Intent
At Willow Primary School, our Design and Technology curriculum is knowledge-rich, practical and aspirational. We aim to inspire creativity and imagination by enabling pupils to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems in a range of meaningful contexts.
Through a progressive curriculum, pupils develop secure knowledge, technical understanding and practical skills that prepare them for life beyond primary school. We believe that high-quality Design and Technology education plays a vital role in contributing to creativity, culture, well-being and future innovation.
Our Design and Technology curriculum promotes the school’s ASPIRE values by encouraging investigation through the design process, collaboration through teamwork, resilience through challenging tasks and reflection through evaluation.
Aims
Through Design and Technology, we aim for all pupils to:
Implementation
Design and Technology at Willow is taught through carefully planned projects that place the core elements of the subject at the centre of learning. These elements are introduced simply in EYFS, developed explicitly in Key Stage 1 and explored in greater depth and complexity in Key Stage 2.
Pupils follow a consistent Design – Make – Evaluate process:
Across all year groups, pupils progressively develop technical knowledge within the five key areas of Design and Technology. Curriculum coverage is carefully sequenced to ensure all required knowledge and skills are taught by the end of each key stage. Design and Technology is taught every term, either through weekly lessons or block units.
L Lessons follow a clear and consistent structure that guides pupils through the process of researching and exploring ideas, pre-teaching key knowledge and skills, generating and developing design ideas, and making and evaluating products. Evaluation is an iterative process, with pupils continually testing, analysing and refining their work. Feedback at each stage informs improvements and adaptations, helping pupils to understand that successful design involves cycles of prototyping, testing and modification. This approach supports independence, reflection, problem-solving and resilience, enabling pupils to improve outcomes through thoughtful review and refinement.
Strong emphasis is placed on vocabulary development, with technical language explicitly taught and revisited throughout each project. Pupils record their learning capturing research, significant figures, design briefs, sketches, the making process and evaluations.
Throughout their time at Willow, pupils study a diverse range of designers, engineers and chefs, both past and present. These significant individuals are chosen to reflect our diverse community and reinforce the message that representation matters.
Impact
As a result of the Design and Technology curriculum at Willow:
Pupils develop confidence, creativity and enthusiasm for Design and Technology
Pupils know more and remember more, demonstrating secure technical knowledge and skills
Pupils can discuss the work of designers, engineers and chefs and explain how these have influenced their own designs and the wider world
High-quality outcomes demonstrate competence in designing, making and evaluating
Pupils show resilience and perseverance by continually refining and improving their work
Pupils confidently use technical vocabulary to explain their ideas and learning
Children take pride in their work, which is celebrated through displays and showcase events
Design and Technology is fully embedded as a key component of STEM learning across the school