Design & Technology

At the heart of Scholar Green’s Design and Technology curriculum is the belief that every pupil is a creative problem solver. Through inspiring, practical and purposeful learning experiences, pupils develop the confidence, resilience and skills to design, make and evaluate products. Design and Technology encourages children to think creatively and work collaboratively. We want every pupil to develop curiosity about how things work, confidence in their own ideas and the determination to improve them following feedback. By combining imagination with practical skills, we prepare children to become innovative thinkers who can positively shape the world around them. Design Technology is also enriched through our strong focus on STEM, and we are proud to have an active STEM club where pupils can explore engineering, coding and scientific challenges in a fun and collaborative environment. In addition, children have the opportunity to choose STEM-based activities as part of their Golden Time options, allowing them to pursue their interests and develop their skills further. Through our Design and Technology curriculum, we aim to inspire future innovators, designers and engineers who are confident in solving real-world problems.

Design and Technology Curriculum

Our Design and Technology curriculum is carefully sequenced so that knowledge, skills and vocabulary build progressively from the Early Years to Year 6. Pupils revisit key concepts and technical skills throughout their primary education, allowing them to strengthen previous learning while tackling increasingly complex design challenges. During their time at Scholar Green, pupils become creative thinkers who can identify problems, generate ideas and develop solutions. Through designing, making and evaluating, pupils develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create purposeful products following a design criteria, while considering the needs of users and the wider world.

Design and Technology plays a vital role in today's society. It encourages innovation, resilience and adaptability—skills that are increasingly important in a rapidly changing technological world. Children learn that great designs are created through research, experimentation, reflection and continuous improvement. Pupils develop an understanding of food technology (cooking), mechanisms, structures, textiles and electrical systems (Crumble Kits), while recognising how design influences everyday life.

By the time pupils leave our school, we want them to:

• become confident designers who enjoy solving problems creatively;

• understand the complete design process: initial skills, design, make and evaluate;

• use a range of tools, equipment and materials safely and effectively;

• understand how mechanisms, structures, textiles, electrical systems and food technology work;

• apply their knowledge from other subjects such as mathematics, science, computing and art to real-life projects;

• evaluate products thoughtfully and use feedback to improve their own work;

• understand how Design and Technology helps improve people's lives and shapes the future.

What our pupils say about Design and Technology...

'My teacher uses real life examples and videos in lessons to show me how to do things'

'I have improved in DT since I was younger because I can now plan things better and I am more accurate with measuring'

'DT can be hard sometimes but it's always worth it in the end. My teacher encourages me to keep on going in lessons and she says positive things such as 'you can do it''

'My favourite thing that I have made in DT is a cheese wrap because I now know how to make them at home'

'My favourite thing that I have made is a castle. It was a little bit tricky to make at first but I worked together with my friend'

'In DT, you need to take your time with things and not give up'

'My confidence in DT has changed since starting school because when I started here, I wasn't sure what DT was. Now I know what it is and it is really fun!'

'My favourite thing to make was a Crumble Sparkle Creature. When my group programmed the lights, it looked like the creature was glowing!'

Crumble Kits

In Upper Key Stage 2, pupils develop their understanding of programmable technology through the use of Crumble kits, combining design, electronics and computing to create purposeful products.

In Year 5, children design and make a Crumble Sparkle Creature, learning how electronic components work together within a simple circuit. They assemble their product before using Crumble software to write, test and refine programs that control the Sparkle's sequence, colour and timing. Through this project, pupils develop their understanding of inputs, outputs, sequencing, debugging and how programming can bring a design to life.

In Year 6, pupils build upon this learning by designing and constructing a motorised buggy. They carefully assemble the chassis, connect motors and electronic components, and programme the buggy using Crumble software to control its movement. Pupils test, evaluate and refine both the physical design and the code, developing resilience and problem-solving skills as they improve the performance of their final product.

These projects provide valuable opportunities for pupils to apply knowledge from Design and Technology, Computing, Science and Mathematics in meaningful, real-world contexts. By designing, making, programming and evaluating their products, children gain first-hand experience of the iterative design process while developing the creativity, technical understanding and computational thinking needed for an increasingly technological world.

Sketchbooks

Every pupil has a sketchbook where they record, develop and communicate their ideas throughout the design, make and evaluate process. These books are working documents that capture pupils' thinking, creativity and problem-solving rather than simply showcasing finished products.

In Key Stage 1, children begin by exploring existing products, drawing simple designs, labelling ideas and discussing the materials and tools they might use. They learn that successful designs often change and improve as new ideas emerge.

As pupils move through Key Stage 2, their sketchbooks become increasingly sophisticated. They investigate existing products, generate and annotate design ideas, create labelled diagrams, select appropriate materials and evaluate the effectiveness of their finished products. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their work, identify improvements and understand that designing is an iterative process in which ideas are refined over time.

Pupils are Scholar Green are proud of their sketchbooks and they provide a clear record of progression, demonstrating how knowledge, understanding and design thinking develop throughout their primary education.

Examples of sketchbooks

Design and Technology in action...