Our Approach to the Teaching and Learning of Design and Technology at St Mary’s School

Some of the earliest activities that our children are involved in when they start at Sacred Heart and St Mary’s require them to use designing, making and evaluating skills. By building on these skills through KS1 and 2, we aim to deliver a curriculum that is inspiring, practical and solution-focused subject and which prepares our pupils to live and work in the world. 
 
As the children progress through the school, they take part in focus days to work on the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in the process of designing and making. They use their knowledge and skills from other subjects to help them with this process.

For Example:

• By looking at successes and failures of designs from the past in history, they can make informed decisions.
• By using their knowledge of forces from science, they can consider materials and mechanisms.
• By applying their measuring skills from maths, they can make something that is fit for purpose and by applying their knowledge of colour from art, they can consider aesthetics.
• By using their ‘sticky knowledge’ in computing, they can use their research skills to gather, draw and model their ideas through various platforms.

We are very aware that our children pass a variety of fast food outlets and sweet shops on their way to and from school every day. The temptations for them to make unhealthy choices are all around them.  At each key stage, dedicated time is set aside for the teaching and learning of nutrition to help our children make informed decisions about their diet. We have built partnerships with various food-education providers who run annual  programmes with us such as “Adopt a chef”, “Meet a beekeeper” and “Farm to Fork”.

Please click on the below images to find out more.

We aim to promote an early understanding of where our food comes from and appreciation of how we can make food that is healthy, nutritious and delicious.

For Prince of Wales Drive Arts Commission – Linking in with St Mary’s please click on the below image.

EYFS Educational Programme – Expressive Art and Design

The development of children’s artistic and cultural awareness supports their imagination and creativity. It is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. The quality and variety of what children see, hear and participate in is crucial for developing their understanding, self-expression, vocabulary and ability to communicate through the arts. The frequency, repetition and depth of their experiences are fundamental to their progress in interpreting and appreciating what they hear, respond to and observe.

Design and Technology Curriculum Road Map Year 1 – Year 6