Design and Technology at Diamond Wood

We strive to create a learning atmosphere that celebrates achievement and fosters a love for Design and Technology, incorporating opportunities for exploration, experimentation, and reflection. Our pupils will be engrossed in opportunities to become young Designers, Sculptors, Engineers, Craft Makers, Bakers and Chefs.

At Diamond Wood Community Academy Design and Technology is valued greatly as part of our holistic curriculum. We are proud to currently hold the Silver Artsmark award. We are dedicated to enabling children to explore, design, make and evaluate their, D&T and Food Technology projects with the aim of supporting them to become independent learners as they progress on their learning journey. At Diamond Wood, we always strive for excellence within Design and Technology and aim to deliver this through our spiral curriculum.

Click here to read our full Design and Technology Vision and Intent statement.

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.

National Curriculum 2014

Position Statement

We are constantly striving to improve our Design and Technology Curriculum in order to ensure our intended and implemented teaching and learning opportunities have the maximum impact upon pupil outcomes.

Click here to read our position statement and find out about our areas for development this year.

D&T Timetable

Here at Diamond Wood, we teach Design and Technology as a discrete subject in Years 1 and 2 (Key Stage 1). The pupils participate in weekly lessons during alternate half terms. When pupils are not engaged in a D&T unit of work they will be completing a Art, Craft and Design unit.

In Nursery and Reception (EYFS) pupils have at least three dedicated key worker sessions or inputs focusing specifically on D&T each half term. During each half term, additional opportunities for children to develop and consolidate their learning are provided during their continuous and enhanced provision time, both indoors and outdoors.

D&T Leader

Our Design and Technology Leader is Mrs Jagger. She is also a Year 1 teacher and is passionate about providing high quality Design and Technology learning experiences for all pupils.

If you would like to speak to Mrs Jagger, email office@diamondwoodacademy.co.uk and address the email to her specifically.

Our Approach

At Diamond Wood Community Academy, we take pride in providing our children with a broad and balanced Design and Technology curriculum. As a school, we have taken the decision to invest in and implement the D&T Association's ‘Projects on a Page’ Scheme of Work.

Our curriculum is progressive, which ensures that learning from the previous year is built on and extended in a fun, engaging, and diverse manner.

Click here to read our rationale for adopting the 'Projects on a Page' programme of study.

Design and Technology Policy

We have developed and produced a Design and Technology policy to ensure our values are applied consistently, define clear expectations, and help provide a framework for staff and pupils alike.

Please click here to view our Design and Technology Curriculum policy which has been updated for the academic year 2023-2024.

Statutory Requirements

The National Curriculum for Design and Technology sets out the statutory guidance for teaching Design and Technology to KS1 pupils. Our D&T curriculum has been designed to ensure children learn the required knowledge and skills set out by the National Curriculum for Design and Technology.

To view the statutory guidance for Design and Technology click here.

The Early Years Foundation Stage framework provides guidance for teachers focusing on developing children's 'expressive arts and design' skills within the Early Years (Nursery and Reception). The main areas for learning which are focused upon to provide the building blocks for future 'Design and Technology' learning are as follows;

Expressive Arts and Design
Communication and Language
Personal, Social and Emotional development
Physical Development

For more information on how these areas of learning have been built into our Design and Technology curriculum please see our progression map below.

Our Design and Technology Long Term Plan

Substantive and Disciplinary Concepts

To download this information as a document please click here.

Design and Technology Progression Map

Our Design and Technology curriculum progression map has been designed to show how we intend to teach our pupils the technical, disciplinary and vocabulary knowledge we aim for them to learn, know, remember and do by the end of their time with us here at Diamond Wood.

In designing this progression map we have consulted with our local feeder schools and settings in order to ensure our pupils experiences before and after coming to our school allow for progression of knowledge and skills to be built upon and continue.

The progression map allows all staff and key stakeholders in school to have a secure understanding of end of year expectations for all year groups.

In addition to using the progression map to guide teaching and learning, our design and technology subject leader creates half termly Medium Term Plans for all year groups. These plans clearly outline the sequence of teaching and learning which will take place during the particular unit of work (or planned opportunities in Nursery and Reception). This supports our educators in ensuring consistency in approach, opportunity and delivery across school, where we have four classes per year group.

The subject leader also creates and sources high quality resources which support the teaching and learning taking place. Our smartboard lesson aids provide additional planning notes and activity resources which can be accessed by any adults delivering lessons. This supports the continued professional development of our Educational Teaching Assistants, Cover Supervisors and also any supply teachers who work within school. Again, this ensures our high expectations are consistent across school at all times.

To view our Design and Technology curriculum progression map please click here.

Cooking and Nutrition

At Diamond Wood Community Academy, we have developed a separate Cooking and Nutrition Progression Map to ensure we provide an ambitious curriculum that exceeds the expectations set by the national curriculum. This map is designed to recognise and celebrate the cultural capital within our school communities and the importance of food and cooking in their respective cultures. We understand that food and cooking hold significant cultural value, reflecting the diversity and richness of our school community. By recognising and integrating cultural capital, we aim to foster a sense of cultural pride, respect, and understanding among our pupils.

The separate Cooking and Nutrition Progression Map allows us to outline a comprehensive curriculum, ensuring that all pupils have access to a breadth of knowledge and skills related to cooking and nutrition. Through this map, we can carefully plan and sequence the content to be taught systematically and progressively.

We acknowledge that not all the knowledge outlined on this progression map can be covered within our planned cooking and nutrition units of work alone. Therefore, we make the most of additional opportunities throughout the academic year. These opportunities, such as language of the half-term days, fundraising days, and in-school party/celebration days, allow us to further reinforce and expand upon the knowledge and skills outlined in the map.

The Cooking and Nutrition Progression Map serves as a guidance document for our teachers. It ensures consistency in the content taught across different year groups and enables us to focus on the necessary knowledge and skills for each age group. Teachers can refer to the map when planning their lessons, ensuring an informed and coherent approach to teaching cooking and nutrition.

To view our Cooking and Nutrition progression map please click here.

Additional Opportunities: Language of the Half Term

At Diamond Wood Community Academy our bespoke ‘Language of the Half Term’ initiative celebrates the different languages spoken within our school community. As part of this initiative children spend a whole day within the half term learning about the focus language, the countries in which it is spoken in and all about the cultures and traditions of people who live in these countries. Each year group has a dedicated ‘Cooking and Nutrition’ lesson as part of this day. This provides an additional opportunity to revisit prior knowledge and learn new knowledge. This supports and enhances our Design and Technology: Cooking and Nutrition curriculum. The dishes in which children prepare and enjoy within these lessons are outlined below. These have all been carefully planned to support children’s understanding of the different foods people within different cultures and communities enjoy, alongside ensuring and embedding the progression of knowledge, skills and vocabulary we aim to teach pupils within our Cooking and Nutrition curriculum.

These lessons are ‘one-off enhancement sessions’ within the half term during the Language of the Half Term celebration day. However, we still ensure that pupils are provided with an opportunity to design, make and evaluate their products as we would do within any cooking and nutrition units of work which include a full sequence of learning. This is with more of an Oracy focus during these lessons but progression is still planned for and evident. Oracy development and high-quality first-hand experiences underpin our curriculum design and therefore opportunities such as these are paramount in supporting our pupils to return to and build upon key knowledge and skills taught throughout units of work.

We recognise that the following domain areas are important when teaching pupils about cooking and nutrition: Healthy Eating, Consumer Awareness, Food Safety and Hygiene, Recipes and Ingredients, Weighing and Measuring, Mixing, Heating, Cutting and Knife skills, Shaping and Assembling, Serving and Garnishing. Although the majority of these areas exceed the expectations of the EYFS and KS1 curriculums, we recognise the need to begin building firm foundations for future learning. Therefore, we have considered this carefully when planning the LOTHT cooking opportunities to ensure we are able to do this. The grid below highlights opportunities for knowledge, skills and vocabulary within these areas to be taught through our planned cooking lessons.

To view our dedicated 'Language of the Half Term Initiative' webpage please click here.

Key Vocabulary

At Diamond Wood Community Academy, we recognise the crucial role that vocabulary plays in pupils’ learning and academic success. As such, we have developed a vocabulary progression map for each subject curriculum to ensure that all our pupils have a strong foundation in subject-specific vocabulary.

Vocabulary is the foundation upon which pupils build their understanding of different subjects. Tier 3 words, which are subject-specific terms, play a particularly significant role in deepening pupils’ knowledge and enabling them to access complex concepts effectively. By explicitly teaching and reinforcing Tier 3 words within each subject, we aim to:

Enhance pupils’ comprehension and communication skills.
Enable pupils to express themselves accurately and confidently in subject-specific contexts.
Facilitate pupils’ ability to independently access and understand subject materials.
Support pupils’ critical thinking by developing their subject-specific knowledge and expertise.
Improve pupils’ overall academic performance and raise attainment levels.

To view our Design and Technology Key Vocabulary Glossary please click here.

Learn to speak like a Designer...

Developing SMSC within our Design and Technology Curriculum

Diamond Wood Community Academy is dedicated to providing a design and technology curriculum that not only develops pupils’ knowledge and skills but also nurtures their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. By integrating SMSC within our design and technology lessons, we strive to create well-rounded individuals who are equipped with the skills and values necessary to succeed in life and contribute positively to society. We recognise the importance of SMSC development in promoting the holistic growth of our pupils. We aim to create a learning environment that fosters a sense of curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking while promoting values such as respect, empathy, and responsibility.

Developing British Values within our Design and Technology Curriculum

At Diamond Wood Community Academy, we are committed to promoting the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance within our design and technology curriculum for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1 (KS1). Our curriculum is designed to ensure that these values are embedded into the teaching and learning experiences of our pupils, preparing them to become responsible citizens in modern Britain. The promotion of British values within the design and technology curriculum will be integrated into lesson planning, teaching resources, and classroom discussions. The subject leader and teaching staff will ensure that the curriculum reflects the values and that pupils' understanding is consistently developed and reinforced. Regular monitoring and reflection will take place to ensure the effective promotion and integration of British values within the design and technology curriculum.

Developing the Protected Characteristics

within our Design and Technology Curriculum

At Diamond Wood Community Academy, we believe in promoting an inclusive environment that celebrates diversity and respects the protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010. We are committed to ensuring that our Design and Technology curriculum supports the development of these protected characteristics for our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage One pupils. The table below outlines our approach to incorporating and promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion within our Design and Technology curriculum.