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The Cobbs Infant and Nursery School

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (D&T)

The Cobbs Infant and Nursery School understands that Design and Technology allows pupils to solve problems, think creatively and develop ideas. Design and Technology offers pupils a chance to use creative thinking and activity within a defined purpose and tangible outcome. The school is committed to nurturing pupils’ curiosity and creativity, as well as preparing them for living in a modern world where technology is rapidly changing and advancing.

Design and Technology is taught through topics in each year group, with some discrete teaching, particularly of skills such as using scissors and cutting safely.

What Design and Technology looks like in our school

Cygnets - Explore materials and textures freely
Cygnets - Join different materials
Cygnets - Use one-handed tools to snip paper
Cygnets - Make imaginative small worlds with construction kits
Nursery - Explore different materials in order to develop ideas about what to make
Nursery - Learn how to use a knife
Nursery - Explore textures
Nursery - Join different materials and explore textures
Nursery - Make healthy choices about food
Nursery - Use one-handed tools and equipment
Nursery - Use one-handed tools to create a hole
Reception - Safely use and explore a variety of materials
Reception - Safely use and explore a variety of materials experimenting with function
Reception - Use a a range of small tools (needle), develop fine motor skills
Reception - Use a range of small tools including cutlery
Reception - Use a range of tools safely and confidently
Reception - Express ideas
Year 1 - Assemble, join and combine materials, making simple models
Year 1 - Cut along lines straight and curved
Year 1 - Cut and chop a range of ingredients, working safely and hygienically
Year 1 - Designing a raft
Year 1 - Mark out materials to be cut
Year 1 - Paper folding Chinese dragon puppet
Year 1 - Scissor skills Chinese dragon puppet
Year 1 - Select materials from a limited range that will meet the design criteria
Year 1 - Testing a raft design
Year 1 - Use a simple design criteria to develop their ideas
Year 1 - Use mock-ups, explore ideas by rearranging materials
Year 1 - Use mock-ups to try out their ideas
Year 1 - Designing and making our own bridges
Year 2 - Cut and chop a range of ingredients
Year 2 - Grate a range of ingredients
Year 2 - Make appealing food for a specific purpose
Year 2 - Peel a range of ingredients
Year 2 - Use drawings to record ideas
Year 2 - Learning to sew

In Key Stage 1 most of the learning takes place through topics but some Design and Technology lessons are taught independently to ensure full curriculum coverage. Children have access to an increasing range of materials and tools to develop their ideas. There is a wide range of construction kits available, some of which are used to challenge all abilities. Children develop their resilience and are encouraged to ask questions by following the process of design, make and evaluate.

In each Year 1 and Year 2 class children are provided with opportunities to look at healthy eating by making products such as healthy pizzas. Our dedicated Design and Technology area is used throughout the year to support this area of learning. Children can develop their food preparation skills using equipment like peelers, graters and juicers. This includes finding out where food comes from, nutritional information and food safety and hygiene. They can also bake and design their own food products from iced fairy cakes to decorated themed biscuits.

In Early Years the children create their own open-ended products that support their imaginative play such as making castles and cars out of large blocks and crates outside and they also have the opportunity to design and make junk models using recyclable materials in the workshop areas. They practise cutting activities using paper and card to develop scissor skills. They use various construction kits to develop their problem-solving skills within Design and Technology so they build, evaluate and improve their models. Although children have access to each area independently, challenges are included to ensure key skills are applied.

In each Nursery and Reception class a workshop area is available as part of continuous provision where children develop and practise skills independently. Children use a range of materials and are taught basic techniques such as joining, folding and safe use of simple tools.

Our WOW Experiences

Nursery - 'Moving Faces' display using split pins
Nursery - Designing and making own toys
Nursery - Making robots

Across Key Stage 1, children are given freedom to explore joining techniques through activities such as making puppets and minibeast pouches. Sewing opportunities are provided to ensure that children are challenged and make progress within their Design and Technology lessons. Cross curricular links are promoted by exploring 3D shapes to make Bonfire Night rockets using cones, cylinders and cuboids. In lessons, children create their own purposeful products by exploring a range of sliders, levers, and different mechanisms. They also make links to their local area by designing and making a bridge to go across the Bridgewater canal and explore how structures work and how they can be improved. To strengthen their understanding of wheels and axles, constructions kits are used in each year group with a focus on creating their own Victorian bathing machine at the end of Key Stage 1.

Some seasonal activities are made across the school for celebrations like Chinese New Year and we make Easter baskets to hold gifts left by the Easter Bunny! Paper manipulation and joining techniques are often used when creating cards for Mother’s Day and when making Christmas decorations.

See what our children think about Design & Technology in Pupil Voice below.

Pupil Voice

Reception