At Clifton, we want our children to be creative, curious and confident problem-solvers. Design and Technology gives children opportunities to explore how things work, develop ideas, use practical skills and create products that are purposeful and fit for a particular need.

From Reception to Year 6, children develop their design and making skills through a range of practical projects. We encourage children to ask questions, experiment with materials and techniques, solve problems and learn from their experiences.

Our Design and Technology Curriculum

From Reception to Year 6, we use the Kapow Primary Design and Technology curriculum, which provides a carefully sequenced programme of learning with full National Curriculum coverage for Key Stages 1 and 2.

Children follow the Design–Make–Evaluate process, developing their skills and knowledge progressively as they move through the school.

Our curriculum covers six key areas:

• Structures – exploring materials, strength, stability and how structures are designed and made.
• Mechanisms and mechanical systems – investigating movement and using mechanisms such as levers, sliders, cams and gears.
• Textiles – developing skills such as joining, sewing, weaving and decorating.
• Cooking and nutrition – understanding where food comes from, developing cooking skills and learning about healthy and balanced diets.
• Electrical systems – exploring circuits, components and how electrical products work.
• The digital world – using technology, programming and computer-aided design to develop and communicate ideas.

Thinking Like Designers

Design and Technology is about more than making a finished product. Children learn to research, imagine, design, test, improve and evaluate.

Children are encouraged to identify problems and needs, develop design criteria, generate and communicate ideas, select appropriate materials and tools, and make products for a specific purpose. They learn that designs can be changed and improved through testing and evaluation.

As children progress through the school, they develop greater accuracy, independence and understanding of materials, tools, mechanisms and processes. They also learn to explain their choices and consider how their designs could be improved.

Design and Technology in Early Years

In Nursery and Reception, children develop the foundations of Design and Technology through Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding the World and practical everyday experiences.

Children have opportunities to build, join, cut, model, construct and create using a wide range of materials. They explore how things work, make choices about resources and develop their fine motor skills through practical activities.

Reception children also begin to experience more structured Design and Technology projects through Kapow, including activities such as junk modelling, cooking, textiles and structures.

Supporting Every Child

We want every child to see themselves as a creative and capable designer and maker. Children are given opportunities to work with different materials, tools, techniques and technologies, while developing their confidence to experiment and solve problems.

Teachers use questioning, modelling, discussion and practical activities to support children's learning. Appropriate support and challenge enables children to develop their skills from their individual starting points, while opportunities to evaluate and improve help children understand that mistakes and changes are an important part of the design process.

Our aim is that, by the time children leave Clifton, they have developed confidence in designing and making, a secure range of practical skills and technical knowledge, and the creativity and problem-solving skills to apply their learning to real-life situations beyond primary school.