Design and Technology Curriculum

At Barnes Primary School, we aim to inspire creativity, innovation and problem-solving through a high-quality Design and Technology education. Our curriculum enables pupils to understand how the designed world is shaped by human creativity, technological advancement and purposeful decision-making. 

Our curriculum is ambitious, coherently sequenced and inclusive, ensuring all pupils develop both substantive knowledge (materials, systems and structures) and disciplinary knowledge (designing, making, evaluating and refining). Pupils build secure understanding through our key golden threads: mechanical and electrical systems, textiles, food and cooking, and structures, which run progressively from EYFS to Year 6. 

We place a strong emphasis on: 

• Developing creativity, innovation and problem-solving 

• Building technical knowledge and practical skills 

• Applying learning through real-life, purposeful design projects 

• Ensuring all pupils can access and succeed within the same ambitious curriculum 

Through this approach, pupils learn how products are designed, made and improved over time, and how designers respond to users’ needs, sustainability and real-world challenges. This prepares them for the next stage of learning, equipping them with the confidence and curiosity to engage with design and technology in Key Stage 3 and beyond. 

Design and Technology is taught through engaging, practical projects that allow pupils to design, make and evaluate purposeful products. Learning is structured around our golden threads to ensure clear progression in knowledge and skills.

The curriculum is carefully structured to ensure:

• Clear progression in designing, making, evaluating and technical knowledge
• Opportunities to revisit and build on prior learning
• Increasing independence in the design process, from exploration to innovation

Teaching is underpinned by:

• A focus on hands-on, practical learning including making, cooking and constructing
• Explicit teaching of technical vocabulary and design concepts
• Use of iterative design processes, including testing, evaluating and refining
• Opportunities to apply learning to real-life problems and user needs

Pupils develop a clear framework of skills, enabling them to:

• Generate and communicate ideas through sketches, models and prototypes
• Select and use appropriate tools, materials and techniques
• Investigate and evaluate existing products and designs
• Refine their work through reflection and critical thinking

Assessment is:

• Formative and ongoing, using observation, discussion and review of outcomes
• Focused on identifying next steps and supporting progress in both skills and knowledge

Teachers are supported through:

• Clear curriculum progression and structured projects
• Access to high-quality resources and materials
• Ongoing professional development and subject guidance

Enrichment opportunities enhance learning and include:

• Practical workshops and hands-on making experiences
• Cooking and nutrition activities
• Real-life problem-solving challenges
• Educational visits and specialist visitors

This ensures pupils experience Design and Technology as a creative, practical and purposeful subject that is relevant to everyday life.

As a result of this approach, pupils develop secure knowledge and skills in Design and Technology over time. 

Pupils: 

• Know more and remember more, applying knowledge across projects and contexts 

• Make links between materials, systems and design processes 

• Use technical vocabulary accurately to explain their ideas and decisions 

• Understand the impact of design on everyday life, sustainability and the wider world 

Pupils show increasing confidence in: 

• Generating and developing creative ideas 

• Selecting and using tools and materials effectively 

• Testing, evaluating and refining their work 

• Solving problems with resilience and independence 

Work and pupil voice demonstrate: 

• Clear progression in technical skills and understanding 

• A balance of creativity and practical application 

• High levels of engagement and pride in outcomes 

All pupils, including those with SEND and additional needs, are able to: 

• Access the full curriculum 

• Make meaningful progress from their starting points 

By the end of Year 6, pupils leave Barnes Primary as creative and confident designers who are: 

• Equipped with secure technical knowledge and practical skills 

• Able to think critically, solve problems and take creative risks 

• Ready to meet the demands of Key Stage 3 and apply their learning in real-world contexts 

In Nursery, every day is a DT day! We train the children to use tools and equipment effectively and safely. This ensures that the woodwork table and Design and Making table are available in every free flow session (where children choose what they want to do). There are always fabulous inventions and creations produced! During our specific DT week, Nursery have a ‘wibble wobble’ week. There is lots of trying to balance in different contexts including standing on real eggs! We look at the design of existing famous towers and bridges to inspire new building designs in our play.

In Reception, every day is also a DT day! We train the children to use tools and equipment effectively and safely. This ensures that the woodwork table and Design and Making table are available in every free flow session (where children choose what they want to do). There are always fabulous inventions and creations produced! During our specific DT week, we test different materials for strength and learn to use new methods to connect various materials. We then combine our story telling talents with our DT skills, to produce our own moving puppets for the Diwali story.

Year 1 make an ideal bedroom for a Lego character. The children design and make furniture to fit in their ‘shoebox bedrooms’.

Year 2 design and make a bread product which could be sold in Thomas Farynor’s bakery to raise money for the people who lost their homes in the Great Fire of London. Children are always very excited about making their own bread!

Year 3 design and make an apron suitable to wear during art and cooking lessons. Pupils develop their own design by personalising it and designing and creating an organisation pocket.

Year 4 design and make their own individual Morse code machines which are inspired by their Second World War work and their visit to HMS Belfast. The children investigate how Morse code machines work and explore different types of switches. They then create machines that could transmit Morse code messages to each other.

Barnes Bear is bored of his bedroom and wants some space-themed decor! Year 5 children use their textile and stitching skills to fulfil his wishes.

Linked to their learning theme ‘Dangerous Earth’, Year 6 design and make a mechanical toy for a child who has been affected by a natural disaster.