Intent

At Petham Primary School our Design curriculum is designed to engage, inspire and challenge our children. Giving them the opportunity to think like a designer. It gives them the knowledge and skills to invent and create their own pieces of art, craft and design, helping them participate and experiment with other designers. The children become confident to think creatively and critically. They are given the opportunity to investigate and evaluate a wide range of creative activities learning older skills still used by designers today, as well as exploring new skills constantly being developed. We take all opportunities available to bring learning alive and give the children real-life, practical and engaging activities from which to secure their understanding and skills around design. 

Our school core values are interwoven through the art and design curriculum.  Our pupils are actively encouraged to demonstrate leadership by having opportunities to share their knowledge and skills with less experienced peers and younger pupils.  Organisation is demonstrated through the expectation that children can select, access and organise their own resources.  The children are encouraged to be resilient and use their initiative by persevering and considering adjusting techniques or using alternative methods if their first attempts do not go to plan.  Children will be able to communicate their ideas and creations through a variety of means including annotating sketchbooks, verbally explaining their work and discussing what they have learnt and produced with others. 

Implementation

Our Design Technology scheme of work is design with six strands that run throughout out whole school, building on previously learnt skills;

Structures

Cooking and Nutrition 

Mechanisms and Mechanical Systems

Textiles

Electrical Systems (KS2 only) 

Digital World (KS2 only) 

Within these strands the children learn a range of skills, generating new ideas, pulling from knowledge and experiences they have had. Planning skills where the children explore that a design needs to be planned, tested and evaluated to see which materials will work and if a simple change will enhance their design. Evaluating their own work as well as others, including artists and their own classmates, gaining a good knowledge of designers past and present. We give children the opportunity to have clear dialogue and decision making about their own work as well as others. Lesson are always of a practical in nature allowing children to lead themselves to explore and develop their skills, helping each other build confidence and skill in the creative arts.

Impact

At Petham Primary School every class has a floor book following the design journey of each unit taught. The children have the opportunity to look back at their previous learning and see how this can improve or guide their future learning. The children take care and pride in their work and work to high expectation set by themselves and all teaching staff. The children are given the opportunity to showcase their work to each other and other members of the school team. 

Our children are actively encouraged to develop creatively both within and beyond the confines of the curriculum, and our continual and passionate engagement with The Arts is evidenced in our Silver ArtsMark Award, which underpins the school’s commitment to providing an enriching and inspiring creative experience for all pupils.  

In the spring of 2023 we were awarded a Silver Artsmark Award in recognition of the emphasis we place on the value of the arts across our school, both as part of the curriculum and as a large part of the wider opportunities that we offer the children.