All around us are products that we use in our everyday lives, these range from toys to utensil and gadgets, foods, vehicles and most other things that we encounter day to day.  The design and manufacture of these is an important element which very often goes on behind the scenes and is not thought about.  Children are surrounded by things which are designed and made.  We want our children to question why things are made the way they are, to explore how structures are put together and to have opportunities to design and create themselves. Considering who the product is designed for and making it meet the needs is really important.  During DT lessons children use appropriate vocabulary to generate designs for products with a purpose related to their topics in other subjects. They select and correctly use the right equipment for the task with increasing accuracy.  Children use a range of materials relating to food, textiles and construction, using skills they can take with them on their learning journey.  When working with food they also consider the key areas of nutrition and food hygiene. 

Over their time in school, children will have the opportunity of developing their skills in designing, making and evaluating.  They will also develop their technical knowledge. 

Design
• design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
• generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology

Make
• select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, (or example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing)
• select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics

Evaluate
• explore and evaluate a range of existing products
• evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria

Technical knowledge
• build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
• explore and use mechanisms, (for example levers, sliders, wheels and axles), in their products.

We use the National Curriculum and Focus Education© to help us identify key knowledge and skills. You can find out more here.

We have created a two-year curriculum, based on key questions.  It is linked to our local area and is relevant to our children and community. You can find them here.

In Early Years (the Reception year), the curriculum is organised along broad themes. You can see what Design Technology looks like in EYFS here.

We use itineraries to help us focus on what we need to teach, these also contain keywords, curriculum links and opportunities for enrichment activities. We use these to help us see what our children are able to understand