Intent
At St Sebastian’s, we know that for our children to succeed and receive the maximum benefit from school, it is essential that we deliver a broad and balanced, engaging, exciting and interesting curriculum; careful analysis and discussion about our pupils’ experiences, backgrounds, life experiences and cultures have and will continue to inform our Design and Technology curriculum offer.

As a Trauma & Attachment informed school, we recognise that pupils learn best when they feel happy, safe, secure and regulated. Our curriculum enables our children to develop a deepening knowledge of D&T. Inclusivity is at the heart of teaching strategies, ensuring that every child's individual needs are met. Adaptive teaching strategies are employed to cater to diverse learning styles and abilities, allowing all pupils to access and progress in D&T.

We offer an ambitious curriculum that equips all pupils with the knowledge and skills to succeed. We aim to provide all our children, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, a curriculum that is exciting, relevant and challenging. We ensure our curriculum is well-structured with progression for all.
An inspiring, rigorous and practical subject, Design and Technology encourages children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and collaboratively. High-quality Design and Technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

At St Sebastian’s, we encourage children to use their creativity, imagination and their initiative to research, design and make purposeful products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.

Our excellent cross-curricular links other subjects such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art whilst delivering the teaching and learning in Design and Technology encourage wholly development of the necessary skills and understanding children need as future responsible designers - whilst motivating all children to learn through interconnected topics.

Children are given opportunities to reflect upon and evaluate past and present design technology, its uses and effectiveness. Concentrating on both local and global themes throughout EYFS to Year 6, we provide children with an exciting, relevant and challenging curriculum with a variety of enrichment opportunities to encourage our children to become innovators and risk-takers. Thanks to this, progression is cumulative, constructing firm foundations from which children can build conceptual understanding and skills over time whilst placing powerful knowledge at the heart of the curriculum.

Implementation
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making, making rich connections to the wider curriculum where possible. The children work in a range of relevant contexts (for example home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider, global environment). Key knowledge and skills for D&T have been mapped across the school from EYFS to Year 6 to ensure clear progression between year groups. Our curriculum is progressive; each subject area is methodically planned and sequenced to ensure progression in skills and knowledge - for each cohort, taking into consideration their needs and any barriers to learning. By having an awareness of potential barriers to learning and progress, we form the necessary key foundations and use adaptive teaching strategies to ensure all children successfully meet the challenges of the next stage of learning.

Medium term plans ensure key knowledge and skills are identified, taught and retained whilst building on prior knowledge. This also ensures that there is a context for the children’s work in Design and Technology; each class learns about real life structures and the purpose of specific examples, as well as developing their skills throughout the programme of study. D&T is taught in the second half of each term.

We ensure that all pupils:
Design

• use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
• generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion using subject-rich vocabulary, annotated sketches, cross-sectional diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design

Make

• select from and use a wide range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks (for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing) accurately
• select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities

Evaluate

• investigate and analyse a range of existing products
• evaluate their own and their peers’ ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
• understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world
• Technical knowledge
• apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
• understand and use mechanical systems in their products
• understand and use electrical systems in their products
• apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products

Impact
We believe our children will:

• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and purposeful products for a wide range of users and critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
• design and make a range of products. A good quality finish will be expected in all design and activities made appropriate to the age and ability of the child.
• become risk taking resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens.
• develop a critical understanding of D&T, its impact on daily life and the wider world through evaluation of past and present D&T.
• build a bank of knowledge, skills understanding and a cultural capital necessary for later life.