D & T

At Manland, Design and Technology (D&T) is a creative, practical and purposeful subject where children design, make, solve problems and evaluate their ideas.

We want our children to see themselves as designers and makers. Through practical experiences, they learn how to think creatively, make decisions, overcome problems and develop the technical skills needed to turn an idea into a real product.

D&T is not simply about making something that looks good. Children are encouraged to think about who their product is for, what purpose it serves, what materials and tools they need, how it could be improved and whether it works effectively.

Our D&T curriculum covers the key areas of the National Curriculum:

• Design – developing ideas, creating designs and thinking about the needs of a particular user.
• Make – selecting and using appropriate tools, materials, components and ingredients.
• Evaluate – testing and evaluating products and considering how they could be improved.
• Technical knowledge – understanding how structures, mechanisms, electrical systems and materials work.
• Cooking and nutrition – learning about food, healthy eating, where food comes from and developing practical cooking skills.

The National Curriculum describes D&T as an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject in which pupils use creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems. Our D&T curriculum is supported by the Chris Quigley scheme of work. This provides a structured approach to developing children’s knowledge and skills over time.

At Manland, children revisit important concepts and techniques, but with increasing levels of challenge and independence.

In the younger years, children might explore how to join, cut, shape and construct using a range of materials. As they progress through the school, they develop greater precision and control, learn to select tools and materials for particular purposes, and apply increasingly complex technical knowledge.
By Year 6, children are expected to draw upon the skills and knowledge they have developed throughout their time at Manland to research, design, make, test, evaluate and refine their own products.

This progression reflects the National Curriculum expectation that pupils develop their knowledge, understanding and practical skills through an iterative process of designing and making. At Key Stage 2, children are expected to work with increasing accuracy, use a wider range of materials and techniques, and evaluate their products against their own design criteria.

• Encourage your child to safely research designers and engineers online and record their findings using appropriate software such as PowerPoint or Word.
• Follow some bake and no bake recipes following safe practices.
• Enjoy following and building construction kit models.
• Design and make a bird feeder or bug hotel.
• Undertake some sewing activities or craft sets.
• Visit and explore a range of websites, such as the ones listed below:
• • KS1 Bitesize DT https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zb9d7ty
  • KS2 Bitesize DT https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zyr9wmn
  • Explore the ideas library that shows models that you might like to make https://www.exploratorium.edu/pie/ideas.html#page
  • Undertake some bake and no bake recipes. https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/recipes/
  • Online Lego building https://www.lego.com/en-gb/themes/letsbuildtogether/365-activities​
  • Undertake a loo roll engineering project. Build a structure out of loo rolls- you could construct model buildings, miniature playgrounds, anything goes!
  • Design your world with PSB kids. https://pbskids.org/designsquad/
  • Explore a variety of activities and challenges that can be used to support your child’s design and technology at home. https://www.stem.org.uk/home-learning/primary