Design & Technology
Our aims
At Scotton Lingerfield Primary School, we want children to become creative, resourceful and practical problem-solvers. Design and technology gives them opportunities to explore how things work and to design and make products for a particular purpose or person.
Children learn to turn an idea into something they can test, use and improve. We encourage them to be curious, try different approaches and persevere when a design does not work as expected. Through practical projects, they develop independence and learn that reviewing and adapting an idea is an important part of making a successful product.
Our curriculum also develops everyday skills, including sewing, preparing food and using tools safely. Children draw on learning from subjects such as mathematics, science, computing and art, applying their knowledge in practical contexts.
How we teach design and technology
Design and technology is taught in blocks through a two-year rolling programme for our mixed-age classes. We use Kapow Primary to support a carefully sequenced programme, with DT blocks alternating with art and design. Children develop their knowledge and skills through projects involving structures, mechanisms and mechanical systems, textiles, and cooking and nutrition.
Our progression documents set out how learning builds from Reception to Year 6. Children revisit techniques and concepts through increasingly demanding projects, developing greater accuracy, technical understanding and independence.
Designing, making and evaluating are connected throughout each project. Children explore existing products, consider who their product is for and decide what it needs to do. They communicate their ideas, select materials and tools, and practise the techniques needed to make their product. Testing and discussion help them identify what works well and what needs changing.
Children use sketchbooks to develop ideas, record designs and reflect on changes. Sketching, exploring materials and making prototypes help them test possibilities before committing to a finished product.
They also investigate the work of designers and companies, past and present, considering how products meet people’s needs and how design influences everyday life.
As children move through school, they consider both how a product looks and how well it works. They learn to explain their choices using appropriate technical vocabulary and to use feedback to improve their designs.
Teachers adapt equipment, materials and the steps within a task where needed, helping children participate safely and develop increasing independence.
Building skills across ages and stages
In Reception, children develop early design and making skills through planned activities and opportunities to practise within continuous provision. They explore materials, learn to use tools safely and try different ways of joining things together. Projects such as junk models, boats and bookmarks help them plan what they want to make, choose materials and talk about their decisions. They begin to make predictions, test their creations and explain what they would do differently next time. Early food activities introduce preparing ingredients and describing appearance, smell, texture and taste.
In Years 1 and 2, children begin to design products with a clear purpose, using drawings and simple annotations to communicate their ideas. Through projects such as windmills and Baby Bear’s chair, they investigate how to make structures strong, stiff and stable. Moving monsters and fairground wheels introduce mechanisms, including levers, linkages and axles. Textile work develops cutting, joining and early sewing skills. In cooking and nutrition, children explore fruit and vegetables, learn where they grow and practise preparing them safely. They test their products against simple design criteria and suggest improvements.
In Years 3 and 4, children give greater consideration to the needs of a user and explain their designs in more detail. Castles and pavilions develop their understanding of three-dimensional shapes, frame structures and reinforcement. Slingshot cars and pneumatic toys help them investigate how forces and mechanisms create movement. Children become more accurate when measuring, marking, cutting and assembling materials. Textile projects introduce fastenings and the use of templates and mock-ups to check ideas before making. Through seasonal cooking, they learn about food origins, nutrition and the environmental impact of transporting food. Evaluation increasingly draws on testing, design criteria and the views of others.
In Years 5 and 6, children bring together their practical skills and technical knowledge to tackle more complex design briefs. Playground projects require them to consider a range of users, construct and reinforce frames, and measure and cut components accurately. Pop-up books and automata toys develop their understanding of mechanisms, including how cams, axles and followers work together to produce movement. Textile projects such as waistcoats and stuffed toys demand more precise cutting, joining and stitching, with attention to strength and finish. In cooking, children investigate ingredients and food production, adapt recipes to make them healthier and develop their understanding of hygiene and avoiding cross-contamination. They work with increasing independence, using testing and feedback to refine their products.
Developing confidence and independence
Throughout school, children learn to select and use tools and equipment safely, with teaching and support matched to their experience and needs. Practical skills are revisited so that children become increasingly confident and accurate in their work.
We value the thinking, experimentation and problem-solving behind a product, alongside the finished result. Children learn to explain why they chose particular materials or techniques, recognise where a design could be improved and apply what they have learned to future projects.
By the end of Year 6, we want children to have the practical skills and confidence to approach a challenge, develop their own ideas and make thoughtful decisions about how to bring them to life.
