Design and Technology (DT) Curriculum Intent – Bishops Lydeard Church School

Our Design and Technology curriculum is designed so that every pupil at Bishops Lydeard Church School builds secure, cumulative knowledge and disciplinary skills which they can retrieve and apply across year groups. We use a carefully sequenced progression rooted in the National Curriculum so that pupils systematically develop their understanding of designing, making, evaluating and technical knowledge.

Each unit follows a structured design process: pupils investigate existing products, design purposeful solutions, create using a range of tools and materials, and evaluate their outcomes. Prior learning is explicitly revisited to ensure progression in practical skills such as joining, shaping, constructing and refining. Pupils build resilience through iterative design, problem-solving and improving their work, learning to debug and adapt their ideas when things do not go as planned.

Our curriculum is practical and purposeful, linking projects to real-world contexts such as structures (e.g. bridges), mechanisms (e.g. moving models), textiles and food technology. Pupils learn to select appropriate materials and tools, understanding their properties and uses. They develop critical thinking by evaluating products and considering how designs can be improved for function, purpose and user needs.

National Curriculum Expectations & Links to Reception

In Reception, pupils begin to explore constructing, joining and creating using a variety of materials. They develop early problem-solving skills, learning how to build and adapt simple structures.

In Key Stage 1, pupils design and make purposeful products, learning basic technical skills such as cutting, joining and assembling. They begin to evaluate their products and understand what makes them successful.

In Key Stage 2, pupils develop more complex design thinking, including planning, testing and refining products. They learn about structures, mechanisms and materials in greater depth, as well as applying cooking and nutrition knowledge where appropriate. Evaluation becomes more analytical, with pupils considering user needs and functionality.