Art & Design Technology

At Darrick Wood Infants & Nursery School we want all pupils to be inspired to learn new skills, gain knowledge and make high- quality progress in Design and Technology. Our DT curriculum encourages children to be inspired, imaginative, innovative, and creative when designing and making products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts in the real world. We provide opportunities for children to acquire a wide range of subject knowledge and draw upon other areas of the curriculum such as Maths and Science.

The children will learn to design purposeful, functional and appealing products that are based on design criteria. They will learn how to joins materials. They will make products by using a wide range of materials and develop the use of tools to cut, shape, join and finish. They will learn to evaluate products and suggest how it could be improved to be stronger, stiffer and more stable. In Key Stage 1 they will learn to cook simple food with an emphasis on savoury dishes.

Pupils will learn:

• To use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional and appealing products that are fit for purpose.
• To develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• To become proficient in communicating their ideas through discussion, sketches, diagrams, prototypes and computer – aided design.
• To select appropriate tools and materials and to use them safely.
• To investigate and analyse a range of existing products using technical language.

At Darrick Wood Infants & Nursery School we believe that art stimulates creativity, imagination and inventiveness. We believe that art gives our pupils the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for them to express responses to ideas and experiences. It fires their imagination. Art should enable the children to communicate what they see, feel and think. Children should experiment with their ideas, their use of colour, texture, form, pattern and different materials and processes. Self-evaluation of work is encouraged and children are taught how to be resilience to achieve their goals.

At Darrick Wood Infants & Nursery School, art is not just taught in a designated Art lesson, but wherever appropriate it is linked to topics and the wider curriculum and as it gives children the opportunities to bring a topic to life. We use our special whole school curriculum days to bring in a love of art, and create whole school displays. Children also explore ideas and meanings through the work of artists and designers. We invite specialist artists in to work with the children, to inspire them and challenge their thinking and creativity. We give children the opportunities to visit museums and galleries, developing their skills of observation and evaluation. We also celebrate and recognise the work children bring into school from home.