Design and Technology at Brook
Our Vision for Design and Technology:
- For all our pupils to experience and learn a range of techniques for designing and making across the aspects of D&T: Food, Textiles, Mechanisms, Electrics, Structures and Programming. – Creativity
- For all our pupils to ‘think like an engineer,’ enjoy their D&T learning and continue this enjoyment through to secondary school and beyond.
- To prepare our pupils to meet the needs of the 21st century; to stimulate originality, enterprise, practical capability in designing and making and the adaptability needed to cope with a rapidly changing society – Care and Courage
Our Curriculum
Our curriculum has been mapped out over the course of a 2-year cycle, ensuring a progression of skills and knowledge with no gaps nor unnecessary repetition. The coverage includes all necessary learning from the Primary National Curriculum 2014 but goes beyond this, providing further depth and coverage and exploring aspects with greater meaning for the pupils at Brook.
Every year, the children learn a range of D&T aspects. In KS1, the focus is on mechanisms, structures, textiles and food. In KS2, electrics and programming are taught in addition to the other aspects. We use up-to-date technology within the aspects of programming (Micro:bit and CAD/CAM), linking this to our Computing curriculum. Throughout the curriculum, sustainability is drawn upon, using the UN sustainability goals as a focus.
Our curriculum encourages the development of key engineering skills. The concepts chosen, enable pupils to ‘think like an engineer,’ using the core idea that engineers make ‘things’ that work or make ‘things’ work better.
Our curriculum also brings in the work of key individuals in the field, linking this to the Art curriculum. Architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Leonardo Da Vinci are within the Art Curriculum, as are the designers; Vivienne Westwood, Orla Keily, Edid Marx and William Morris. Within the D&T curriculum, key individuals in food are learnt about (Nadia Hussain and Jamie Oliver) as well as engineers such as Thomas Farnolls Pritchard (Iron Bridge) and Ralph Modjeski (Suspension Bridges).
To view our ‘Principles of teaching Design and Technology,’ click here.