Welcome to Sussex Road School Design Technology (DT)
Our DT Curriculum promotes our school’s ethos of Question – Challenge – Explore and builds upon and develops the children's problem-solving skills and resilience. Our Enquiries aim to inspire the children and to provide a context for learning. Our curriculum provides children with opportunities to explore, investigate and evaluate existing products in our world. Children are also equipped with transferable skills that prepare them for a rapidly changing world as we place as much emphasis on the process the children go through as the end-product.
With regards to food and nutrition, we want to deepen the children's understanding of the vital role nutrition plays in good health and to equip the children with the skills and knowledge to enable them to achieve a nutritious diet for themselves and others.
| Design | Make | Evaluate | Making products work | Food & nutrition | |
| Years 1 & 2 | Know what is being made, how it works and how it is purposeful. Use design criteria. Generate, develop and communicate ideas. Explore materials and components. Use appropriate ICT. | Choose appropriate tools and materials. Use tools safely. Measure, mark out and shape; assemble, join and combine. | Describe how existing products work and evaluate their usefulness. Evaluate own ideas and products, suggesting possible improvements. | Characteristics of materials and components Simple mechanisms: levers, sliders, wheels and axles Strengthening free-standing structures Technical vocabulary | Prepare dishes without using a heat source. Cut, peel, grate and chop Food groups Recognise the need for a varied diet Where the food they eat comes from Farming & growing |
| Years 3 & 4 | Purpose of products and how parts work. Appealing features. Model ideas. Annotated sketches, cross–sectional drawings, exploded diagrams, computer aided design. Needs and wants of the user. Develop design criteria. Generate realistic ideas. Make design decisions. | Work safely. Explain resource choices. Measure, mark out and shape; assemble, join and combine with increasing accuracy. Order the main stages of making. List tools, equipment and materials needed. | Identify strengths and areas for development. Use feedback. Investigate and analyse:
| Science and Mathematics. Aesthetic and functional qualities of materials. Combining and mixing materials to become more useful. Mechanical (levers, linkages, pneumatic) systems. Technical vocabulary. Electrical circuits. Computers to control products. Strong, stiff shell structures. | Food is grown, reared and caught in the UK, Europe and the wider world. Prepare and cook using a heat source. Combine food groups (kneading & mixing). Prepare and cook using a heat source. Principles of a healthy & varied diet. Measure and weigh ingredients. |
| Years 5 & 6 | Purpose of products; how parts work. Appealing features. Model ideas: prototypes and patterns. Annotated sketches, cross–sectional drawings, exploded diagrams, computer aided design. Research and develop ideas. Develop design specification. Make decisions, taking account of time, resources and cost. | Work safely and appropriately. Explain resource choices. Measure, mark out and shape; assemble, join and combine with increasing accuracy. Formulate step by step plans. Use multi-step techniques. | Strengths and areas for development. Use feedback. Investigate and analyse:
Designers who have developed ground-breaking products. Investigate cost and sustainability. | Science and Mathematics. Aesthetic and functional qualities. Combine and mix components. Mechanical (cams, pulleys, gears) and electrical systems. Technical vocabulary. Programme a computer. Reinforce and strengthen a 3D framework. | Food is grown, reared and caught in the UK, Europe and the wider world. Prepare and cook using a heat source. Combine food groups (rubbing & beating). Seasonal foods. Processed foods. Adapting and changing recipes. Health benefits and nutritional value of foods. Measure and weigh. Evaluate meals. |