Design and Technology

At John Clifford School, we believe that exciting and practical Design and Technology lessons will prepare children to take part in the the development of our rapidly changing world.

Our Design and Technology curriculum provides the children with opportunities to become creative and resilient problem-solvers who can work equally well independently and in teams. From the very beginning of Foundation Stage through to Year 6, they develop their skills, vocabulary and interest in construction, textiles and food preparation and are always encouraged to evaluate and improve their designs.

We recognise that, within our context, we teach many children who start with great potential but limited experience and knowledge of the world, including vocabulary and motor skills. Through practical and exciting cross-curricular projects, we engage children of all abilities with creative problem-solving that will be essential in today’s world and future life. Throughout school, children learn and develop new skills, both practical and evaluative, which they can apply to find solutions to design problems when they leave for secondary school and beyond.

 

The Curriculum

The Curriculum is split into 4 areas of learning:

• Design
• Make
• Evaluate
• Technical Knowledge

The Skills Taught

• Working individually and in a team.
• Design, analysis and evaluation.
• Manual, fine motor skills.
• Ability to adapt to challenges and resilience to overcome them.

Support

• All projects have cross curricular links to current topics so that they are in context for children.
• Differentiated tasks with appropriate support and challenge.
• Construction kits and materials.
• Outdoor Learning opportunities support and reinforce key skills.