Our Design and Technology Curriculum - Great Bardfield Primary School

Overview

Our Design and Technology Curriculum

At Great Bardfield Primary School, our Design and Technology curriculum inspires children to think, plan and create like designers, architects and engineers. Pupils explore ideas, solve problems and bring their designs to life, building confidence and practical skills through purposeful, hands-on learning in mixed-age classes.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced. Each unit begins with a big question, which is broken down into smaller, manageable steps to support understanding and long-term retention. Key knowledge and skills are clearly identified, and teaching is thoughtfully adapted so all children, including those with additional needs, can access the same rich learning experiences.

Design and Technology is taught in six weekly sessions each term. Lessons start with a clear learning objective and include short retrieval activities, with thinking, ideas and reflections recorded in sketchbooks. Pupils develop their skills across designing, making, evaluating, technical knowledge and food technology, often linking their learning to real-life contexts and the work of designers, engineers and architects.

The learning sequence follows the pattern: LINK IT, RESESEARCH IT, DESIGN IT, RESOURCE IT, MAKE IT, EVALUATE IT.

In the Early Years, children build strong foundations by safely exploring a range of materials, tools and techniques. They experiment with form and function, share and explain their creations and use materials imaginatively through play and storytelling, supporting a smooth progression into Design and Technology learning across the school. Although the Early Learning Goal of ‘Creating with Materials’ relates more closely to Art and Design, there are links which can be made with Design and Technology in Years 1 and 2.

Children at the expected level of development at the end of their Reception year will:

Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.
Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.

Assessment is embedded throughout each unit with time for review and reflection, and monitoring ensures teaching is effective and all pupils enjoy, achieve and develop as confident young designers and makers.