Design & Technology

The DT Subject Leader is: Miss Jenny Burns

“Design and technology is a phenomenally important subject. Logical, creative and practical, it’s the only opportunity students have to apply what they learn in maths and science – directly preparing them for a career in engineering. Policy-makers must recognise design and technology’s significance for the UK economy and strive not just to preserve it – but to ensure it appeals to the brightest of young minds.” James Dyson, Design and Technology Association Patron.

Design and Technology (DT) is a subject that brings together learning and experiences from three main areas:

1. Creative and original thinking: children are encouraged to use their problem-solving skills and imagination, and to feel confident in taking their own original ideas from conception to reality when designing and making their products.
2. Practical skills: children are taught the skills needed in order to successfully create appealing and functional products. They will develop these skills are they progress through school.
3. Scientific and mathematical knowledge: children are taught that ‘technology’ means using what we know about science to make useful things. They are encouraged to see the links between what they may have learnt in Science or Maths and what they can design and create in DT.

When delivering the DT curriculum, teachers aim to expose children to a variety of real-world contexts, by learning about influential designers of past and present, and exploring case studies which show how key designers and key moments in design have impacted upon the world we live in. Through this, DT is brought to life and placed in a meaningful context which aims to not only help children know, remember and understand more, but also to encourage our young people to begin to imagine and consider further learning or careers in STEM fields.