What are primary schools like?
5
How Science and D&T might be taught
There are several approaches to finding time for Science or D&T. Most schools already have Science on their timetables, but D&T sometimes gets squeezed out! Here are some suggestioned ways of getting round this.
Little and often
This approach requires that you set aside one afternoon session per week for approximately half a term, each term, in order to complete three units of work in a school year.
All at once
This approach uses a complete week, sometimes longer, often at the end of the summer term for a wide ranging set of D&T experiences for all children in the school.
Termly immersion
A combination of the "little and often" with the "all at once" approaches can be used to provide for immersion and progression. In this approach a school allocates three complete days each term to D&T. On these three days all the children in each year attempt a complete unit of work.
Special occasions
There are many occasions in the school calendar which lend themselves to design and technology activity. Religious celebrations, end of term parties, school fetes, can all involve children in designing and making a wide variety of products, promotional materials and organisational systems. While it is difficult to plan and implement a full D&T curriculum through these occasions alone, they can provide a powerful way of celebrating the progress made by the children in D&T.