Intent

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

The design and technology curriculum at Aston Fields Middle School, has been designed to allow the key elements of designing, analysing, making, testing and evaluating to be taught across all years, disciplines and projects. Designing and making products should be exciting, inventive and fun. Pupils at Aston Fields Middle School, will develop lifelong practical skills with an understanding of aesthetics, social and environmental issues and industrial practices. They are encouraged to become the innovators of tomorrow. They will become proficient at critiquing their own ideas and products as well as those created by others.

Design technology is about making things that people want and that work well. It is about understanding the user and importance of producing high quality products to satisfy the consumers’ demands and expectations.

We also ensure coverage of the national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:
• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Reading is such an important element of a child’s education that we ensure we incorporate it as much as possible into all of our curriculum subjects.

Within DT and expressive arts pupils are expected to read materials to support their designing and creativity. This includes selecting and adapting recipes from the recipe books in food technology, using magazines and websites that demonstrate innovation in product design and STEAM, and using a variety of literature to educate us and inform our designs and ideas across all of our projects.

What is Cultural Capital?

“It is the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said, and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement”

Ofsted 2019

Within DT and expressive arts, we embrace the creativity of others, we consider the needs of others within our designing and push pupils to think in innovative and exciting ways when approaching problems. Our sustainability project for example looks in depth at the issues of mass-produced clothing and its impact on the environment. We look at solutions to this problem and ways we can have an impact to undo the damage being done.

There is such a wealth of jobs linked to the fields of DT and expressive arts that we work hard to introduce some of the options pupils have to encourage them to think about their next steps in their own education and their futures. DT opens the door to a wide range of careers in the creative, engineering and manufacturing industries. It is also excellent preparation for careers in many other fields e.g. medicine, law and computer science.

As for expressive arts, there are many careers that require these expressive and artistic skills including, acting, script writing, architecture, fashion design, advertising, media make-up and floristry.

The options are endless and as a department, inspiring them to pursue one of these careers is highlighted in our teaching.

Implementation

Pupils at Aston Fields Middle School complete a carousel of design and technology subjects each academic year. Each project has been developed to give individual pupils the opportunity to explore, experience and enjoy this creative and versatile subject. Pupils are taught by specialist teachers in dedicated classrooms, fully equipped with modern tools and technology.

Impact

As you will see from the examples below, pupils use their skills across a wide range of projects, producing work of a consistently high standard. They build year on year on the skills and knowledge and they learn to leave Aston Fields Middle School with a broad understanding of the subject.

All of our projects are continually reviewed and amended to suit the needs of the pupils at Aston Fields Middle School. The following is an overview of projects that have been completed to date. Future projects may be an adapted version of these or something new to bring out the inner creativity of our pupils.

Year 5

Expressive arts rotation – all year 5 pupils complete a carousel of expressive art projects designed to give them a taster of all of the design technology disciplines, alongside other expressive and creative subjects. Some examples of projects pupils may be offered are detailed below: 

Food	Bread Sensory Analysis and Making
Art Fundamentals	Drawing Painting
Computing	Design a waterpark
Alfresco Art	Outdoor art activities linked to artists such as Antony Gormley
Textiles	Wall hangings
Drama	Script writing  and performance
Resistant Materials	Moving Toy  Wind spinners Key rings
Exploring Colour	Exploring colour and its use in artwork
Clay Work	Inspired by artists such as Georgia O'Keefe

 

Year 6

Food Technology - Pupils complete a Pizza and Scones project.

Year 6 ingredients shopping list

Within this project pupils will:

- learn the fundamentals of hygiene and safety in the food room
- complete a session of sensory analysis
- use a variety of resources to inform a design
- assess and evaluate their products, looking for ways of developing their product further
- learn key cooking skills through the completion of 4 practical sessions:    bread based cheese and tomato pizza  scone based pizza with toppings  own design 'showcase' pizza sweet or savory scones

Resistant Materials  - Pupils will design and create a product using resistant materials. Within this project pupils will:

Textiles – Pupils complete a Cushion project. Within this project pupils will:

- learn about the types and varieties of textiles
- develop and learn new hand sewing stitches
- will evaluate existing products
- experience using a sewing machine safely and effectively
- will use felt or create felt using their own unique designs to be applied as an image on their cushion cover
- will practice embellishment
- complete a usable, attractive and decorative cushion cover

Art – Pupils study an artist or art culture in detail and produce artwork in that style.

Artists used within this project include: Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Georgia O’ Keefe and Henri Matisse. Cultures used within this project have included: Islamic, Aboriginal and African.

Year 7

Food Technology: Pupils begin the Licence to Cook project, where they are taken through a series of theory and practical lessons that will introduce them to all of the key appliances and principles of basic cookery.

Year 7 ingredients shopping list

The Year 7 section of the project includes:

	Safety in the food room
	Hygiene and Food Safety
	Healthy Lifestyles and the Eatwell plate
	Basic Knife Skills (Dips and Dippers)
	Using the grill (Pizza Toast)
	Sensory Analysis and Product Description
	Hob work (savoury rice and own design curry)

Resistant Materials: Pupils are introduced to a variety of resistant materials and basic mechanisms via a clock project.

The project includes:
- Safety in the work shop
- ACCESSFM (a tool used to analyse existing products)
- Generating ideas
- 4 x 4 designing
- Graphic drawing
- Making and decorating
- Testing and evaluating

Textiles: In this project pupils are introduced to a variety of textile materials, techniques and skills. The main outcome is for pupils to research, design and produce a usable, lined bag with embellishments.

STEAM project: Within this project pupils get to explore the elements of STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.

Pupils explore existing products, understand electronics and circuits along with designing and making their own Jitter Toy using a Jitterbug kit as their basis. Skills covered include using bench mounted tools with precision, along with completing a circuit using a soldering iron, as well as applying art and craft materials to complete their own unique Jitter Toy.

Year 8

Food Technology: Pupils complete the Licence to Cook Project.

Year 8 ingredients shopping list

In this section pupils will:

Product : Pupils complete a project using resistant materials that covers the following areas:

Here are some examples of products made by Year 8 in Product Design. 

Textiles and Sustainability: Progressing from existing skills pupils will be offered the opportunity to design and make a practical product that incorporates embellishments and fastenings. Whilist upcycling an item destined to bedisposed of.

Here are some examples of products made by Year 8 in their Textiles and Sustainability project.

Systems and Control: Pupils will complete a project designing and making audio amplifiers where possible incorporating up-cycled materials.