Design and Technology is taught using themed units which follow the design, make, evaluate and improve cycle. This allows the children to revisit these key skills each term and embed them whilst making continued progress.
To ensure the continued development of the children’s learning, the Threshold Concepts for DT set out a clear and staged progression for them to achieve at the end of each two-year phase.
DT Threshold Concepts Areas:
- Design, make, evaluate and improve
- Develop a range of practical skills – food, textiles, mechanics, materials, electronics and computing.
- Generate ideas from the past, present and looking into the future.
Throughout the year, each class will complete at least one food unit with the other areas of skill learning, such as textiles and mechanisms, taught within a two-year cycle.
VPS DT Curriculum Intent
VPS DT Progression of Skills
Design, Make, Evaluate and Improve
From talking through ideas and drawing pictures in KS1 to building prototypes and using exploded diagrams in KS2, this threshold concept gives the children ownership of their design and product from the initial design stages. They may be generating design criteria and choosing suitable tools and materials at the beginning of the process and are then encourage to critically consider the outcome in the evaluate and improve stage.
Example Design Criteria Year 3
Evaluating Previous Products : Year 3 Juggling Balls
Useful Websites
Food and Recipes Home | Change4Life (www.nhs.uk)
Design Your Own Bank Notes Project Home workshop for families: brilliant banknotes | Bank of England
Talking Textiles Introduction - The Children's University of Manchester