Weston Village Primary SchoolDesign and Technology
Design and Technology at Weston
Design and Technology helps children understand how ideas can be developed into useful, purposeful products.
At Weston, pupils learn to investigate, design, make and evaluate. They develop practical skills, learn how materials and mechanisms work and make increasingly informed choices about tools, processes and construction.
We want children to approach design problems with creativity, curiosity and perseverance, while understanding that successful design involves thinking carefully about purpose, user and function.
The Design Process
Children learn that designing and making is an iterative process.
They are taught to:
investigate existing products and how they work
identify who a product is for and what it needs to do
generate and communicate ideas
select appropriate materials, tools and techniques
make with increasing accuracy and control
test their products
evaluate what works well and what could be improved
refine their ideas in response to testing and feedback.
Evaluation is therefore not simply something that happens at the end. Children are encouraged to think critically throughout the process and make changes where these improve the product.
Designing
As children progress through school, they become increasingly independent in turning an idea into a workable design.
Younger children may communicate ideas through talk, simple drawings and models. Older pupils use increasingly detailed sketches, diagrams, prototypes and design criteria to plan their work.
Children learn to consider:
purpose – what the product needs to do
user – who it is being designed for
function – how it will work
materials – what it should be made from and why
appearance – how design choices affect the finished product.
Making
DT gives children opportunities to develop practical competence.
Pupils learn to select and use tools and materials safely and with increasing precision. Depending on the project, this may involve skills such as:
measuring and marking
cutting and shaping
joining and strengthening
constructing
sewing and working with textiles
assembling mechanisms
using electrical components
preparing and cooking food.
Children are taught techniques explicitly before being expected to use them with increasing independence.
Technical Knowledge
Alongside practical skills, pupils develop knowledge of how designed products work.
Across the primary years, this includes learning about areas such as:
structures and how they can be strengthened
mechanisms and movement
mechanical systems
electrical systems
textiles and joining techniques
how digital technology can be used within designed products.
This knowledge allows children to move beyond simply making something that looks appealing towards understanding why and how it works.
Cooking and Nutrition
Cooking and nutrition form an important part of Design and Technology.
Children develop practical food-preparation skills and learn about ingredients, nutrition and making informed food choices.
As they progress, pupils gain increasing independence in preparing and cooking food safely and hygienically.
They also learn that food comes from different sources and that ingredients, seasonality, culture and sustainability can all influence the food we eat.
Design and Technology in Reception
The foundations of DT begin in Reception through Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development and Understanding the World.
Children explore a wide range of materials, tools and construction resources. They learn to join, cut, shape, build and adapt their creations and are encouraged to talk about what they have made and how they might improve it.
Through practical experiences, children begin to develop the fine-motor control, problem-solving and creative thinking that underpin later Design and Technology learning.
How Learning Develops
In Key Stage 1, children begin to work within simple design briefs. They explore existing products, communicate ideas, use basic tools and materials and begin to evaluate whether what they have made meets its purpose.
In Lower Key Stage 2, children make more deliberate choices about materials, construction and mechanisms. Their designs become more detailed and they use a wider range of tools and processes with greater accuracy.
In Upper Key Stage 2, projects require pupils to draw together several strands of knowledge. Children are expected to justify design decisions, work with increasing precision, solve problems during manufacture and evaluate products critically against clear criteria.
The aim is for children to become increasingly thoughtful and independent designers rather than simply following instructions to reproduce a predetermined outcome.
How We Teach Design and Technology
Our whole-school teaching routines support practical learning in DT.
I → We → You enables teachers to model a tool, technique or process clearly before pupils practise with guidance and then apply it independently.
Scaffold → Fade means templates, visual instructions, partially completed examples or adult guidance can be provided initially and reduced as pupils become competent.
Retrieval, little and often helps pupils recall important vocabulary, techniques and previous technical knowledge when they begin a new project.
Words & Visuals supports understanding of specialist vocabulary, diagrams, processes and sequences.
Practical independence is important. Adults support children to succeed safely while avoiding doing parts of the designing or making that pupils can learn to do for themselves.
Inclusion in Design and Technology
DT offers many different ways for children to demonstrate understanding and creativity.
Teachers anticipate barriers and make appropriate adaptations so that all pupils can take part meaningfully in designing, making and evaluating.
These may include:
adapted or alternative tools
visual and step-by-step instructions
pre-cut or partially prepared materials where appropriate
additional modelling
vocabulary support
changes to the size or complexity of a task
additional time or supported practice.
Adaptation is intended to give pupils access to the same important learning while allowing them to develop as much practical independence as possible.
Assessment
Assessment in DT takes place throughout the design-and-make process.
Teachers consider how well pupils can:
use previously learned knowledge and techniques
explain their design decisions
select appropriate tools and materials
work safely and accurately
respond to problems while making
evaluate a product against its intended purpose and design criteria.
The finished product is only one part of the evidence. The thinking, decision-making and technical understanding demonstrated during the process are equally important.
Connections Across the Curriculum
Design and Technology naturally draws on knowledge from other subjects.
Children may use:
mathematics when measuring, calculating and working accurately
science when considering materials, forces, electricity or nutrition
computing when digital systems form part of a product
art when considering visual qualities and communicating design ideas.
These connections are made where they genuinely strengthen the DT learning rather than replacing the distinctive knowledge of the subject itself.
Our Design and Technology Curriculum
The document below shows how Design and Technology learning is organised and developed from Reception to Year 6.