DT

  

At St Christophers Junior School, Design and Technology is a practical subject providing fantastic opportunities for all children to design and make good quality, imaginative products.

We develop designing and making skills, knowledge and understanding to the best of each child’s ability, safely using a range of tools, materials and components. Children will have the opportunity to become autonomous and creative problem solvers, as individuals and members of a team.

In Year 3 the subject is class based and children complete three projects per year under the supervision of their class teacher.  In Years 4, 5 and 6, Design and Technology is taught as a specialist subject in a designated DT workshop. Each student completes three or four projects per year during their one hour DT lesson each week. These core projects are also supplemented with a variety of design and practical problem solving investigations. 

Year 3 students are expected to:

  • generate ideas and plan what to do next, based on their experience of working with materials and components.
  • begin to be aware of who they are designing a product for.
  • select appropriate tools, techniques and materials, fully explaining their choices.
  • use models, pictures and words to describe their designs and answer questions related to them.
  • use tools and assemble, join and combine materials and components confidently in a variety of ways.
  • recognise and begin to appreciate what they have done well as their work progresses, and suggest things they could do better in the future.

Year 4 students  are expected to :

  • generate ideas and plans based on their experience of working with materials and components.
  • be aware of who their product is for and that their designs should meet a range of needs.
  • use models, pictures and words to describe their individual designs.
  • learn to select appropriate tools and join materials and components with some accuracy in a variety of ways.
  • know and appreciate what they have done well and suggest suitable improvements for future projects.

Year 5 students are expected to :

  • generate ideas and recognise that their designs have to meet a range of different needs.
  • clarify ideas when asked and use words and labelled sketches to communicate details of their designs.
  • think ahead about the order of their work, choosing appropriate tools and processes.
  • use tools and equipment with a good level of accuracy to cut and shape materials and to put together components.
  • identify where evaluation and reflection of their products has led to improvements.

Year 6 students are expected to :

  • generate ideas by collecting and using information.
  • clarify their ideas through discussion, drawing and modelling and produce step-by-step plans.
  • communicate ideas using words, labelled sketches and models, showing that they are aware of constraints.
  • work with a variety of materials and components with accuracy, paying attention to quality of finish and function.
  • select and work with a wide range of tools and equipment.
  • check their work as it develops and modify their approach in the light of progress.
  • reflect on their designs bearing in mind what is working well and what could be improved.