{"id":8005,"date":"2023-05-05T13:25:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T12:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cornerstoneseducation.co.uk\/?p=8005"},"modified":"2024-10-31T12:45:14","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T12:45:14","slug":"subject-leadership-in-the-primary-design-and-technology-curriculum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cornerstoneseducation.co.uk\/subject-leadership-in-the-primary-design-and-technology-curriculum\/","title":{"rendered":"Subject leadership in the primary design and technology curriculum"},"content":{"rendered":"
Good subject leadership in primary design and technology<\/a> ensures an effective curriculum<\/a>, helps children to learn about the designed world and supports teachers in teaching the subject well. How a subject leader leads and manages the curriculum is also an integral part of an Ofsted inspection.<\/p> In this blog, curriculum expert and Cornerstones Director Melanie Moore looks at the importance of design and technology<\/a> as a subject and the role of a primary school design and technology subject leader.<\/p> Anything human-made has been designed and engineered in some way. Buildings, machines, computers, home products, fashion and homes are all examples of design and technology in the real world.<\/p> Design and technology education involves three important elements: learning about the designed and made world, understanding how things work and designing and making functional products for particular purposes and users.<\/p> Design and technology<\/a>, also known as DT, is a statutory subject for schools in England. It aims to develop children\u2019s creative, practical and problem-solving skills by designing, making and evaluating everyday and other human-made products. Moreover, it can develop critical skills in collaborative working and knowledge about keeping safe when creating and using products.<\/p> The skills children learn in the subject can also support learning across the whole curriculum<\/a>. An effective design and technology curriculum should help develop children\u2019s knowledge of materials, systems, techniques and famous designers and engineers. Children should also begin to make links with other subjects, for example, materials in science, measuring in maths and design in art. It also has many valuable and natural interdisciplinary links with computing, particularly around the curriculum aspect of computer control. Most schools in England follow the national curriculum<\/a>, which includes design and technology as a compulsory subject at Key Stages 1 and 2. The statutory Programmes of Study are as follows:<\/p> Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7)<\/strong><\/p> In Key Stage 1, the main focus is on introducing the children to basic design concepts, tools and materials, including:<\/p> Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11)<\/strong><\/strong><\/p> In Key Stage 2, the main focus is on developing children\u2019s understanding of design ideas, skills, concepts, tools and materials, including:<\/p> Design and technology<\/a> links well to other areas of the curriculum, such as science, art and mathematics. For example, children might investigate products for insulation linked to science or design a clothing item with a pattern in art and design. However, while interdisciplinary links can enhance children\u2019s understanding of design and technology, you still need to retain the integrity of the subject.<\/p> A good leader for any curriculum subject is responsible for planning<\/a>, creating, monitoring and evaluating<\/a> the school\u2019s curriculum. It is equally important that they and the senior leadership team form a supportive and inclusive learning environment that promotes well-being and success for teachers and children. <\/p> As a design and technology subject leader, you will provide direction, support and guidance in effectively planning<\/a>, teaching and assessing<\/a> your school\u2019s design and technology curriculum. This will also involve monitoring and evaluating the teaching and learning of your subject across the school and ensuring that your curriculum enables all children to progress. <\/p> In a nutshell, you should:<\/p> Ofsted inspections in primary design and technology are designed to assess the quality of teaching and learning in the subject, the curriculum, leadership and management and the overall impact of design and technology education on children.<\/p> Here are some deep-dive questions that Ofsted inspectors might ask during a primary design and technology inspection:<\/p> Overall, Ofsted inspectors will be looking for evidence that your school\u2019s design and technology curriculum is well-planned, well-delivered and positively impacts children\u2019s learning and development. They will also seek evidence that leaders and teachers are committed to continuous improvement and willing to learn from best practices and feedback.<\/p> <\/p> Subject leadership can be a challenging role in the current educational climate. Finding ways to make your job manageable and maintain your well-being is a must and will, in turn, allow you to achieve an effective curriculum <\/a>with minimal stress.<\/p> At Cornerstones, we help subject leaders to plan<\/a>, lead, assess<\/a>, teach and manage<\/a> a high-quality, ambitious design and technology curriculum<\/a>. All the tools, materials and resources you need are housed on the Maestro platform<\/a>, including a fully sequenced design and technology curriculum<\/a>, a subject-specific knowledge and skills curriculum framework and thousands of teaching resources, saving you hours. The platform also allows you to monitor, assess and review the teaching and learning of your subject across Nursery to Year 6.<\/p> We ensure you are confident and ready to go with Maestro<\/a> with a subject leader training pack to download and ongoing live support from our expert team of curriculum advisors. The difference you can make with Maestro is clear from the start. Book your online demo with one of our experienced curriculum advisers today<\/a>.<\/p> Good subject leadership in primary design and technology ensures an effective curriculum, helps children to learn about the designed world and supports teachers in teaching the subject well. How a subject leader leads and manages the curriculum is also an integral part of an Ofsted inspection.<\/p>\n In this blog, curriculum expert and Cornerstones Director Melanie Moore looks at the importance of design and technology as a subject and the role of a primary school design and technology subject leader.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,58,70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curriculum","category-design-tech","category-subject-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe importance of design and technology<\/strong><\/h5>
Interdisciplinary links<\/strong><\/h5>
Design and technology subject leadership<\/strong><\/h5>
Design and technology deep-dive questions<\/strong><\/h5>
Managing your design and technology curriculum<\/strong><\/h5>