Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works.

                                   Steve Jobs

 Why is Design & Technology important at Mission Grove?

Design Technology prepares children to deal with tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. We encourage children to become independent, creative problem-solvers and thinkers as individuals and as part of a team - making positive changes to their quality of life. The Design & Technology lessons at Mission Grove enables children to identify needs and opportunities and to respond to them by developing a range of ideas and by making products and systems. 

How do Design & Technology lessons help our children?

Here at Mission Grove our Design & Technology lessons provides our children with the chance to use their critical thinking and creativity within a defined purpose and tangible outcome. Through a variety of creative and practical activities, children are taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in a process of designing, making and evaluating. They work in a range of contexts through our topic based approach which allows for cross curricular links to be made.

We also ensure that the teaching of Design and Technology at Mission Grove supports the social development of our children through the way we expect them to learn with each other. Through Design & Technology children are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers.

Is Design & Technology a stand alone subject?

We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other subjects areas such as Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Computing and Art, thereby enabling children to make connections and patterns in their learning.

In design projects, children are encouraged to design for themselves, using research and sketches, make using tools and materials, evaluate their product and build upon their technical knowledge. Furthermore, as part of their work with food, pupils explore how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy diet.

High-quality Design and Technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation. This is why Design & Technology as a vital subject here at Mission Grove.

Intent, Implementation, Impact

Intent

At Mission Grove, we place great importance on a curriculum which helps our children become well-rounded individuals with the confidence to do their best. They leave us with the skills to succeed and flourish in life. In Design & Technology, we intend to teach children the knowledge and skills to aid them in designing and making products that solve real and relevant problems. We firmly believe that everyone is entitled to an ambitious curriculum and our curriculum design is accessible for all, including children with SEND and disadvantaged backgrounds.

          

 

Implementation

Implementation describes the way in which we deliver our intent consistently each day. To do this, we have carefully designed our Design and Technology curriculum based on compulsory National Curriculum objectives, enhanced by the ‘Projects on a Page’ scheme of work. This is designed to enable learners to acquire relevant subject knowledge which underpins the application of key skills in Design and Technology. Knowledge and skills are carefully and progressively mapped across each year group.

 

Impact

All pupils leave Mission Grove Primary School with a secure understanding of the Design and Technology curriculum; how to make positive contributions to the local and global community, using design and technology skills to problem-solve. They acquire and apply key knowledge in the following areas:

Design

Make

Technical knowledge

Cooking and nutrition

Evaluation

High attainment in these areas ensures they are ‘Secondary Ready’ and have a foundation to build on and succeed in life.

   

 

 

 

Technology makes possibilities.            Design makes solutions.                                                          John Maeda

Useful Websites to explore at home:

 

https://www.eathappyproject.com/at-home/

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.

 

http://www.jamieshomecookingskills.com/skills.php

 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.

 

http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/subjects/dt

The Teaching ideas website provides many ideas for various design projects that you can complete with your child at home.

 

https://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/engineering-at-home

Weekly STEM challenges to keep you creating from the comfort of your own home. Try your hand at a range of different projects, with new challenges announced every Wednesday.

 

https://www.theschoolrun.com/best-design-and-technology-home-schooling-resources

Find great Design & Technology STEM projects to do at home on this website!