Design and Technology Statement of Intent

Connecting with learning

At Radcliffe on Trent Junior School, we intend to deliver a high quality Design and Technology curriculum. Through our values our pupils will be able to exercise their creativity by designing and making. As an inspiring and practical subject, we intend to prepare children to deal with an ever-changing technological world, encouraging them to become creative and resourceful problem solvers, working both independently and as members of a team.

We strive to ensure that children’s interests are captured through theme learning, ensuring that links are made in a cross curricular way, giving children motivation and providing meaning for their learning. Design and Technology also allows children to apply the knowledge and skills learned in other subjects, particularly Maths, Science and Art.

It is our aim that children at Radcliffe on Trent Junior School will have the chance to work both practically and analytically. Confidence and resilience will be developed through skills by using a range of tools, resources and materials to create effectively constructed and aesthetically pleasing results. Furthermore, they will be taught a progression of skills from Year 3 through to Year 6 to ensure that the children are able to overcome ever increasing challenges and improve designs and products. Our progression of skills will also ensure that children will learn and master basic cooking skills.

Children will be taught the important skill of evaluation. They will be allowed to adapt and improve their work, providing them with not only a sense of achievement but also a strong foundation for understanding their next steps in learning- a key skill for life.

Connecting with others

Design and Technology at ROTJS encourages all children to channel their creativity through the schools value of ‘Be creative and use your imagination’. Children are taught to share their ideas and work with others in a respectful manner creating a classroom ethos whereby children feel confident to work with their peers. Part of the process of Design and Technology means that children will sometimes fail with their designs but the encouraging classroom environment means that all children can ‘Be brave and bounce back’ thus developing resilience. Lessons are taught in a way that allows children to build not only their independent skills but also their team work skills.

Connecting with community

Our Design and Technology curriculum is designed to ensure that children are presented with real life problems and challenges, enabling them to ‘Be curious and love learning’. Enrichment is also an important part of the Design and Technology curriculum. At ROTJS we make links with professionals from within our local community, such as engineers engineers, who can then come into school to work with our children, helping them to understand how subject disciplines link to the wider world.