The aim of DT at Westacre is to set children on the path to becoming designers, engineers, chefs, architects and so much more. Children learn about how key events and individuals in design and technology have shaped the world we live in and how improvements have been made over time. The most important skills explored in design and technology are creativity and exploration, as it is with an open and ambitious mind, that new creations come into the world.
DT lessons can be sorted into the following categories:
- Design, plan and research
- Make and problem solve
- Evaluate
- Technological Knowledge
- Cooking and Nutrition
We currently have a cooking club running after school, to allow pupils to explore these areas in a smaller group, and potentially find a new passion or inspiration for a future career along the way.
We also have a VEX robotics club that is open to Year 7s in Summer term, in collaboration with the high school, to apply designing and building skills, with problem solving and programming.
Below you can see how these key areas are explored across our curriculum at Westacre and how we progress through these skills from Year 5 to Year 7.
Please see the document below for more information about our curriculum intent for DT:
Please see the document below for more information about how we support the needs of all learners in DT:
Please see the document below for more information about the 'subject traits' we have planned in DT that we aim for all our children to leave Westacre being able to do:
If you want to look into Design and Technology more at home, here are some useful links you may want to follow:
A small group of year 6s and 7s visited Droitwich Spa High School and were able to have a go at using Tinker CAD (which is something we already use at Westacre) and see their designs come to life using the 3D printers available at the high school. CAD (computer aided design) is an important part of the design process and is used more and more in creating things we use in every day life, so it’s fantastastic that the children are using it at both Westacre and the high school.
In Year 7, to end the year, we have an enterprise project, where students work in groups to design and create an upcycled project. Communication is key to work effectively together to make the best quality product. These are then sold and the group who earns the most money (donated to charity) wins!
In Year 7, we have a Healthy Living Week. This is a great opportunity to use our food technology and computer aided design skills that have been developed across the years.