The DT curriculum allows our children to use their creativity and imagination to design and make products that can solve problems in a variety of contexts.
Design and Technology (DT) at Hawkes Farm Academy aims to introduce pupils to the big ideas of the subject, where they will learn to evaluate the impact of technologies and products on daily life and the wider world, helping them to foster a sense of responsibility and stewardship toward the environment and society. This approach demands that 'pupils develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.' (Department for Education, 2013).
A core aspect of our curriculum is to provide pupils with contexts from which they need to apply what they have learned from other disciplines. Pupils should draw from disciplines such as mathematics, science, computing, and art while considering how this knowledge can be connected to the big ideas of DT: Knowledge of materials, manufacturing, functionality, design and critique. The fusion of these disciplines will be considered through the contexts of their own and others' needs, wants, and values so that they can successfully generate, develop, and communicate design ideas, evaluate their own work and that of others, and understand the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Pupils will get the opportunity to design, make, and evaluate while applying specific technical knowledge to products that have a true purpose to them and that can be shared with the school community during the school year.
The curriculum is aspirational in content and aligns with the English National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. The skills learned are invaluable not only for academic success but also for personal growth in an ever-increasing technological world.