Design Technology

Curriculum Intent

Our Design and Technology curriculum is designed to develop capable, creative and reflective designers and makers. Pupils learn that successful design begins with a purpose, a user and a set of requirements. They investigate existing products, generate and communicate ideas, make informed choices about tools and materials, manufacture safely and evaluate the effectiveness of what they have produced. Technical knowledge is taught explicitly so that making is underpinned by understanding rather than craft activity alone. Pupils apply relevant mathematics, science, computing and art knowledge and learn to balance function, appearance, sustainability and user needs. Food technology also develops practical knowledge of nutrition, hygiene and safe preparation. We want pupils to become resourceful problem-solvers who can take appropriate risks, learn from prototypes and improve their ideas. By the end of Year 6, pupils should be able to manage increasingly complex design processes with greater independence and understand how design and technology shape everyday life and future careers.

Curriculum Implementation

Design Technology is implemented through purposeful projects that enable pupils to investigate needs, generate and communicate ideas, make products and evaluate their effectiveness. Pupils progressively learn to select and use tools, materials, components and techniques safely and accurately, while developing technical knowledge of areas such as structures, mechanisms, textiles, electrical systems and food. They also apply relevant learning from mathematics, science, computing and art when solving practical design problems.

Learning is sequenced so that pupils move from simpler making tasks and basic construction techniques towards increasingly demanding projects requiring greater accuracy, technical understanding and independent decision-making. Knowledge of materials, measurement, joining, mechanisms and other technical principles is revisited and extended over time. Each project connects investigating, designing, making and evaluating so pupils understand design as an iterative process rather than a series of isolated activities.

Teachers explicitly model design thinking, safe tool use and practical techniques before pupils apply them with increasing independence. Pupils investigate existing products and intended users, develop and communicate ideas, make and test prototypes or finished products and evaluate outcomes against clear design criteria. Questioning and feedback encourage pupils to explain decisions, identify improvements and understand how technical choices affect the success of a product.

Reading, Vocabulary & Oracy

Design briefs, product information, diagrams and technical instructions provide meaningful reading opportunities. Subject vocabulary such as prototype, mechanism, structure, criteria, function, component and evaluate is taught explicitly. Pupils are expected to discuss their design decisions, explain how products work and justify improvements using precise language.

Inclusion & Adaptation

Practical tasks are adapted so that all pupils can participate in the same design process and learn the intended technical knowledge. Teachers may provide templates, adapted tools, visual instructions, pre-cut materials, additional modelling or supported sequencing where needed. Pupils who are ready for more challenge work with tighter tolerances, more complex mechanisms, greater independence or more demanding design constraints. Health, safety and successful participation are planned proactively.

Assessment

Assessment takes place throughout the design process. Teachers use discussion, design work, practical observation, finished products and evaluation to determine whether pupils understand the technical principles as well as the making process. Pupils are expected to explain why choices were made and how testing informed improvement. Assessment identifies misconceptions about materials, mechanisms or techniques and informs future teaching and curriculum refinement.

Enrichment & Wider Opportunities

Projects allow pupils to explore how designers, engineers, craftspeople and manufacturers solve real problems. Links to sustainability, food, technology and the built environment help pupils see the relevance of the subject. Where possible, pupils encounter examples of design from different cultures and industries and consider how products affect people and the environment.

Curriculum Impact

Impact is demonstrated when pupils can move through a design process with increasing independence and purpose. They should be able to investigate a problem, generate workable ideas, select suitable tools and materials, make accurately and safely and evaluate outcomes against clear criteria. Pupils should retain important technical knowledge and apply it in later projects rather than treating each unit as an isolated activity. Leaders evaluate impact through pupils’ design records, products, discussion and lesson evidence, checking that practical outcomes reflect genuine learning and that all groups have access to ambitious technical experiences.