Design and Technology

Subject Leader - Mrs S Boylan 

Design and Technology Intent Statement 

At St. Pius X we believe that children should be given opportunities to develop their confidence through risk taking, thinking creatively and using their initiative. Lessons are exciting, ambitious and give children the chance to solve real life problems in a number of contexts. Children are inspired to become engineers, designers, chefs and architects. We believe that our children will leave St. Pius X as resilient, competent, and thoughtful learners having gained the knowledge, skills and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

At St. Pius X our faith underpins everything that we do and we have a curriculum that is centred around our core Gospel Values. Design and Technology provides children with a means to express themselves and their own talents.   We want to develop the children’s love of design and technology by showing them how they can be of service and make an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

Our Design and Technology Curriculum aims to be ambitious, for future learning and employment. Lessons are coherently planned, well sequenced, excite, motivate and stretch all students. We use the Design and Technology association https://www.data.org.uk/ and Oak National Academy https://classroom.thenational.academy/ as tools to help us deliver objectives. At St. Pius X children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum to give them the essential tools to succeed in both their personal and professional lives.  Our curriculum provides both a clear progression of both knowledge and skills, and a framework that can be adapted to meet the needs of all our children.

"Those who love use their imagination to discover solutions where others see only problems. Those who love help others according to their needs and with creativity, not according to preconceived ideas or common conceptions." Pope Francis 

Long Term Plan

At St. Pius X, we deliver Design and Technology following the National Curriculum (Years 1-6). Our Early Years Curriculum is guided by the EYFS Statutory Framework and supported by Development Matters.

Key Questions and Concepts 

Progression of knowledge and skills in Design and Technology 

Pupil Voice 

Vocabulary EYFS-Y6

Assessment

Assessment in Design and Technology is both formative and summative, ensuring that teachers have a clear understanding of pupils' knowledge, skills and progression throughout each unit. Formative assessment takes place during lessons through teacher observation, questioning, discussions and evaluation of pupils' practical work. Teachers use targeted questioning to check understanding, address misconceptions and deepen pupils' thinking. Knowledge organisers are used to support learning and assessment by helping pupils recall and apply key vocabulary, technical knowledge and concepts from each unit.

At the end of one Design and Technology unit each term, teachers assess pupils' attainment against assessment statements linked to the National Curriculum objectives. Outcomes are recorded on Insight, enabling teachers to monitor progress and identify any areas where further support may be needed. This information is then passed on to the next class teacher to ensure continuity of learning and to help identify any gaps in knowledge or skills across units.

Where appropriate, teachers also use Socrative as an assessment tool to check pupils' understanding of key knowledge and vocabulary. The immediate feedback provided through Socrative allows teachers to adapt teaching, revisit concepts and ensure pupils are secure in their learning before moving on. Together, these assessment approaches support high-quality teaching and learning and ensure that pupils make sustained progress throughout the Design and Technology curriculum.