Design Technology Intent

At Shiphay Learning Academy, the Design and Technology curriculum is designed to allow our children to develop the skills and knowledge required to carry-out practical tasks in an increasingly technical world. Our curriculum provides opportunities for children to create products that they can see, touch and taste for themselves, whilst also providing a motivating context for developing literacy, mathematics, science, art and ICT. To achieve this, children learn about the designed world through research and analysis, before learning to design and make functional products with particular purposes and users in mind.

At its core, each unit of work follows the ‘Investigate, Design, Create and Evaluate’ cycle. Furthermore, skills are taught progressively across the key stages to ensure all children are able to embed and practise the integral elements of the design process, building on previous skills and knowledge.

Our curriculum is also designed to encourage depth of learning across the three main Design and Technology strands – Engineering (including mechanisms, mechanical systems, electrical systems, structures and computer-aided design), Textiles and Food Technology. These strands are mapped across the school to ensure appropriate weighting and to ensure all curriculum objectives are met.

At Shiphay, units of work are taught termly and are linked to themes, where possible, to encourage cross-curricular learning. For example, in Year 5, children create animal hides as part of their unit on frame structures to accompany their work on Living Things and their Habitats and Year 2 design and make fire engines to share their learning in comparing the fire service of today with that during The Great Fire of London. Links are made with professionals, where possible, including having visiting farmers and suppliers of fresh produce for our Food Technology units in Reception, Year 1 and Year 3.

Art and Design Intent

At Shiphay Learning Academy, we aim for a high-quality curriculum to engage, inspire and challenge all pupils regardless of need or barrier as we have high-expectations for all of our pupils. Pupils will develop the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. They will use their sketchbooks as a place to be creative and express themselves through their art, developing art techniques and exploring traditional, contemporary and modern artists' work. 

The curriculum is designed around these key themes: 

• Thinking critically, exploring ideas, recording experiences 
• Techniques in drawing, painting and sculpture 
• How art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

The curriculum is designed around these key strands: 

• Developing Ideas – Sketchbooks
• Elements of Art – colour, line, texture, pattern, tone and space
• Responding to Art – Artist Study
• Drawing
• Painting
• 3D
• Printmaking

Implementation - what does “subject” learning look like at Shiphay Learning Academy? 

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences  
• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques  
• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design  
• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.