DT Curriculum

Intent

Design & Technology at Dunn Street Primary is a dynamic, rigorous, and practical subject. We aim to nurture a mindset of creative problem-solving: children learn to design, make, and evaluate products both independently and collaboratively, tackling real-world challenges through innovation. Our curriculum empowers pupils to consider the needs, values, and perspectives of themselves and others, supporting social empathy and responsible citizenship.

We deliberately connect D&T to other disciplines — including mathematics, science, computing, art, and engineering — to embed cross-curricular thinking. Recognising the importance of relevance, we build links with local businesses and industries (e.g., construction, manufacturing) to make D&T meaningful and to raise aspirations by exposing pupils to real-world applications and future careers. Through critical reflection on past and present designs, pupils understand how technology shapes society and culture, and how they could be future innovators themselves.

This intent aligns with the National Curriculum for England, which states children should work in a variety of relevant contexts — including “industry … and the wider environment” — and develop a broad knowledge base to become resourceful, innovative, enterprising citizens. GOV.UK+1

Implementation

We deliver a well-structured design and technology curriculum that emphasises creativity, iteration, and purposeful design:

• Pupils engage in rigorous design-and-make projects that reflect a variety of contexts (home, school, enterprise, local community, industry), in line with National Curriculum expectations. GOV.UK
  
  
• Each unit is underpinned by the design cycle: research, criteria development, idea generation, modeling, prototyping, and evaluation.
  
  
• We explicitly teach D&T technical knowledge (structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, computing) and practical skills (tool use, joining, finishing, cooking), ensuring progression as pupils move through the school.
  
  
• To embed relevance and future thinking:
  
  
• We build meaningful partnerships with local businesses, bringing in guest speakers, site visits, or client-design briefs that mirror real industry problems.
  
  
• Pupils are exposed to career pathways in engineering, manufacturing, construction, and food technology, through case studies, role models, or project sponsors.
  
  
• We ensure safe and confident making: children learn to use a broad range of tools and materials (including textile, electrical, and food), under teacher guidance with a strong focus on health, safety, and sustainability.
  
  
• Projects are taught both in blocks (to allow immersion) and with iterative review, enabling repeated refinement and deep learning.
  
  

Impact

By the time pupils leave Dunn Street Primary, they will:

• Possess the creative, technical, and practical skills required to design and make meaningful products.
  
  
• Demonstrate clear progression in D&T knowledge and skills, including understanding of structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, computing, and food.
  
  
• Produce high-quality prototypes and final products that respond to real user needs, show careful evaluation, and reflect iterative improvement.
  
  
• Understand nutrition and cooking, creating food items that are healthy, well made, and designed for purpose.
  
  
• Gain meaningful exposure to local industry and career possibilities, raising their aspirations and understanding of D&T as a real-world discipline.
  
  
• Develop enterprise, resourcefulness, and risk-taking, becoming confident, enterprising, and creative citizens.
  
  
• Critically evaluate past and present technology’s impact on society — understanding how design influences both daily life and global progress.

design and technology curriculum overview dunn street .pdf