Technology teaching in the Ashington Learning Partnership reflects our guiding principles of partnership and opportunity to provide enriching experiences for all pupils. Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Our curriculum uses creativity and imagination where our pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Throughout the curriculum pupils acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art which is evident in both our long and medium term plans. Pupils in the Ashington Learning Partnership learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. We believe that high-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of our pupils.

The Design Technology curriculum reflects the typical needs of our pupils to broaden and deepen their vocabulary, develop greater oracy skills and help them to self-regulate their emotions. The design and technology curriculum provides opportunities to explore STEM employment priorities and provides exploration towards living fulfilling lives and contributing to society through a range of visitors, practical tasks and challenges. 

In EYFS the curriculum ensures the EYFS learning and development requirements are met by responding to children’s needs and interests whilst stimulating new interests and addressing barriers to learning by providing children the opportunity to recognise a range of technology and explore these practically while progressing through the designers K,S,U passport.

In Key Stage 1 the design technology curriculum focuses upon providing opportunities for enriching pupils’ experience allowing them to apply techniques and strategies learnt in previous years and exploring a range of existing products and engineers.  

In Key Stage 2 it offers a challenging, broad, balanced and rich approach to design technology with opportunities for children to apply their knowledge and skills and reflect on why this is important in their own lives through the use of enquiry questions. Children explore how engineers plan, design and manipulate their products and apply this to their own designs reflecting upon successes and challenges. 

To achieve this, the Design Technology curriculum provides opportunities for children to develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. It allows them to build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users. Our pupils are given the opportunity to critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others as well as understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

The knowledge, skills and understanding gained at each stage then enables the evaluation of pupils’ knowledge and understanding against these expectations.