St Nicolas' Church of England Infant School
Living life in all its fullness
Design Technology
Intent - Our vision
At St Nics', we want our children to:
- Be equipped with the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in designing and making in an increasingly technological world.
- Use their imagination and be creative when designing and making products that solve real and relevant problems.
- Have the confidence to take risks, through challenges, problem solving and open ended tasks.
- Be able to work collaboratively as teams, becoming resourceful, reflective scientists.
- Understand the links with Information Technology, maths, spatial awareness and science.
Implementation - How we deliver this to achieve our goal
- Our delivery of the curriculum is cross curricular, linking to other areas of learning.
- We plan for purposeful projects linked to topics and events
- We promote awe and wonder opportunities which involve problem solving and investigating the properties of natural objects and materials.
- We offer opportunities for children to explore concepts for themselves through continuous provision approach
- We encourage children to share opinions and responses to designs and to ask their own questions (Wondering Walls), and to seek answers (using the research skills they have been taught).
- We make the most of opportunities to apply our learning outside, through outdoor designs in EYFS, and projects in the Garden and Grotto and Forest School.
- Pause Days include Christmas and Easter traditions, celebrations and always incorporate elements of art and design and technology
- We have a dedicated display area in Learning Lab to show case finished products and the Plan, Do, Review cycle.
- ELSA activities often use cooking and craft activities to explore and express emotions, as well as a mindful activity.
- We run Weekly Well Being Booster DT sessions for KS1 children
Impact - How we know our vision has come to fruition
Our children are ready for the next stage of their educational journey through:
- Having a love of creativity and a desire to solve problems.
- Valuing D&T as a mindful wellbeing activity, understanding how it can make them feel a sense of achievement, satisfaction and pride.
- Displaying an interest in the subject, and becoming enthusiastic, self-led, motivated learners.
- Being able to make links and reason.
- Being able to apply skills and knowledge to new situations
- Transferring their knowledge of the world and reflecting on how this could impact on the future (higher order thinking skills)
- Having an understanding of art and how to use different tools and media.
- Having an ability to work through a process of events with stamina and method towards a goal.
- Applying their values of perseverance, hope, wisdom, unity, fairness in DT.
