It's not just about ideas - it's about making ideas happen!

 

Intent

At Burton Pidsea Primary School, we aim to provide a high-quality Design and Technology curriculum that inspires creativity, innovation and problem-solving. We want children to develop the confidence and practical skills needed to design, make and evaluate purposeful products for a range of users and contexts.

Our intention is for pupils to gain experience working with a variety of materials and components, including food, textiles, structures, mechanisms and electrical systems. Through carefully sequenced learning, children develop technical knowledge, designing skills and making skills, enabling them to create functional and well-considered outcomes.

Design and Technology encourages pupils to think critically, take risks and learn from evaluation and refinement. The subject draws upon knowledge and skills from other areas of the curriculum, particularly mathematics and science, allowing children to make meaningful connections and apply prior learning in practical contexts.

By the time they leave our school, pupils will have developed resilience, creativity and independence, alongside the practical understanding needed to continue designing and problem-solving in their future education and everyday life.

Implementation

Our Design and Technology curriculum is delivered using Kapow Primary mixed-age planning, ensuring full coverage of the National Curriculum and clear progression of knowledge and skills across year groups. The mixed-age structure is carefully sequenced to allow children to build on prior learning while developing increasing independence and technical competence over time.

Within each unit, pupils engage in investigative and evaluative activities where they explore existing products and consider how design and technology impact the wider world. They learn to identify users and purposes, analyse how products work and evaluate what makes them successful.

This is followed by focused design and make tasks in which children are taught specific technical knowledge and practical skills. Pupils generate ideas, create detailed designs and select appropriate tools and materials to produce functional products. Throughout the process, they are encouraged to evaluate their work and make improvements. Health and safety is explicitly taught and reinforced to ensure children use tools and equipment responsibly.

Design and Technology is taught as a discrete subject; however, meaningful links are made to other areas of the curriculum where appropriate. Children apply their learning from English, mathematics, art, science and computing in purposeful, hands-on contexts, enabling them to practise and strengthen key skills while developing creativity and problem-solving abilities.

Through our Design and Technology curriculum, pupils develop innovation, resilience and practical skills that prepare them for the wider world.

Impact

By the end of their time at Burton Pidsea Primary School, pupils will have developed the practical skills, creativity and resilience needed to think and work as designers. They will be confident in generating ideas, selecting appropriate tools and materials, and creating functional products for a clear purpose and audience.

Children will demonstrate enjoyment and confidence in Design and Technology, applying the knowledge and skills they have gained across other areas of the curriculum. They will remember key concepts and techniques and use them effectively when solving problems in new and unfamiliar contexts.

Pupils will be able to work both independently and collaboratively, showing perseverance and adaptability when refining and improving their designs. Through this process, they develop problem-solving skills and practical understanding that can be applied beyond school and into later life.

Assessment summaries are used to monitor curriculum coverage and identify achievements and next steps in learning. This ensures clear progression in knowledge, understanding and technical skills across the school.

 

Design and Technology Long Term Plan and Progression of Skills

[pdf 499KB]