EYFS
Design Technology learning in Reception encourages children to explore creativity, problem-solving, and early engineering concepts through hands-on activities. They develop their ideas through drawing, mark-making, role play, and model-making, planning and selecting materials with intention, such as choosing tape to join pieces or fabric for costumes in imaginative play. As they use tools like scissors, glue spreaders, and hole punches with increasing control, they experiment with different ways to join materials, including taping, gluing, folding, and threading. Construction resources such as playdough and junk modelling help them shape and assemble models, while textures, shapes, and colours allow them to express ideas visually. Children learn to combine materials to achieve specific outcomes, such as building a strong bridge or designing a functional box. Through reflective discussion, they talk about their creations, comparing them to their original plans and suggesting improvements. Guided questioning helps them develop problem-solving skills as they explore how things work, offering solutions and adaptations to improve their models, fostering curiosity and independence in their learning.
Year One
In the Year 1 Design and Technology curriculum, pupils develop skills in both mechanisms and structures. In mechanisms, pupils follow a design to create moving models that use levers and sliders, learning how to adapt their mechanisms when they do not work as intended, to better fit their vehicle designs, or to improve their performance after testing. In structures, pupils focus on making stable models using card, following instructions to cut and assemble the supporting frame of a windmill. They create functioning turbines and axles and integrate them into the main structure. Along the way, pupils practise key skills such as finding the middle of an object, puncturing holes, adding weight to improve stability, creating supportive frameworks, and cutting materials evenly and carefully. Through these activities, they build a strong foundation in basic design, construction, and problem-solving.
Jonathan says he enjoyed making pull along toys in Design Technology.
Year Two
In the Year 2 Design Technology curriculum, pupils build on their practical skills through sewing, mechanisms, and food technology. In sewing, pupils select and cut fabrics, neatly pin and cut using a template, and practise threading a needle and sewing a running stitch with neat, evenly spaced stitches to join fabric. They also learn to decorate a pouch using either fabric glue or running stitch. In mechanisms, pupils create moving models by making linkages with card levers and split pins for pivots, experimenting with different widths, lengths, and thicknesses of card to refine their designs. In food technology, pupils develop their cutting, chopping, grating, and spreading skills to safely and neatly prepare a healthy wrap. Alongside this, they learn to identify the five food groups, understanding the basics of a balanced diet. Through these hands-on activities, pupils gain confidence in making, experimenting, and evaluating their work.
Pouches Unit
Year Three
In the Year 3 Design and Technology curriculum, pupils further develop their skills across sewing, mechanisms, and structures. In sewing, pupils follow a design criteria to create a cushion, selecting and cutting fabrics accurately with fabric scissors. They practise threading needles and tying knots more independently, sew cross stitches to join fabric, and decorate their work using applique. Their projects are completed by stuffing and sewing the edges neatly. In mechanisms, students learn to create pneumatic systems using syringes and balloons, designing secure housings to produce a desired motion and building functional and appealing pneumatic toys. In structures, pupils manipulate materials by cutting, creasing, folding, and weaving, and begin selecting materials thoughtfully, based on their functional and aesthetic qualities. Through these activities, pupils strengthen their creativity, problem-solving skills, and technical ability, laying a strong foundation for more advanced design work.
Teddy says he likes making stuff in DT; it's really fun!
Year Four
In the Year 4 Design and Technology curriculum, pupils expand their skills across electrical systems, food technology, and digital programming. In electrical systems, pupils design and make a torch with a working circuit and switch, carefully cutting and attaching materials, and assembling their torch according to a given design and success criteria. In food technology, pupils learn to follow a baking recipe while understanding and applying key safety and hygiene rules. They also adapt recipes to meet the needs of a target audience and create packaging for their baked goods using a cuboid net. In the digital world strand, pupils are introduced to programming a micro:bit using the Microsoft micro:bit editor, writing simple programs to time a set number of seconds or minutes on button press. They also learn to test, find, and fix bugs in their code through debugging. These projects help pupils develop technical, creative, and problem-solving skills across a wide range of real-world applications.
Adapting a Recipe
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Adapting a Recipe and Making Packaging
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Adapting a Recipe and Making Packaging
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Year Five
In the Year 5 Design and Technology curriculum, pupils develop a wide range of practical and creative skills through sewing, structures, and mechanisms. In sewing, pupils design and create a 3D stuffed toy from a 2D plan, measuring, marking, and cutting fabric accurately and independently. They thread needles with confidence and use strong, evenly spaced blanket stitches to join fabric, also using applique techniques to add decorative fabric pieces. In structures, pupils explore engineering principles by making different types of beam bridges and creating truss bridges using triangles to span distances and support loads. They build wooden bridge structures, independently measuring, marking, and safely sawing wood, selecting appropriate materials and tools for each task, and reinforcing structures where needed with card corners. In mechanisms, students follow a design brief to create pop-up books, using sliders, pivots, and folds to produce movement, and adding layers and spacers to hide mechanical parts for a clean, polished finish. Throughout the year, children deepen their understanding of materials, precision, and design in increasingly complex projects.
Julita says she loves DT because they made Christmas toys and she made a candy cane!
Christmas Plush Toys
Year Six
In the Year 6 Design and Technology curriculum, pupils refine their skills across sewing, food technology, and electrical systems. In sewing, children use templates to accurately cut fabric, securing them with pins without creating creases or bulges. They mark and cut fabric precisely, sew strong running stitches with small, neat spacing, tie secure knots, and learn a range of decorative stitches. Pupils design and decorate waistcoats, attaching features like appliqué and finishing their garments with fastenings such as buttons. In food technology, students independently and hygienically follow recipes, accurately measuring ingredients, adapting recipes based on research, and working efficiently to meet a set timescale. In the electrical systems unit, they design and build a stable base for a game, accurately cutting, folding, and assembling nets, decorating their designs to a high standard. They also make and test electrical circuits, successfully integrating them into their finished products. By the end of Year 6, pupils demonstrate strong independence, precision, and creativity across increasingly complex projects.