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At Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we believe that Design and Technology is an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum. It gives children the opportunity to become creative thinkers, designers, makers and problem-solvers, developing practical skills and knowledge that they can use both in school and beyond.
Through a range of creative and practical activities, children learn to follow an iterative process of designing, making and evaluating. They are encouraged to identify problems, generate ideas, make informed choices, test solutions, learn from mistakes and improve their designs.
We want our children to develop a curiosity about the world around them and an understanding of how products, structures, mechanisms, materials, food and technology are designed and used to meet people’s needs.
Our Design and Technology curriculum provides opportunities for children to work in a range of meaningful contexts, including the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community and the wider environment.
Our Design and Technology curriculum aims to develop children who are:
We want children to understand that good design is an iterative process. A first idea does not always produce the best solution, and children are encouraged to refine, modify and improve their designs as they learn more.
Food and Nutrition
Food and Nutrition is an important part of our Design and Technology curriculum. Children develop practical cooking skills alongside an understanding of healthy eating, nutrition, food production and where our food comes from.
Through practical experiences, children learn how to prepare and cook a range of foods safely and hygienically. They develop an understanding of the importance of a balanced diet and begin to consider how food choices can affect our health, communities and the environment.
We use the Kapow Primary Design and Technology scheme to support the planning and delivery of our curriculum. Kapow provides a clear structure and progression of knowledge and skills, while allowing teachers to adapt and enrich learning to meet the needs of our children and reflect our school context.
Design and Technology is taught in blocks throughout the year, allowing children to immerse themselves in a project and develop their understanding in depth.
Our two-year rolling programme ensures that children experience a broad range of Design and Technology disciplines and that knowledge and practical skills build progressively as they move through the school.
Children experience the key areas of Design and Technology, including:
Design, Make and Evaluate
Our children follow a clear design process:
Design
Children investigate existing products, identify a purpose and user, generate ideas and develop their own designs. They learn to communicate their ideas through drawings, diagrams, prototypes and appropriate technical vocabulary.
Make
Children select and use appropriate tools, materials and techniques. They develop practical skills through hands-on experience and learn to work safely, accurately and independently.
Evaluate
Children test and evaluate their products against their design criteria and consider how successfully they meet the intended purpose. They are encouraged to identify improvements and understand that evaluation is an important part of the design process.
Building Knowledge Over Time
At the beginning of each unit, teachers identify children’s existing knowledge and understanding. Key knowledge is revisited through retrieval activities and questioning so that children can remember more and build on what they already know.
The knowledge and skills within each unit are carefully mapped across the school. This ensures that children revisit important concepts and progressively develop their technical vocabulary, practical skills and understanding.
At the end of a unit, children reflect on their learning and teachers assess their knowledge and skills. Where necessary, learning is revisited or consolidated before children move on.
Cross-Curricular Learning
Design and Technology provides valuable opportunities to apply learning from other curriculum areas. Teachers identify meaningful cross-curricular links where these enhance understanding.
For example, children may:
We ensure that these links are purposeful while maintaining a clear focus on the specific knowledge and skills of Design and Technology.
By the time children leave Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we want them to be confident, creative and increasingly independent designers and makers.
Our children will:
We want children to leave us with the confidence to think “How could I solve this?” rather than simply waiting for an answer. Through Design and Technology, they learn to approach challenges creatively, practically and thoughtfully.
Assessment is an integral part of our Design and Technology teaching. Teachers use questioning, observation, discussion and children’s practical work to assess their developing knowledge and skills.
Children’s learning is assessed against the expectations of the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage where appropriate. Teachers use assessment to identify starting points, adapt teaching, provide appropriate challenge and identify knowledge or skills that need further development.
The impact of learning can be seen through children’s designs, prototypes, finished products, practical skills and their ability to explain and evaluate the decisions they have made.
Design and Technology prepares children for a world in which creativity, innovation, technology and problem-solving are increasingly important.
We want our children to understand that they can design, create, adapt and improve the world around them. Whether they are designing a structure, creating a mechanism, preparing food or developing a product, our aim is for them to become curious, resourceful and resilient individuals who are ready to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.
At Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we believe that every child can be a designer, maker and problem-solver. Design and Technology provides opportunities for children with different strengths, interests and starting points to develop practical skills, express their creativity and experience success.
Our curriculum is designed to be accessible and inclusive. We use the Kapow Primary Design and Technology scheme to provide clear progression in knowledge and skills, while teachers adapt learning, resources and teaching approaches to ensure that all children can participate and make progress.
Supporting Children with SEND
Children with SEND and other additional needs are supported to access Design and Technology through appropriate adaptations and scaffolding. These may include:
We recognise that children may approach a design problem in different ways and that there is rarely a single correct solution. We therefore value the design process as well as the finished product, celebrating creativity, perseverance, problem-solving and the ability to learn from mistakes.
Equality and Diversity
We want every child to see themselves as someone who can design, invent, create and solve problems. Our Design and Technology curriculum introduces children to a diverse range of designers, engineers, inventors, craftspeople and innovators, helping them understand the contribution that people from different backgrounds and cultures have made to the world around us.
We actively challenge stereotypes about who can work in design, engineering, technology and practical occupations. All children are encouraged to participate fully and to recognise that their ideas and creativity have value, regardless of gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, or socio-economic background.
Children are encouraged to consider the needs of different users when designing products and solutions. This helps them to develop empathy and an understanding of accessibility, inclusion and responsible design.
Where appropriate, children also explore sustainability and the impact of design choices on people, communities and the environment. They are encouraged to think critically about how products are made, used and disposed of and how designers can develop more sustainable solutions.
Inclusive Food and Nutrition
Food and Nutrition is an important part of our Design and Technology curriculum, and we ensure that practical cooking experiences are accessible to all children.
Where children have allergies, dietary requirements, sensory needs or other individual needs, appropriate adjustments are made so that they can participate safely and meaningfully. Children develop an understanding that food and dietary choices can vary for a range of reasons and that these differences should be respected.
Through Design and Technology, we aim to develop confidence, creativity, independence and resilience in every child, enabling all children to experience the satisfaction of designing, making, solving problems and creating something they can be proud of.
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