Design and Technology

At Shirehampton Primary School, Design and Technology encourages children to become creative thinkers, problem-solvers and confident makers.

Our curriculum gives children opportunities to investigate real products, explore materials and mechanisms, develop their own ideas, create and test prototypes and evaluate how successfully their designs meet a particular purpose.

We use the Kapow Primary Design and Technology scheme to provide a progressive curriculum from the Early Years through to Year 6, while giving children opportunities to make independent design decisions and develop their creativity.

Our Vision for Design and Technology

We want children to see themselves as designers, engineers, makers and innovators.

Our Design and Technology curriculum enables children to develop creativity alongside practical skills and technical knowledge. Children learn that successful design is not simply about making a finished product. It involves identifying a problem or purpose, understanding the needs of a user, developing ideas, selecting appropriate materials, testing possible solutions and continually refining their thinking.

Through DT, we want children to become confident problem-solvers who are willing to experiment, learn from things that do not work first time and use their knowledge to improve their ideas.

Children are also encouraged to consider the wider impact of design, including sustainability and the social, ethical and environmental consequences of the choices designers make.

What Children Learn

Children progressively develop their knowledge and skills across the key areas of:

• Mechanisms and mechanical systems

• Structures

• Textiles

• Cooking and nutrition

• Electrical systems

• Digital world

Learning is organised so that children revisit important knowledge and skills with increasing complexity as they move through the school.

Alongside practical skills, children develop technical knowledge and learn about materials, components, structures, mechanisms, electrical systems and digital technologies.

Children also learn about the work of designers, inventors and engineers and explore how design and technology shapes everyday life.

How We Teach Design and Technology

We use Kapow Primary as the foundation for planning and teaching Design and Technology.

Kapow provides a progressive sequence of knowledge and skills aligned with the National Curriculum. Teachers adapt learning where appropriate to meet the needs of their class while providing opportunities for creativity, innovation and independent design thinking.

Practical learning is central to DT. Children investigate materials, develop practical skills and learn to use tools and equipment safely and accurately.

Rather than simply following instructions to reproduce the same finished item, children are encouraged to make choices, solve problems and explain why particular materials, components or construction methods are appropriate for their design.

The Design Process

Children are taught to think and work as designers through an iterative design process.

Investigate

Children explore existing products and consider how they work, who they are designed for and what makes them successful. They investigate materials, components and construction techniques that may inform their own ideas.

Design

Children use their research and technical knowledge to generate ideas and develop annotated designs. They consider the purpose of their product, its intended user and the criteria it needs to meet.

Select materials

Children consider which materials, components and tools are most appropriate. As they become more experienced, they increasingly justify their choices by considering properties such as strength, durability, appearance, functionality and sustainability.

Create a prototype

Children develop prototypes, models or mock-ups to explore and test their ideas before considering a final solution.

Test and refine

Children test their prototypes against their original design criteria, identify strengths and areas for improvement and make modifications to improve their design.

Evaluate

Children reflect on their design journey and consider how effectively their product meets its intended purpose and the needs of its user.

This process teaches children that successful designs evolve through investigation, experimentation, testing and improvement.

Practical Skills and Technical Knowledge

Practical experiences are an essential part of Design and Technology.

Children progressively learn to select and use a range of materials, tools, equipment and techniques safely and accurately.

However, the emphasis is not simply on whether children can make something. We want children to understand why particular materials, components and construction methods are suitable and to use their developing technical knowledge when making design decisions.

Technical vocabulary is explicitly taught throughout the curriculum. Children are encouraged to use this vocabulary when explaining their ideas, justifying material choices, discussing prototypes and evaluating how their designs could be improved.

 Cooking and Nutrition

Cooking and nutrition forms an important part of our Design and Technology curriculum.

Children develop practical food preparation and cooking skills alongside their understanding of nutrition and healthy eating.

As they progress through school, children learn about ingredients, where food comes from and the principles of a healthy and varied diet. They have opportunities to prepare and make food products while considering purpose, ingredients, techniques and the needs of the intended user.

Children are taught to work safely and hygienically when preparing food.

Recording Our Design Journey

Each child records their Design and Technology learning in an individual DT book, providing a record of their design journey and progression over time.

Depending on the project, books may include product investigations, design briefs, research, annotated sketches, design criteria, material investigations, prototype designs, explanations of material choices, testing results, evaluations and photographs of practical outcomes.

Recording supports the practical design process rather than replacing it. Children are encouraged to explain their thinking and increasingly justify the decisions they make as designers.

 Making Connections

Design and Technology provides meaningful opportunities for children to apply knowledge and skills from across the curriculum.

Children may draw upon their scientific knowledge when considering materials, forces, electricity and nutrition; apply mathematical skills when measuring and calculating dimensions; use computing within digital design and technology; and combine functionality with creativity and aesthetics developed through Art and Design.

Where meaningful, projects can also connect with wider curriculum learning and provide authentic contexts in which children can apply their knowledge.

Wider Opportunities and the World of Work

Design and Technology helps children understand how the skills they develop in school connect with the wider world.

Children explore how designers, engineers, architects, chefs, inventors and other professionals identify problems and develop solutions.

Where appropriate, learning may be enriched through visitors, educational visits, STEM activities, enterprise opportunities and links with local organisations and professionals.

Children are also encouraged to consider sustainability and the environmental impact of products, materials and design choices.

How We Assess Design and Technology

Assessment takes place throughout the design process.

Teachers use questioning, observation, discussion, retrieval activities, practical outcomes, children's DT books and evaluations to identify what children know, understand and can do.

Assessment considers children's developing understanding of the design process and technical knowledge alongside their ability to select appropriate materials and components, develop prototypes, apply practical skills and evaluate and refine their ideas.

Children are also encouraged to reflect on their own work and explain the decisions they have made.

Assessment helps teachers identify what children have understood and remembered and informs future teaching.

 DT Curriculum & Progression

Our curriculum documents provide further information about what children learn in Design and Technology and how their knowledge and skills develop as they progress through the school.

📄 DT Curriculum Overview

📄 DT Progression of Knowledge & Skills