Design and Technology principal aim

Our principal aim of DT education is to teach children how to use media and materials for a purpose, encouraging innovation, creativity, risk takers and resourcefulness. They will design and make products that solve real and relevant problems.

Design and Technology Curriculum Intent 

“Children are naturally creative. It is our job to give them the freedom, materials and space to let their creativity blossom to its full potential” ― Jean Van’t Hul 

Our overarching curriculum intent for children from OLSP in Design and Technology is to learn to use media and materials for a purpose. The children will have the opportunity to be innovative, creative, risk takers and resourceful. They will design and make products that solve real and relevant problems. They will be drawing on the knowledge they have acquired in other subjects such as, mathematics, science, computing, art to improve a product or to develop a technique.

The high-quality Design and Technology education provided for the children at OLSP allows them to work with a range of textiles, tools and equipment. It develops life skills such as learning to sew or cooking and helps the children to understand and carry out the process of planning, making and evaluating for a particular audience or purpose.  

Through a relevant, inspiring and progressive curriculum, Children at OLSP will: 

• Apply the skills and knowledge they have been taught to solve problems. 

• Have a clear understanding of how we can reduce, reuse and recycle. 

• Develop their oracy skills. Discussions are valuable to all learners as it encourages the sharing of thoughts and reasoning. 

• Use the correct terminology and understand and use the design and technology vocabulary accurately. 

Our teaching of DT will engage and interest our pupils by posing problems that are grounded in real life situations.

Design and Technology Curriculum Implementation 

At OLSP, our DT curriculum follows the National Curriculum and provides children with an array of enriching opportunities.

D&T is often taught through a cross-curricular approach linking topic work and themes in each Year group as much as possible. Where possible the children explore different techniques and methods, try them out and then have the opportunity to explore adjustments or say how they would improve their designs. 

In D&T children will be asked to solve problems. This allows the children to have ownership over their curriculum and ultimately lead their own learning. At times they may be asked to take part in collaborative learning where children may be asked to work as part of a team to work on a product. The children learn to support and help one another towards a challenging, yet rewarding goal. 

As the children progress up the school they will have an increasing awareness of the health and safety aspects of D&T and be able to apply these within school and their own lives.