Design & Technology at West Jesmond
Curiosity, Confidence, Creativity and Community
Design & Technology at West Jesmond encourages children to explore their natural curiosity about the world around them, to understand how objects, machines and systems within work, and to consider how they might be further improved. Children are equipped with the practical skills needed for a multitude of real-world purposes and the opportunities to learn, practise and recognise the relevance of these skills not only on their own merit, but to also explore how they can be combined in the design and creation of products with a real-life purpose and user. Children are also given the opportunity to analyse and evaluate existing products and the systems making those products work, whether or not they are successful or can be improved upon, and also reflect upon how their own initial ideas can be enhanced to fit a particular purpose. Children are regularly encouraged to discuss and explore how these skills are relevant and applicable across other subjects and in different career paths.
Design & Technology Opportunities, Experiences and our Community
West Jesmond Primary School is proud to be situated in an area rich with industrial and creative heritage, and we are keen that children can recognise the impact of their local area in shaping today’s world. Therefore, local links to the different strands will be explored, and pioneers in the areas of Design & Technology with roots in Newcastle and other areas of the North East will be appreciated and recognised when appropriate. As a school, we have both a regional community and a parent body abundant with a diverse range of skills, experiences and careers; it is only right that these should be utilised and explored in order for the children to see how important, relevant and useful the skills learnt in Design & Technology at West Jesmond Primary School can continue to be impactful in their future life.
The key skills, or milestones, as set out by the Design & Technology National Curriculum, are separated into three strands for each year group alongside a set of core skills, to be revisited and regularly practiced and refined throughout a child’s West Jesmond journey. Over the course of a year, the children are challenged with a combination of focused tasks designed around the development of these individual skills and, where relevant and appropriate, can apply and combine these by working towards a finished product and exploring the different designing, making and evaluating elements of the Engineering/Design model.
A child’s learning is assessed in terms of how competently and effectively they are able to demonstrate the skills when given practical opportunities. The child will use the school’s traffic light system to reflect upon their own ability with these skills and teachers will assess throughout the unit, both resulting in a summative appraisal against the success criteria, formed as ‘I can’ statements, and evaluations on an age-appropriate basis. Evidence of a child’s development in terms of these skills can be detailed via Seesaw or within their Design & Technology book.
Focused tasks, and the tools and equipment needed to successfully achieve within them, are scaffolded and adapted to ensure all children are able to make the most of these opportunities and practise the skills in question. CPD and planning support is made accessible to staff to ensure they feel confident in teaching the subject and are able to direct the enthusiasm shown by our children about Design & Technology into successful outcomes and achievements.