Design Technology

Curriculum Progression

Skills and Knowledge Progression Early Years Curriculum

Click below to learn about our Design Technology Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact:

Intent

At St Mary’s, Design and Technology is embedded within our thematic curriculum so that learning is purposeful, relevant, and inclusive. The DT curriculum enables all pupils to develop practical creativity, problem-solving skills, and technical understanding through designing, making, and evaluating products linked to real-life contexts. Learning is carefully planned so that pupils build knowledge and skills progressively over time, regardless of starting point. Our curriculum is designed to ensure equality of access for all learners, while also providing appropriate challenge so that higher attainers can deepen their thinking and disadvantaged pupils can achieve well.

Implementation

Design and Technology is taught through themed units that link closely to wider curriculum learning. Over time, pupils revisit and build upon key DT skills, including researching, designing, making, and evaluating. Teachers adapt learning to meet the needs of all pupils through modelling, scaffolded tasks, targeted support, and opportunities for extension.

All pupils are supported to access resources and experiences fully and are challenged to refine designs, solve more complex problems and justify decisions. Clear success criteria, explicit vocabulary teaching, and structured reflection ensure that learning is well sequenced and accessible to all.

Impact

Over time, pupils make clear progress in the following areas:

Design, making, and evaluation skills
Critical and creative thinking
Use appropriate technical vocabulary with increasing confidence
Levels of independence, resilience, and care when designing and producing outcomes
Understanding of sustainability

Evidence from pupil voice, high-quality final products, and teacher assessment shows that pupils take pride in their work and leave St Mary’s prepared for the next stage of their education.

University of London, Goldsmiths: Textiles from Congo workshop

As part of our study into the continent of Africa, Year 5 were lucky to have to Art students from The University of London, Goldsmiths, visit to deliver a workshop on artist, Sammy Baloji from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
We analysed the different medium and materials he loves working with and then foraged in the school's forest garden for leaves, twigs and other materials that we would use. Back in class, we worked with clay and our leaves/twigs to create our own textile patterns. By the end of the lesson, we were covered in flour but we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Cooking Curriculum Workshops

Every class have enjoyed some wonderful cooking opportunities this year, linked to the Thematic Curriculum.