Design Technology
Design Technology Vision Statement
At Holly House School our Design and Technology curriculum offers students the chance to enjoy creative, hands on, fun, confidence building educational activities. We aim to prepare students for the next steps in their journeys by giving them a diverse set of useful practical, problem solving and creative skills. We provide students with the opportunities to experience what it is like to specify and design a product for a range of different purposes and user types. Holly House pupils learn to understand what it is like to use a powerful woodworking machine or more traditional workshop equipment such as the bench hook. They learn the processes required to mark out, cut and shape a piece of wood and prepare for appropriate surface finishing. Students learn how to initiate, present and progress their own ideas. Throughout their time at Holly House, students get the chance to stand back, effectively evaluate and appreciate the outcomes of their own endeavours. We encourage students to learn that they can be successful in this subject area and that their studies will help them as they move forward through their education and into adulthood. We aim to promote creativity, consideration for others, a healthy understanding of process and a passion for getting practical and making things with their own hands. Through these activities, we produce increasingly confident individuals who are prepared to try their best, recognise their own achievements and solve problems.
Intent
The Holly House Design and Technology curriculum is constantly being adapted in order to meet the needs of the children currently attending the school and to help them engage with the subject. The overarching aim of activity in this area is to provide opportunities for students to get hands on with simple designing, modelling and/or making tasks. Students are encouraged to be creative and skills based structured tasks help students to learn or embed learning. Through study of the Design and Technology curriculum, students learn how to better understand and ‘unpick’ problems, develop the skills necessary to develop creative solutions, and to realise their solutions through practical activities.
Implementation
Developing safe working practices and learning design and practical skills are key objectives for classes in this area. Typically, students work on design and make projects and structured practical tasks. On occasions knowledge is developed through more formal learning tasks where this is appropriate for the topics/concepts being taught. Students attending lessons in the school workshop will be encouraged to try their best, achieve more than they thought they could, and make steps towards a solid set of designing and making skills.
Impact
Students leaving Holly House School at the end of year 9 will have experienced a safe and creative workshop environment. They will have learned how to use the range of workshop tools and equipment available both safely and effectively. They will have engaged in a broad range of creative designing and making activities to produce a range of products and through doing so they will have enhanced their feelings of self-worth and value. Students are encouraged to make products that they can take home to celebrate their achievements and will serve as a reminder of their learning journey. Students will understand their capabilities in this subject area and will not be afraid to do their best.
Design Technology delivery overview
To be added
Design Technology progression map
dt progression map for the website 2024 25.pdf
