Design & Technology at Westgate

At Westgate, we value Design Technology as an inspiring and practical subject. We encourage children to use their creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Our Design Technology curriculum combines substantive and disciplinary knowledge, concepts and values to enable children to tackle real problems. We encourage our children to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens.

Through using our locality; discussing and enquiring about global developments in technology; tasting and cooking different foods and using a range of building tools, our pupils will be able to develop their understanding of the impact of design and technology in local and global environments. 

Organisation

In the Early Years Foundation Stage we provide opportunities for children to:

• Experiment and build with a range of construction resources, find out about the properties and functions of different construction materials.
• Talk about their ideas, choose resources, tools and techniques with a purpose in mind
• Make models and props using different construction materials e.g. construction kits, reclaimed materials. Experiment with different ways to build, construct and join resources. Make props to use in their play/role play/when acting out stories/ taking on story characters.
• Talk about what they like and dislike about their models/ constructions/props say why and how they would change them
• Use equipment and tools to build, construct and make simple models and props; use tools and equipment linked to food preparation.
• Handle and use equipment appropriately and safely.

In line with the National Curriculum programme of study and our Westgate Curriculum children in both Key Stages will meet the requirements through the teaching and learning skills of;

Through these, children will learn a range of key learning skills demonstrating a progression of skills in Design and Technology:

• Developing, planning and communicating ideas.
• Working with tools, equipment, materials and components to make quality products (including food). 
• Evaluating processes and products.

All design, make and evaluate assignments provide learning opportunities for developing creativity through designing skills such as generating, exploring, modifying ideas through drawing, modelling with materials and problem solving.

All projects should include the three types of activity:

1. Investigative and Evaluative Activities (IEAs) where children learn from a range of existing products and find out about D&T in the wider world;

2. Focused tasks (FTs) where they are taught specific technical knowledge, designing skills and making skills;

3. Design, make and evaluate Assignments (DMEA) where children create functional products with users and purposes in mind.