Design & Technology

Design and Technology (D&T) offers pupils the opportunity to explore the impact that new inventions have on our lives. It delves into how innovation has shaped and continues to influence the everchanging world. It promotes creativity and curiosity, providing a way for pupils to begin to ask questions and work practically to find their own innovative solutions to design challenges.   

D&T Curriculum Intent

In terms of DELIVERING EQUITY, we envisage by the end of Year 6 that our pupils will be instilled with the confidence to challenge design models and products and be discerning, confident consumers of the many items they experience and use in real life. We want our pupils to ask; ‘Is this fit for purpose and if not, why not?’ This skill will support pupils in their transition to senior school education and life beyond.

Progressive layering of knowledge, embedded in long-term memory, scaffolds pupils to:

  • Develop their skills and knowledge across five key areas: structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, cooking and nutrition and textiles 

  • Understand how to design purposeful, appealing products for different functions

  • Explore existing designs and understand how these things work

  • Plan and practise their ideas in different ways e.g., drawings, templates, and mock ups

  • Use a range of tools to perform practical tasks

  • Select materials or components that are fit for purpose

  • Evaluate and learn from their own and existing products to make improvements

Application of Conceptual Understanding – occurs when new information and ideas are incorporated into pupils’ existing knowledge through:

  • Developing an appreciation of how technology shapes the way we live and nurturing a genuine interest in how it is embedded in our day-to-day lives

  • Understanding how a product is designed for a particular function

  • Exploring different practical methods, evaluating their effectiveness and identifying the best outcome   

  • Increasing awareness of different tools and being able to select the correct tool for a particular job  

  • Enhancing their understanding of materials to select the appropriate one that is fit for purpose  

  • Developing the ability to reach clear conclusions and explain their findings, using this to make suggestions for improvements to the product 

D&T Curriculum Implementation

To achieve our intent, our Design and Technology curriculum will provide the following:  

  • A progressive, sequential journey of knowledge, skills, and concepts from Year 1 to Year 6, encompassing the depth and breadth of the D&T curriculum 

  • Immersion in studies relating to design and technology in our everyday lives and the wider world 

  • Opportunities to address potential cultural capital disadvantage 

  • A focus on subject specific vocabulary to equip pupils with the language to express their design and technology knowledge with precision and confidence 

  • Explicit links with high quality examples of products and design models which provide contextual links and reinforce understanding of design and technology  

  • Key outcomes, described as ‘sticky knowledge,’ which form the foundation of prior and subsequent learning 

  • Higher order, subject-specific questions to assess knowledge and understanding

  • Enhanced learning through memorable experiences and visiting experts 

  • Adaptable approaches that enable all pupils opportunities to explore technology and experience success 

  • Pre-teaching of vocabulary relating to design and technology for pupils with additional needs 

  • Learning opportunities that heighten pupils’ awareness of the significance and impact of design and technology on the quality and experience of life in the 21st century 

D&T Curriculum Impact

  • Pupils will have a curiosity about the world around them

  • They will be able to make informed, evaluative decisions about the products that they use 

  • Pupils will understand that experimentation is an opportunity to develop ideas and that there is not always only one correct way to be innovative in design 

  • They will have the skills and knowledge to select appropriate tools and materials, evaluating their choices 

  • Pupils will develop confidence in recognising the effective implementation of design and technology and be able to make informed choices about products used in everyday life