Design and Technology

Intent

At George Grenville Academy, we want our pupils to experience a range of real-life problems and find creative solutions that are designed for a specific purpose and audience. We want to provide opportunities for our pupils to grow in confidence when articulating their design, evaluating and adjusting their approach whilst learning from their mistakes. The design and technology curriculum will prepare our children, to give them the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences they need to be successful in later life
In food technology, we want our pupils to leave Grenville with the knowledge and skills to cook basic, healthy savoury and sweet recipes at home. Our pupils will gain independence as they move through the school and finish with a bank of recipes that can be used time and time again.

Implementation

Design and technology is linked with other subjects and themes to provide real life problems (or fictional problems linked to stories). This approach also ensures that pupils can connect to the brief and associates a particular audience to the solution.
Skills are built upon by revisiting topics in each Key Stage. These topics (or areas of learning) are:

Food
Structures
Mechanisms
Textiles

Electrical mechanisms are introduced in Key Stage 2 as an extra area and repeated twice to build on skills and knowledge.

Long Term Overview

Impact

Work is recorded in design and technology project books that clearly show the progression of skills as pupils move up the school.

In Year 6, pupils take part in a Super Cook competition where they design and make a cake and healthy lunch. The final four are challenged to create a two course meal with an Italian twist and are judged in a 'live Master-Chef' style event by the manager of Pregos in Buckingham. The winner has their menu on the specials board at Pregos. The children can clearly see the link between the cookery skills they have developed and a professional career. This links with our school value ASPIRATION.