Welcome to our Design & Technology page.  

 At St James Junior School, our vision for DT is to use our creativity, practical skills and knowledge to solve real problems and create finished pieces using different materials, processes and tools. This broadens children minds about the world and the people within it and allows them to learn skills for the future as well as being global citizens and learn about the effect of products on the environment and people.

Our DT scheme offers full curriculum coverage using Kapow which offers an engaging and well-structured sequence of learning building upon prior knowledge at each stage. The Design and technology National Curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. Each unit follows these stages, to form a full project. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical and technical understanding, required for each strand. Further, pupils' skills and knowledge are developed across six key areas: structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, cooking and nutrition, digital world and textiles.

Our aim through our DT curriculum is to enable children to develop practical skills for the future. They have a rich and broad curriculum which allows them to create a variety of different pieces including pop up books, castles, pneumatic toys and much more. Children are given opportunities to problem solve, develop oracy skills and learn about the wider world through DT units which are child-led, interactive and creative.

Assessment is a key feature of DT lessons and units. Children are assessed at each stage of the creation of their final piece and at the culmination of the unit. Regular recaps and revisiting ensure that vocabulary and key concepts are well established with all children. The creation of their final pieces offer an essential tool to track progress. As part of the DT cycle children are always encouraged to evaluate their own work as well as peer evaluations; all of which offer key assessment information.

We enrich our DT curriculum through opportunities given to explore the full breadth of the possibilities of DT. Children are given opportunities to think about future career potential through sessions with local companies such as Sellafield, the WestLakes Science Park and the Primary Business Partnership. These sessions explore the cross curricular links with science and computing and form part of our STEM provision. These allow children to explore the life-long opportunities that DT provides.