Design and Technology: United Kingdom Year 2

This information is derived from the UK National Curriculum for Design and Technology.

Purpose of Study:

Design and Technology fosters creativity and imagination, empowering pupils to design and create products that address real-world problems. Students consider their own needs and the needs of others, developing a broad range of skills and knowledge encompassing mathematics, science, engineering, computing, and art. The subject encourages risk-taking, resourcefulness, innovation, and enterprise. Through evaluating past and present design and technology, pupils develop a critical understanding of its influence on daily life and the wider world.

Aims:

The curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop creative, technical, and practical expertise for everyday tasks and participation in an increasingly technological world.
• Build and apply knowledge, understanding, and skills to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for diverse users.
• Critique, evaluate, and test their own ideas and products, as well as the work of others.
• Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Key Stage 1 (Year 2 included):

Pupils engage in creative and practical activities to develop the skills for designing and making. They work in various contexts, such as home, school, gardens, playgrounds, and the local community.

• Design: Pupils design functional and appealing products based on design criteria. They generate, develop, model, and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups, and potentially ICT.
• Make: Pupils select and use tools and equipment for practical tasks like cutting, shaping, joining, and finishing. They choose from a range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles, and ingredients, based on their characteristics.
• Evaluate: Pupils explore and evaluate existing products and assess their own work against design criteria.
• Technical Knowledge: Pupils build structures, exploring ways to enhance strength, stiffness, and stability. They explore and use mechanisms like levers, sliders, wheels, and axles in their products.

Cooking and Nutrition (Key Stage 1):

• Pupils learn to use basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes.
• They learn about the origins of food.