At King William Street CE Primary School, we utilise the DT Association Projects on a Page alongside Chris Quigley ‘Essentials Curriculum’ as a  base for our small steps progression document. This provides clear progression of skills and knowledge as well as clear milestones which the children are expected to reach by the end of Year 2, year 4 and year 6.

We work on a two-year rolling programme for our topic coverage. This allows our children to consolidate key design and technology knowledge and skills for each key phase, before moving onto the next. It also provides an opportunity to revisit and remember knowledge across our curriculum and build upon their previous learning with increasing complexity. Children are taught the skills they can experiment with and are given opportunities to make choices about their work and their learning thus creating their own design style.

Our curriculum follows a simple model:

Threshold concepts are the ‘big ideas’ that children will explore through topics making meaning connections/links. By returning to the same concepts over time, children will gradually build an understanding of them. Within these threshold concepts are four knowledge categories which are threaded through each sequence of learning. In design and technology these are:

• to take inspiration from design throughout history involves appreciating the design process that has influenced the products we use in everyday life. This supports the children to
  • use existing products, the role of the purpose and intended user when designing and making their product.
  • explore their ideas; adapt and refine them and explain their changes throughout the process of making and evaluating their product.
• the design process involves developing the process of design, make and evaluate.
• technical knowledge which supports the children to understand ‘how to’ theory that underpin the skills needed to make high quality products e.g. how to join materials, how an axle works and how to strengthen a structure.
• practical knowledge which supports the children to practice and apply the appropriate practical skills and techniques e.g. cutting, sewing, measuring, grating, assembling.

 Across each two-year rolling programme, the units encompass the following areas: Structures, Mechanisms, Food, Electrical Systems and Textiles. Each of these units has a clear and functional design brief with learning broken down into five parts:

Inspiration: children will be inspired by famous designers, inventors or a product.

Skills Practice: children practise skills that will be required during the making of their own product.

Design: children design purposeful, functional, appealing products based on the design criteria.

Make: children apply their learnt skills, select and use a range of tools and equipment to make their design.

Evaluate: children evaluate their ideas and products based on the design criteria. 

 Key vocabulary for each unit is carefully considered and planned for. All staff delivering these lessons recognise not only the importance of children understanding and using this vocabulary correctly during the lessons, but that the children are able recall vocabulary and meaning from previously taught units. Lessons incorporate independent tasks, paired and group work including practical hands-on, computer-based and inventive tasks.

Children record their work in their topic books, which will also include photographs of any practical activities. Each lesson is identified with the subject heading of DT and a WALT that is taken from each year group’s small steps progression document. Each WALT is a small step towards the children achieving the milestone for that subject. These WALTs are then highlighted in the children’s books and the attainment is then recorded on the design and technology part of Sonar.

Our design and technology curriculum is planned to support and establish a seamless progression through the school. When the children reach the end of their primary school journey, they will have acquired, improved and embedded a range of design and technology skills. They will be confident to explore and take risks, placing value on the journey they take rather than just on the finished product. Through pupil voice, the children have expressed how much they have their design and technology learning.

Due to the practical nature of design and technology, the monitoring of this subject takes various forms. A key component is pupil voice alongside their class DT Learning journey. School leaders use these to ensure children have the opportunity to produce pieces of work which help them independently demonstrate the skills that they have been taught. Through these discussions, children are able to demonstrate how they ‘know more and remember more’.

In addition, children’s design and technology work is shared with others by use of our classroom working walls often and on communal displays around the school.