Design Technology

Welcome to the Design Technology (D.T.) area of our website!

The subject leader for Design Technology at St James' is Miss Smith. 

Our Christian Vision for D.T:

In D.T children are encouraged to look at what exists in the world around them, giving them opportunities to appreciate the world.  Children will develop a love of learning through an engaging,  variety of projects and have the ability to explore individual ideas whilst in a safe, supportive environment.  Through research, practise, creativity, and evaluation, each child at St James’ will gain confidence in their own achievements and the ability to question and improve. Every child is encouraged to adopt new skills and further their knowledge ensuring the DT at St James’ is inclusive and embracing for all children, allowing them to prosper.

Everything in the world that we live in has been designed. In our modern lives, things are being designed to make our lives easier and more fruitful. As time continues, these products are reviewed, analysed and then redesigned to meet the needs of the people now. Our children will experience this process of reviewing what there currently is, developing it and then create a new version of it. This is design. The children will use a range of materials and tools to enable them to convert their design ideas into a product. They will learn that the process does not work successfully first every time and that changes and alterations may be appropriate to achieve the desired outcome. 

Snapshot of D.T.

Across the year, the year group focus on units which develop a range of skills and knowledge across various areas of DT. We use Kapow to support our teaching, and the children combine and develop their skills, using a variety of materials to meet different criteria.

After winning the class attendance award ten times, Y2 got to chose what they would like to do for their Super Learning Day and they requested D.T and art activities. 

Cookstars - November 2021

To support our Cooking and Nutrition units across school, we had a company called Cookstars come in to do some sessions with the children. 

The classes made a range of different food products. We were very lucky to use our church lounge space and kitchen so there was plenty of room and the children were able to be very independent. It proved to be a HUGE success and the children loved it!

Here is what one teacher had to say about the session: 

"The children loved the Cookstars session! I was so impressed with how independent they were during the session. From the very start, the children did everything their selves. They developed problem solving skills and responsibility for keeping their own cooking areas tidy. Children who are usually quiet and can sometimes lack confidence were able to push themselves and create something of their very own. It was lovely to see the children helping each other with trickier aspects, for example shaping the tortilla wrap in a cone shape. The children were able to take ownership of their own dish as they were able to design and amend the recipe beforehand. The children loved every minute of the session and were so proud taking their mini pizza quiches home!"

Here are some children's comments: 

"My favourite part was cracking the egg."

"I've never cracked an egg before!"

"It was great!"

"I was nervous at the start but I felt good at the end because I did it all."