DT Intent

At St. Mary of Charity Primary School our DT curriculum provides children with an opportunity to be an inventor and creator and is interwoven with other areas of the curriculum/topics.  Children are exposed to historical figures, careers, art, technology that have impacted the world we live in today and in the past.  They undertake project-based learning that follows a cyclical process of: brief, research, design, make, testing and evaluating. Children have the opportunity to become entrepreneurs and to make mistakes that they learn from and improve upon.   

DT Implementation

1. Curriculum Design and Sequencing

At St Mary of Charity Primary School, our Design Technology curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced to ensure progression, depth, and coverage of skills and knowledge across all year groups. We have identified clear learning objectives for each unit of work, which are aligned with the National Curriculum. The progression of skills is mapped out, guaranteeing that students build upon prior knowledge and develop new skills at an appropriate pace. We use knowledge organisers to share the key knowledge and vocabulary with children and parents/carers. 

Each of our DT units consists of the following elements…

2. Quality Teaching and Learning

We provide high-quality teaching and learning experiences through a combination of teacher-led instruction, collaborative activities, and practical hands-on experiences. Our teachers are skilled in delivering engaging lessons that promote curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. They use a variety of teaching strategies and resources, including digital technologies and real-world examples, to engage students and make learning relevant and meaningful.

3. Assessment and Feedback

We utilise ongoing formative and summative assessment strategies to evaluate students' progress and inform future planning. Assessment in Design Technology takes place through teacher observations, questioning, peer-assessment, self-assessment, and the evaluation of completed projects. Feedback is provided to students to support their understanding of strengths and areas for improvement, enabling them to make progress and set targets for further development.

4. Cross-Curricular Links

We actively seek opportunities to integrate Design Technology with other subjects in the curriculum, promoting cross-curricular learning. This approach enables students to apply their Design Technology skills and knowledge in real-life contexts, such as linking with mathematics for accurate measurements, science for understanding materials, and literacy for effective communication of design ideas.

DT Impact

The Design and Technology curriculum at St Mary of Charity leads to effective progress across each year group throughout the year, with leaders easily able to ensure coverage against the progressive long-term plan. The impact is monitored through the subject leader’s teacher assessment; weekly subject specific retrieval; lesson observations; monitoring of written work; pupil voice meetings and across school moderation of judgements. The overall impact on the children is that they can develop a range of skills across the key stages in each area of DT curriculum: structures, mechanisms, electrical systems and food. They will be able to research and draw conclusions from a range of existing products; develop technical knowledge and understanding of the way in which a product functions; plan and develop individual ideas in order to create a new product; and evaluate their final product against the design criteria. As children progress through school they will show the ability to take risks, express themselves and experiment with skills and techniques; drawing on what they have learnt in previous years.