The Epiphany School Design Technology Curriculum

‘Design technology is an inspiring and practical subject which combines children’s design and making skills with the knowledge and understanding to create quality products’.

Intent: What do we aspire for our children in design technology at The Epiphany School?

The Epiphany School design technology curriculum aims to inspire children to use their creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems in a variety of contexts such as school, home and the wider world. Alongside this, the curriculum equips children with the knowledge and skills to take risks and be resourceful, to create their own functional, beautiful and innovative products. The design technology curriculum is supported by other subject disciplines including maths, science, art and computing, with children drawing on their knowledge in these subjects to apply to the context of design technology. Through sharing a broad range of design technology past and present, children take inspiration and evaluate its impact on daily life and the wider world.

We have created a design technology curriculum which enables children to achieve excellence, through progressively knowing more and remembering more from EYFS to Year 6. This is achieved through increasingly challenging end points of learning. Children become proficient in the techniques involved in mechanical and electrical systems, structures, textiles and cooking. Children’s developing expertise means they build sufficient knowledge and skills that could enable them to achieve high degrees of specialism and proficiency in designing and making products.

Implementation: How do we deliver our design technology curriculum?

In our design technology curriculum, concepts are used as the big ideas within the subject discipline. These help pupils make sense of what they are being taught so that meaning can be made and connections formed; developing children’s growing schema within design technology. The disciplinary knowledge allows pupils to learn about the process of design, make, evaluate whilst taking inspiration from design. This knowledge puts into context much of the practical knowledge learnt in the design technology curriculum. Underpinning the curriculum, are our drivers of enquiry and vocabulary. Each unit of work has a sequence of smaller enquiry questions, building towards an overarching main enquiry question. This is supported by key vocabulary; identified and taught within each unit of work and built on from EYFS to Year 6.

Each unit of work will usually be based on one aspect of technical knowledge and give children the opportunity to develop all aspects of disciplinary knowledge.

Impact: How do we know our curriculum is effective?

Assessment: Assessment will take place in line with the school’s assessment policy. Identified key learning and end points of learning provide criteria by which to assess pupils, supporting teachers to ascertain what pupils know and can do. Teachers should assess pupils throughout teaching and plan subsequent teaching and learning in response to this. Assessment will take many forms including teacher observation, rich questioning, talking with pupils, marking and through pupil feedback.

High quality outcomes: Pupils should be articulate and knowledgeable about their learning. Work produced will be presented in a variety of forms such as children’s books, sketchbooks, 2D and 3D models/products, edible products etc.

Monitoring: Monitoring activities may include pupil interviews, informal discussion with staff, looking at pupils’ work, examination of planning and learning walks in order to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum in meeting the intent.

Supporting documentation

• Whole School Curriculum Overview
• Design Technology Long term overview
• Long Term Plan for design technology KS1
• Long Term Plan for design technology KS2
• Progression in design technology: disciplinary knowledge
• Progression in design technology: technical knowledge