key events and designers have shaped the things we use and have today.
Our DT curriculum aims to ensure that our children:
Our Design Technology curriculum
We want children to be confident and innovative in both their ideas and designs. Children will have opportunities to design purposeful products aimed at a particular group of people or individuals. They will have opportunities to develop their ideas through researching existing products, planning their products and evaluating their designs. Children will be taught to use a range of tools safely and explain why they have chosen a particular tool, method or material to make their product. As part of their evaluations, we want children to be able to suggest improvements and adapt their designs.
How is the curriculum organised?
Our DT curriculum is organised into units of work. Each year group will have 3 units of work over the year. These units cover the key areas of the DT national curriculum for KS2:
Built into these units will be a study of designers, architects and chefs that link to particular units.
Our DT Units of Work
Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 | |
Mechanisms | Pneumatics | Electrical | Cams and Gears | IT controlled |
Construction | Tall towers | Cantilevers | ||
Textiles | Textile containers | Clothing | ||
Food | Nutritionally balanced dish |
Where food is grown World food |
Seasonal food Properties of foods Two course meal |
Growing, rearing and food production Meeting dietary needs Working to a budget Lunch and dinner |
Designers and Architects | Tall buildings + architects |
Textile designers World cuisine chefs |
Cantilever bridges + engineers Cantilever buildings + architects Cantilever furniture + designers |
Fashion designers Milliners |
Each unit of work is split into 5 strands which helps pupils understand the processes of designing and making:
There is a progression of the 5 strands from Y3 to Y6 so that, as children move through the school, they build on previous knowledge and skills and are given more demanding tasks.
Localised Curriculum
At Geoffrey Field, our localised curriculum is woven into our DT curriculum, to ensure we focus on areas of importance and barriers for our pupils.
Geoffrey Field Junior School
Exbourne Rd
Reading
Berkshire
RG2 8RH
Tel: 0118 937 5475
Email : admin@geoffreyfield-jun.reading.sch.uk