At our school, Design and Technology (DT) is a creative, practical and purposeful subject that equips children with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to become confident problem-solvers and thoughtful designers. DT provides opportunities for pupils to design and make products that respond to real users, real purposes and real contexts, preparing them for life in a rapidly changing world.

From the Early Years onwards, children are encouraged to explore, investigate and create. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, DT is embedded within the Early Learning Goals, particularly Creating with Materials and Physical Development. Children experiment with tools, materials and techniques, talk about their ideas, and learn to safely use simple equipment, laying strong foundations for later learning.

Across Key Stages 1 and 2, our DT curriculum follows the National Curriculum and the DT Association’s Projects on a Page principles. Every unit is carefully structured around a clear design brief and taught through a consistent sequence:
Investigate → Focused Practical Task → Design → Make → Evaluate.

This ensures children understand existing products, develop and practise essential skills, apply their knowledge creatively, and reflect critically on their outcomes.

Pupils design with a clear user and purpose in mind, considering functionality, aesthetics, materials and sustainability. They take part in a wide range of DT disciplines, including:

• Cooking and nutrition, learning some of the basic techniques involved with cooking and understanding healthy foods, where food comes from and seasonality of produce.  

• Textiles, learning stitching, joining and decorative techniques

• Construction, exploring structures, strength and stability

• Mechanics, including levers, linkages and moving parts

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DT at our school promotes resilience, collaboration and independence. Children are encouraged to take risks, learn from mistakes and evaluate their work honestly, using technical vocabulary and reflecting on how their designs could be improved. We aim for all pupils to leave primary school with the confidence to design, make and evaluate products that solve problems and improve everyday life — giving them both the roots to grow and the skills to shape the future.