Design and Technology
The Lime Design and Technology Curriculum promotes creativity and imagination to facilitate the design and making of products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. As a Trust, Kapow is used to deliver Design and Technology lessons of the highest quality, providing step by step instructional videos to support the delivery and enhance the skills of the learners. The Design and Technology curriculum enables learners to acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. The risk-taking element of the subject provides learners with opportunities to take risks, whilst becoming resourceful and innovative.
The Design and technology national curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical, and technical understanding required for each strand. Cooking and nutrition has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality. The National curriculum organises the Design and technology attainment targets under five subheadings or strands:
- Design
- Make
- Evaluate
- Technical knowledge
- Cooking and nutrition
Kapow Primary's topics are based on the D&T Association's Projects on a Page themes, with pupils' skills and knowledge being developed across key areas. Through Kapow Primary’s Design and technology scheme, pupils respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in six key areas:
- Mechanisms
- Structures
- Textiles
- Cooking and nutrition (Food)
- Electrical systems (KS2) and
- Digital world (KS2)
Design and Technology in the Lime Trust EYFS curriculum inspires inventiveness and creativity. Allowing learners to explore and learn through play and curiosity, Design and Technology in the Early years enables learners to do, make and create whilst being taught skills that facilitate children to see their inventions come to life and work well. Understanding is built about building for a purpose and progresses to changing and modifying ideas. Wide varieties of resources are explored, and practice allows learners to understand possibilities and limitations of different materials with first-hand experience of being an inventor.
In Key stage 1, children develop their knowledge and skills building on their experiences in EYFS, learning the importance of a clear design criteria. Children learn how to make stable structures using a range of materials and progress to making structures based on a design criteria.
In Lower Key stage 2, children continue to build on the skills previously taught. They develop skills in measuring, marking, cutting and assembling with an increased focus on accuracy. Children pay careful attention to the appropriateness of materials and equipment being used and evaluate completed products.
In Upper Key Stage 2, children develop the complexity of the skills taught previously by considering materials and their functional properties. Children gain an understanding of design briefs and develop design criteria, considering the client’s request. Children reflect continually on their work throughout the design, make and evaluate process.
The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Design and technology scheme of work is that children will:
- Understand the functional and aesthetic properties of a range of materials and resources.
- Understand how to use and combine tools to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating, and manufacturing products.
- Build and apply a repertoire of skills, knowledge and understanding to produce high quality, innovative outcomes, including models, prototypes, CAD, and products to fulfil the needs of users, clients, and scenarios.
- Understand and apply the principles of healthy eating, diets, and recipes, including key processes, food groups and cooking equipment.
- Have an appreciation for key individuals, inventions, and events in history and of today that impact our world.
- Recognise where our decisions can impact the wider world in terms of community, social and environmental issues.
- Self-evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve.
- Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Design and technology.
Retrieval is a vital component of the curriculum sequencing. Prior learning is drawn upon, wherever the content is taught.
The Lime Design and Technology Curriculum, enhanced by Kapow, ensures specific and associated subject vocabulary is planned sequentially and cumulatively from Year 1 to 6. High frequency, multiple meaning words (Tier 2) are explicitly taught alongside and help make sense of subject specific words (Tier 3).
The learning modules for each year group are enhanced and supported by detailed Knowledge Organisers. Quizzes for each module, along with Knowledge Catchers, provide vital opportunities for retrieval and assessment.