Design and Technology prepares children to deal with tomorrow’s rapidly changing world.  At Lavendon School we encourage children to become independent, creative problem solvers and thinkers as individuals and as part of a team. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond to them by developing a range of ideas and by making products and systems.

Through the study of Design and Technology, they combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as functions and industry. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate past and present technology, its uses and impacts. Design and Technology helps all children to become astute and informed future consumers and potential innovators.

Rationale

Why Teach DT?

At Lavandon, we believe that DT is an integral part of a children’s creative education. From early on, we teach the children about inventors in our history and the significance they have on our world today. We believe in giving children rich opportunities in all strands of DT including mechanics, structures, food technology, textiles and electronics (KS2). Throughout the key stages, we build on progress made in previous year groups to become more advanced designers and have new projects to create. We give the children extensive opportunities to design, make and evaluate a variety of products. We want our pupils to be creative in their designs and use technical vocabulary within their practical work. In DT, we believe that pupils develop their communication skills when they are sharing ideas and explaining their thinking. At Lavendon, we give our pupils opportunities to build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills to design and make high quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.

Our DT curriculum will enable pupils to;

•         Creative and imaginative in their designs.  

•         Have knowledge of famous inventors and designers.

•         Critically evaluate prototypes and make improvements.

•         Understand key vocabulary used in DT

•         Be problem solvers

•         Work both independently and collaboratively as a group

•        Develop life skills such as cutting, joining, peeling and food hygiene

•        Use their skills cross-curricular

Enrichment

At Lavendon throughout the year groups children have opportunities to:

•  Attend after school Cook Stars to enrich their cooking and nutrition skills 
• Take part in cooking across all year groups including in Year 6 cooking a 3 course meal to parents 
• Design and make high quality projects which develop creativity skills such as a motorised car, pop up cards, 4 wheeled car, fish fingers, sewing cushions and puppets, movie zoetrope and a playground.