Design Technology

‘Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.' – Steve Jobs

What do we want for our children?

We live in an ever-changing world, fuelled by technology and innovation. The study of design and technology teaches children to think outside the box, to develop their own ideas and to respond to identified needs and opportunities, preparing them for life in the world of tomorrow. It gives children the chance to work through a creative process that is more structured and action-orientated; making or adapting existing products and systems.

At Preston Park, we aim to equip our children with both the creative and investigative skills they need to excel across the primary curriculum and beyond. The transferable skills they are taught in design and technology marry closely with their learning in history, science, mathematics and art, and open up a wealth of opportunities for pupils to have future careers in engineering, architecture, culinary practices and product design, among others.

Children are taught how to problem solve, and will work creatively and innovatively on projects to solve a specific brief, where they will organise, delegate and implement their ideas collectively and independently. We encourage children to ask questions and seek answers through practical exploration, thus becoming more resourceful and inquisitive. We also encourage children to take risks and become more comfortable with making mistakes, as we believe that making mistakes encourages children to try something new, to think creatively and be innovative.

How do we deliver this effectively?

At Preston Park, we use Design and Technology Association’s Projects on a Page, which is a scheme of work that fulfils the statutory requirements outlined in the national curriculum (2014) [1] and for EYFS (Reception) we use the Design and Technology Associations Opportunities for Developing Design and Technology in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (2021) [2] in which links are made to Development Matters [3] and the Early Learning Goals [4].

The D&T Association’s scheme of work is organised into five key aspects of D&T: food, mechanisms, structures, textiles and electrical systems. Each key aspect is divided into 5 key areas of learning: prior learning, designing, making, evaluating and technical knowledge & understanding.

The five key aspects are revisited throughout the children’s time at Preston Park, with food being taught every year and electrical systems being introduced in KS2. Computer Aided Design (CAD) and programming & control are integrated into projects where appropriate and children in KS2 are introduced to key events and individuals including, but not limited to, inventors, chefs, engineers, fashion designers and architects.

The Design and technology National Curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. Each of the D&T Association’s key aspects follows these stages, to form a full project. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical and technical understanding, required for each strand.

Cooking and nutrition has a separate section in the design and technology National Curriculum, with additional focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality. Cooking and nutrition units still follow the design process summarised above, for example, by tasking the pupils to develop recipes for a specific set of requirements (design criteria) and to suggest methods of packaging the food product including the nutritional information.

Each of the five key aspects links to the technical knowledge and reinforces principles learnt through exploring various methods, techniques and evaluations of existing products. The technical knowledge descriptors build upon prior learning and introduce new learning.

Design and technology is taught discreetly each term, and although our units of learning are usually ‘stand-alone’ topics in their own right, there is related learning in other subjects across the curriculum.

We have an inclusive approach which supports children with SEND. At Preston Park, teachers adapt and tailor their lessons to meet both the learning and physical needs of all children.

Design and technology provides an opportunity for children to experiment with their own creativity while learning in a supportive environment, yet also having the freedom to make mistakes and find techniques that work for them. Through this, pupils learn how to take risks and are able to discover their own interests whether this be sewing, cooking or programming. For many this is can provide an outlet to show their innovative nature and create something functional that has a user and purpose.

It is therefore important to ensure that all learning is taught in a considerate and encouraging manner. At Preston Park, teachers ensure that the individual needs for each pupil are being met by adapting and differentiating the planning where relevant, such as simplified instructions or choosing appropriate equipment for children’s individual needs. Every skill included in the design and technology planning is examined and appropriate resources are provided.

What does this look for our children?

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

In Early Years, child-led learning is integral to the curriculum. Supporting children in following and exploring their own interests encourages them to explore their practical design and making skills through a combination of child-led and adult-directed activities. These include sewing and weaving, junk-modelling, building using construction skits (e.g. Lego, Duplo, magnets and K-Nex), cookery, bakery and others aspects of creative play through one of the 7 areas of learning – Expressive arts and design. In this area, pupils develop their imagination, creativity and their ability to use media and materials and work towards the Early Learning Goals.

Children at the expected level of development will:

Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function
Share their creations, explaining the process they have used
Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories

As we work through our EYFS reception units, children will have plenty of opportunities to get to know each of these areas, as they explore different materials, processes and outcomes. Children do this in a range of ways including junk modelling, playing with colours, textures and designs. This emerging knowledge and understanding can be used to explore crucial early design and making skills. By the time children are in Reception, they will be increasingly able to use what they have learnt to independently explore their own practical and creative design ideas, including making for a purpose or for a particular person. Free access to resources is key, and so children have a dedicated ‘art station’ and access to recycled materials every day.

The early learning goals in the EYFS aim to guide children in their exploration and experimentation of materials, tools, colours and textures. Through this, they can begin to attribute meaning to the models and designs they make. Their experiences in the EYFS form the foundation for future learning in Design Technology.

	Reception
Autumn Term	Junk modelling Hibernation box Mechanical Systems Sliding picture
Spring Term	Cooking and Nutrition Soup Textiles Flower threading Hanging decorations
Summer Term	Textiles Bookmarks Structures Boats Cooking and Nutrition Rainbow Salad

Key Stage One (Years One and Two)

In years 1 and 2, children begin to design for a given purpose, or for a specified person or group of people – the user. Children learn to use their knowledge of existing products to help inspire their own designs, and be will introduced to some key designers and products through time. They will be introduced to the ‘design cycle’, and will start to communicate their ideas through talking and drawing. They will be supported in using simple design criteria to develop these ideas. Children will begin to say how their products will work, and how they will make them suitable for their users.

Across Key Stage 1 pupils learn core foundation skills across the key areas of cookery, construction and textiles, for example: threading a needle, basic sewing stitches, cutting and joining materials, strengthening basic structures, and measuring and cutting ingredients. How to be safe and hygienic whilst using specific tools will be taught and revisited consistently throughout all units.

Throughout the design cycle, children will be encouraged to talk about their design ideas and what they are making. By the end of the Key Stage, children will be making simple judgements about their products using specific design criteria, and suggesting how their products or designs could be improved.

	Year 1	Year 2
Autumn term	Sliders and levers (Mechanisms) Experimenting with sliders and levers. Planning and making three pages of a moving story book, based on a familiar story, drawing the page backgrounds, creating the moving parts and assembling it.	Wheels and axles (Mechanisms) Learn about how wheels and axles work to transform repurposed cardboard, lollipop sticks, wheels, dowels and straws into a moving tractor and trailer. Links to summer term where tractors are used on farms to plant and harvest vegetables.
Spring term	Freestanding structures (Structures) Explore different methods of joining card and paper. Using the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears as inspiration, pupils help Goldilocks by making her a new bed. Exploring different shapes and materials to design and make the bed, while considering her needs and what she likes.	Templates and joining (Textiles) Explore different ways of making simple pattern pieces and joining fabrics. Use the techniques learnt to make and decorate gloves puppets to put on a puppet show for parents to see.
Summer term	Preparing fruits (Food) Learn basic knife skills and food hygiene. Handle and explore fruits and learn how to identify fruit. Undertake taste testing to establish chosen ingredients for designing making fruit products.	Preparing vegetables (Food) Learn move advanced techniques such as peeling and grating. Learn about healthy eating. Taste some salad dressings to understand how different flavours work together. Plan and make a nutritious salad with a dressing.

Key Stage Two (Years Three to Six)

Across Key Stage 2, children continue to immerse themselves in practical textiles, construction and cookery sessions, building upon their understanding and experiences of design from Key Stage 1. Children will become increasingly confident in understanding and working through the ‘design cycle’, and this will form the basis of all teaching. They will continue to design based on a target user and will learn how to gather information about the user’s wants and needs, using this to inform their designs. By Upper Key Stage 2, this research will take the form of surveys, interviews and web-based investigation. Children will be able to indicate key features of their design that will appeal to their intended users, and explain how particular parts of their products work.

Building upon the foundation of core skills taught in Key Stage 1, pupils will begin to use a wider range of materials and tools with improved precision and deftness. They will be introduced to techniques that involve a number of steps, and will be taught how to select suitable tools and materials to suit particular methods. Building upon the skills taught in previous years, children will be sewing, finishing textiles, assembling and joining components and preparing ingredients with increasing accuracy. By the end of the Key Stage, pupils will be demonstrating resourcefulness when tackling practical problems.

Children will use design criteria to evaluate their completed products, identifying strengths and areas for development in their own outcomes, as well as those of their peers. By Upper Key Stage 2, children will consider the views of others, including their target users, to improve and amend their design ideas. By the end of the key stage, children will able to assess the quality of their designs, including their manufacture and fitness for purpose. They will explore important and impactful designers and existing products throughout history, consider other areas of design such as sustainability and cost-effectiveness, and begin to think about the impact products may have beyond their intended purpose.

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Autumn term

2D shape to 3D product (Textiles)

Explore new techniques for cutting and joining fabrics.

Learn about the different qualities and uses of different fabrics and look at and touching them.

Use the techniques learnt to make and decorate aprons to use for their chosen purpose.

Healthy and varied diet (Food)

Planting herbs to use in their soup.

Taste testing and reviewing typical winter soup flavour combinations.

Learning about Winter seasonal ingredients.

Using knowledge about a balanced diet and how to prepare food to design and make their own winter soup recipe using seasonal ingredients in groups.

Healthy and varied diet (Food)

Learn about rice dishes from different countries and cultures.

Taste test flavour combinations.

Use knowledge about a balanced diet and how to prepare food to design and make their own sushi recipes using traditional Japanese ingredients and seasonal vegetables.

Frame structures (Structures)

Learning techniques to build frame structures and to join pieces of wood.

Pupils will experiment with joining techniques to inform the design and make of their birdhouses for the nature reserve, carefully considering size, structural integrity and surface design.

Celebrating culture and seasonality (Food)

Taste testing and reviewing different types of bread, where they come from and their uses.

Learning how flour is grown and the science behind yeast.

Pupils will consider dietary needs and preferences to adapt a recipe for a flavoured loaf of bread.

Spring term

Healthy and varied diet (Food)

Learn about the EatWell Guide and what makes a balanced diet.

Taste test flavour/ingredient combinations from different food groups.

Pupils will design a sandwich of their choice which will include a healthy mix of protein, vegetables and dairy.

Use the techniques learnt in previous years to prepare sandwich fillings and learn how to safely use a sandwich press.

Simple circuits, switches and programming & control (Electrical Systems)

An introduction to electrical systems.

Testing circuits using components.

Designing and making a Nightlight with a programmed Micro:bit sensor.

Celebrating culture and seasonality (Food)

Learning about Fairtrade foods.

Discovering and taste testing traditional hot cross buns and discussing what new flavours could be nice to try.

Pupils will customise the flavour of their hot cross buns in groups and will learn the importance of measuring ingredients accurately.

Cams (Mechanisms)

Learning what cam mechanisms are and how to make them.

Using tools like saws and drills safely, accurately and effectively.

Designing and making a product that has a mechanism which gives a message that is important to the child.

Summer term

Shell structures (Structures)

Looking at and deconstructing biscuit packaging to see what nets look like.

Explore ways of designing nets for packaging with and without the use of CAD.

Learn ways of strengthening sheet materials

Pupils will design and make their own memory box.

Pneumatics (Mechanisms)

Observing and testing pneumatic systems, learning how they work and their uses.

Drawing on joining techniques and previous knowledge of sliders and levers to design and make a mascot for a sporting event.

Complex switches and circuits (Electrical Systems)

Design and create a steady hand game, using nets to create the bases. Using CAD to assist with design.

Apply knowledge of electrical circuits and programming micro:bit’s to build an operational circuit with a buzzer that completes the circuit when the handle makes contact with the wire.

Combining different fabric shapes (Textiles)

Comparing different fabric shapes and learning more stitches.

Apply prior knowledge to choose appropriate fabrics, fastenings and stitches for designing and making a shopping bag.

Decorating the bag with applique that depicts a memory of their time at school.

Progression in Skills and Understanding

In our teaching of design and technology at Preston Park, we keep the following key principles in mind:

Children return to the key areas again and again during their time in primary school.
Each time a key area is revisited it is covered with greater complexity.
Upon returning to each key area, prior knowledge is utilised so pupils can build upon previous foundations, rather than starting again.

Consistent progression in design and technology is essential and our ‘Progression of Skills and Knowledge’ documents clearly outline how children will develop year-on-year in each of the key aspects.

As with all learning at Preston Park, technical vocabulary acquisition is prioritised and correct spellings and vocabulary are insisted upon and modelled at all times.

How does this contribute to and develop our 21st Century learner?

The outcome of our design and technology curriculum will be children who are able to:

Take risks
Be resilient and reflective
Use appropriate skills within cookery, construction, electronics and textiles
Work collaboratively and independently
Delegate and share leadership
Reflect and take on board constructive advice and comments
Effectively evaluate the work of others and work of their own
Be able to consider the impact that design and designers have had on our world

Our children will use their creativity, resourcefulness and imagination to explore the past, present and future of design. The carefully planned and progressive units of learning will allow children to immerse themselves in these inspiring, rigorous and practical experiences.