Design and Technology

Design and technology (DT) provides opportunity for the children to investigate familiar objects around them. They explore how things work, what they are used for and the needs of people who use them.

Children have the opportunity to develop a range of practical skills across both Key Stages working with different materials including fixing and joining, measuring and cutting, assembling, applying and a range of finishing techniques. Children are encouraged to design and make their own products and learn to evaluate them suggesting ways in which their work could be improved.

DT provides us with opportunities to make links with other areas of the curriculum such as Science and Maths.

The long-term plan covers KS1 and KS2 National Curriculum and shows coverage of the EYFS activities. At Lowther Endowed School, we have adopted the Kapow Design and Technology scheme to help inspire lessons and know that they are planned and sequenced to enable the aims of the National Curriculum to be covered.

Intent

At Lowther Endowed School, our Design and Technology curriculum is designed to inspire pupils to become creative thinkers, problem-solvers, and practical innovators. We aim to provide all children with the opportunity to develop essential life skills through a curriculum that is purposeful, engaging, and grounded in real-life contexts.

Through DT, children learn to:

Design, make and evaluate functional products with a clear purpose and user in mind.
Develop a progressive understanding of key skills including cutting, joining, constructing, measuring, and using tools and materials safely and accurately.
Explore and apply technical knowledge such as mechanisms, structures, textiles, and food technology.
Understand and apply principles of nutrition and healthy eating through hands-on cooking and food preparation activities.

Our curriculum fosters resilience, creativity, and critical thinking, encouraging children to take risks, reflect on their designs, and see failure as a step in the process of improvement.

Implementation

DT is taught through discrete, well-planned units across the school year, often linked to wider curriculum themes to ensure relevance and engagement.
Each DT unit follows the design-make-evaluate process, enabling children to plan purposeful products, create using a range of tools and techniques, and critically reflect on their outcomes.
Children are introduced to technical vocabulary and key concepts progressively across year groups.
High-quality resources are used to enable children to work with a wide variety of materials, components, and tools appropriate to their age and ability.
Food technology is a key component of our DT curriculum. Pupils are taught how to prepare food safely, make healthy choices, and understand where food comes from.
Learning is enhanced through practical, hands-on experiences, problem-solving tasks, and opportunities to design for real users or situations.
DT is inclusive and accessible for all learners, with adaptations and support provided as needed to ensure participation and success.

Impact

As a result of our DT curriculum:

Pupils develop confidence and competence in designing and making products for a range of purposes.
Children learn to work both independently and collaboratively, showing creativity, responsibility, and perseverance.
Pupils are able to use technical vocabulary to talk about their work, reflect on improvements, and explain how their designs meet the needs of a user.
Children understand the importance of functionality, aesthetics, and safety in design.
Through food and nutrition education, pupils gain essential life skills and a growing awareness of healthy lifestyles.
By the end of each key stage, children have developed a secure body of knowledge and practical skills in DT, preparing them for further study and real-world application.

Progression of Skills & Knowledge

DT Progression of Skills & Knowledge

Cultural Capital in Design and Technology

At Lowther Endowed School, Design and Technology plays a key role in building pupils’ cultural capital by equipping them with essential life skills, practical knowledge, and an appreciation of design and innovation in the real world.

Through our DT curriculum, pupils:

Explore how design and technology has shaped the world—past and present—learning about influential inventors, engineers, designers, chefs, and architects from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds.
Develop a strong understanding of how products are created to meet human needs, including considerations of culture, sustainability, function, and aesthetics.
Gain practical experience in designing, making, and evaluating products that have purpose and relevance to everyday life.
Learn about food, nutrition, and cooking, helping them to make healthy lifestyle choices and understand food from different cultures and traditions.
Engage in collaborative problem-solving, encouraging resilience, innovation, and critical thinking, all of which are essential for future learning and the world of work.
Build awareness of global issues such as sustainability, resource management, and ethical design, helping them become responsible and informed citizens.

By embedding these real-life contexts and cross-cultural perspectives into DT, we help children see themselves as capable creators and problem-solvers with the power to improve the world around them.

What does Design and Technology look like in EYFS .....

In the Early Years Foundation Stage at Lowther Endowed School, the foundations of Design and Technology are developed through rich, hands-on, and exploratory learning experiences that encourage creativity, problem-solving, and the development of fine motor skills.

DT in EYFS is not taught as a separate subject but is embedded within the areas of learning, particularly:

Expressive Arts and Design
Physical Development
Understanding the World
Communication and Language

Children explore the principles of design and making by:

Using a wide variety of tools and materials to construct, join, cut, fold, and shape — including cardboard, wood, fabric, construction kits, and recycled materials.
Designing and making models or products for a purpose, often linked to topics, stories, or children's own interests (e.g. building a bridge for a toy, designing a home for a character).
Developing their ability to plan and adapt their ideas through play, guided tasks, and open-ended challenges.
Exploring basic mechanisms (such as wheels and sliders), experimenting with how things move and work.
Preparing and tasting simple foods, learning about hygiene, healthy choices, and where food comes from.
Learning and using technical vocabulary in context, such as “join,” “cut,” “strong,” “roll,” and “texture,” to describe materials and processes.

Teachers model and support the design-make-evaluate process informally by asking purposeful questions such as, "What could you use to make it stronger?" or "How will you join those pieces together?"

By the end of EYFS, children will have developed the early creative, practical, and thinking skills that provide a strong foundation for the more formal DT curriculum in Key Stage 1.