Design and Technology

 

At Humshaugh C of E (Aided) First School, we encourage our pupils to develop investigation and exploration skills, embedding learning from all areas of the curriculum, our community and our heritage. The curriculum is designed to provide opportunities for pupils to explore existing products and gain technical knowledge from famous engineers, designers and inventors. We want to encourage children to foster, ‘A desire to improve the world around them’.

 

Our Design and Technology curriculum is flexible and can be adapted to maximise local and national opportunities and events, and to ensure that where possible there is a ‘real-life’ context. For example; pupils made treehouse models as part of the Kew Garden’s international tree house competition. There is often a sharp environmental dimension and pupils use recycled materials wherever possible. For example, in Key Stage 1 pupils made bird feeders and Lacewing shelters using plastic bottles and Key Stage 2 children made moving posters to promote recycling at Christmas Time which were then put up around the village.

 

Regular STEM events are threaded throughout the curriculum. For example, coding, green screen, Spheros and stop motion animation. Our curriculum is further enhanced by our ‘STEM Challenge’ afternoons which allow children opportunities to develop their practical skills and problem solve around a particular theme for example Crazy Catapults, The Egg Drop Challenge and Robot Wars. 

 

Our Design and Technology Curriculum is further enriched by our summer Forest School programme whereby pupils have the opportunity to put their design and making skills into practice through the participation in creative outdoor activities, for example, making Roman aqueducts in the stream, building bug homes, boats, bridges, structures and dens.