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Design & Technology

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Steve Jobs 

At Kates Hill Primary School, we believe it is essential for children to develop practical skills that will support them in navigating and understanding the world around them. Through our Design and Technology (D.T.) curriculum, pupils are given the opportunity to explore their creativity, acquire key skills, and bring their ideas to life.

Our D.T. curriculum is carefully structured to help children gain valuable, transferable skills that can be applied across other areas of the curriculum and beyond the classroom. We place a strong emphasis on fostering problem-solving, critical thinking, and innovation through hands-on learning experiences.

Key elements of our D.T. curriculum include:

  • Researching existing products.
  • Design – Children are guided by a set of criteria to design purposeful and functional products.
  • Making practically – In every unit, children have the opportunity to bring their designs to life. They are provided with a range of materials and tools to support them in creating their products, developing technical and construction skills along the way.
  • Evaluate – After completing their projects, pupils are encouraged to reflect on their work. They learn to evaluate their creations thoughtfully, considering what went well and identifying areas for improvement. This reflective approach builds resilience and informs their future projects.

Our aim is for every child at Kates Hill Primary to leave us as a confident and capable designer.

Intent

At Kates Hill Primary, our intent is to develop pupils’ mastery of design and technology, empowering them to apply these skills confidently in everyday life and future careers. Our curriculum is carefully planned to ensure clear skill progression, building on prior knowledge and fostering a deep understanding of essential concepts.

Pupils at Kates Hill develop a strong foundation in design principles, enabling them to think, work and communicate like designers. We nurture creativity and problem-solving through a variety of engaging projects.

From Early Years, pupils participate in hands-on activities, beginning with material exploration (Expressive Arts and Design) and developing fine motor skills (Physical Development), before advancing to more complex design challenges. Alongside this, they learn about aesthetics, social responsibility, and environmental awareness.

We inspire pupils encourage innovative thinking. Throughout their journey, pupils will identify needs, create practical solutions, and develop the skills and enthusiasm required to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Implementation

At Kates Hill Primary, we follow a broad and balanced Design and Technology curriculum that builds on prior learning, offering both support and challenge for all learners. Our curriculum focuses on specific disciplines such as food and nutrition, mechanisms, structures, textiles, and key stage-specific topics like sliders and leavers (KS1) and steady hand games (KS2). These projects are designed to help pupils engage with the National Curriculum in a creative and meaningful way.

Progression is built into the curriculum, allowing pupils to revisit and deepen their understanding of key concepts with increasing complexity and challenge. Alongside developing skills in core Design and Technology disciplines, we emphasise the importance of purposeful, real-world work, encouraging pupils to develop problem-solving skills and creativity.

Our curriculum is delivered through a hands-on, creative approach where pupils design, make, and evaluate. A DT unit will follow a consistent learning journey. Children will research existing products, practise skills, design a product, create a product and evaluate. They work with a wide range of materials, tools, and technologies, building practical skills while fostering creativity, critical thinking, and resilience.

Impact

At Kates Hill Primary, the impact of our Design and Technology curriculum is clear in pupils’ progress in creativity, problem-solving and practical skills. By the time they leave, pupils understand the full design process - from identifying problems to designing, creating, and evaluating solutions - and confidently use a range of materials, tools, and technologies in real-world contexts.

Children develop substantive and disciplinary knowledge that helps them perform everyday tasks and thrive in a technological world. They leave equipped with cooking skills and an understanding of healthy eating. Through meaningful connections, pupils remember and apply their learning independently. Our curriculum prepares them to be resourceful, innovative, and skilled designers who explore ideas and solve relevant problems.

We assess progress continuously through practical work, discussions, and reflections, focusing on development as designers rather than just final products. This helps us tailor teaching to support each pupil’s growth.

As a result, pupils leave Kates Hill confident, creative, and ready to use their skills both inside and beyond the classroom, with a lasting appreciation of design’s impact on the world.