Inspire Engineering

Intent

At Larkrise Primary School, we have designed our Engineering (Also known as Design and Technology) curriculum to enable children to become creative thinkers with a practical understanding of the world.  We currently use some resources from the Kapow Primary Schemes of Work to support planning. This is based on the Design Technology National Curriculum.

The Engineering Curriculum also covers key aspects of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage where technology is used to enhance the seven areas of learning. 

Inspire Knowledge and Skills: We provide an Engineering curriculum where knowledge and skills will be systematically developed and sequentially built upon. These will be applied within the design brief and problem-solving context. The skills learnt will strongly link to those practical skills needed in everyday life. Our children are given motivating and inspiring cross-curricular opportunities to embed essential knowledge and skills.  

Inspire Creativity & Adventure: Engineering at Larkrise intends to develop problem solvers of the future. They are inspired to think innovatively about solving problems in the real world, both independently and as a team.  It is important that children understand how to use technology in a rapidly changing world. We want to develop designers, engineers and technologists for the future. 

Inspire Kindness:  We want children to understand the impact of engineering on making life easier for people. This involves having a critical understanding of the impact of technology on daily life and learning about the impact that some designers and engineers have made throughout history. It is also to understand that Engineering could solve some of the p[problems we now see around the World, such as climate change. 

The units for key stages 1 and 2 are based on a spiral curriculum. This means that each theme is revisited regularly (at least once in each year group), and pupils revisit each theme through a new unit that consolidates and builds on prior learning within that theme. This curriculum design style reduces the knowledge lost through forgetting, as topics are revisited yearly. It also ensures that connections are made even if different teachers teach the units within a theme in consecutive years.

Implementation

Teachers will cover the four areas of DT through each project. These are; design, make, evaluate and technical knowledge. Children will practise techniques and answer questions before exploring the other stages. Skills are taught progressively so that children can learn and practise them each year, and each project involves solving real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts.  

Cooking and nutrition are also introduced by looking at a healthy diet and where food comes from, which inevitably has links to the science curriculum. This is taught using our onsite kitchen facilities in one of the  ‘Adventure Rooms.’

We are currently developing our learning resources for the DT Curriculum in Upper Key Stage 2 and hope to be able to use these in the future for projects which require programming, monitoring and controlling a product. 

Like all areas of our Inspire Curriculum, we have used research evidence to develop our pedagogy of teaching and learning. For more information please see our Inclusive Quality First Teaching Key Principles.

Impact

By the time children in Year 6 leave us, we want them to have the following experiences and understanding: 

Inspire Knowledge and Skills: 

Children will have the knowledge and skills to be able to:

• Develop their own design criteria
• Draw detailed cross-sectional drawings
• Model ideas using prototypes
• Produce step-by-step plans
• Evaluate a product based on design criteria
• Know how cams, gears or pulleys can create movement.
• Use a more complex electrical circuit to create a product. 
• Know how to make a 3D framework for a structure.
• Make a 3D textile product using several pattern pieces. 
• Understand seasonality and the process of ‘farm to fork.’ 
• Adapt both sweet and savoury recipes and prepare a healthy meal.

Inspire Creativity & Adventure: 

As part of the Inspire Technology Curriculum, children will be involved in the following projects:

• Have planned and cooked a lunch for their class
• Designed and made a Ferris wheel using cams and drivers which are powered by battery
• Designed and sewn a bag for purpose
• Designed and made an Anderson Shelter with electronically controlled components

Inspire Kindness: 

By the end of Year 6, children will have:

• Evaluated products based on their environmental impact and sustainability
• Had the opportunity to look at existing products and thought about how to improve them to make them more inclusive
• Know how food is processed and the social and environmental impact of this (e.g. palm oil or fair traded goods)

More information on the impact of the Curriculum can be seen in our celebration Magazine ‘Larkrise Look’