Intent

At Thorpe Lea Primary school, we intend to encourage children to be creative thinkers and innovative designers for a range of purposes in today’s rapidly changing world. The children will be able to draw upon their own experiences and delve deeper into their knowledge and skills of other subjects, such as Science, Art, Maths and Computing. We aim to teach children to take risks during the iterative process of their designs in a safe environment so that they can be critical problem solvers. Through the study of past and present technology, children will learn the impact of the designs on our daily lives and how it fits in with the wider world.

Implementation

At Thorpe Lea Primary School, Design and Technology is taught throughout the year groups. Each class has a Design and Technology topic every term, where skills are learnt and built upon as the years progress. Even in our Early Years, there is constant access to a variety of materials to build and create- with Nursery even engaging in woodwork!

Our Design and Technology curriculum is planned in line with the National Curriculum, which aims to promote high standards of Design and Technology across our school (see the link below for further details.) The pupils learn a variety of skills, and get to participate in multiple projects across the years. These projects capture the children’s enthusiasm, allowing the pupils at Thorpe Lea to develop their DT skills in an enjoyable and educational way.

Early Years

In the Nursery Classroom at Thorpe Lea Primary School, Design and Technology is part of the continuous provision. Weekly cooking takes place, with basic recipes, which allow the children to have some independence when cooking. Woodwork is also a daily activity that is available for the children every afternoon. In the Reception Class, they have junk modelling available often in the classroom, and they are able to use the woodworking facilities in the Nursery Garden on a regular basis.

Impact

Design and Technology is a subject that is easily linked to other subjects. Whether its food technology, or designing and making. At Thorpe Lea, we encourage a cross curricular approach which allows for the skills that are learnt in DT to be used to support the development of other subjects. In Year 4, the children made crepes in their French lesson and in Year 3, the class designed and made ‘cars’ using recycled bottles! This wonderful cross-curricular approach ensures that DT is a subject enjoyed by the pupils, in all year groups.

Nursery

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Shaduf Photos

Roman Shields Photos

Year 5

Anglo Saxon Houses

Year 6

Woodwork - Playground Design

Papier Mache Vases

Ancient Greek Pots