Design & Technology Curriculum Intent

"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
-Steve Jobs

Design and Technology at Shrewton CE Primary School empowers children to imagine, design and create products that solve real problems. We believe that through the study of Design and Technology, children acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing, and art.

Our curriculum ensures that all pupils:
* Develop creative, technical, and practical expertise to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
* Build knowledge to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
* Critique, evaluate, and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
* Learn how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating.
* Understand the impact of design decisions on users and the wider world.
* Develop skills in using tools, techniques, and materials safely and precisely.

Curriculum Drivers

Possibilities
* Children explore innovative design solutions and learn about inventors, designers, and engineers who have shaped our world.
* Pupils develop the confidence to take creative risks and learn from testing and refining their ideas.

Communication
* Students learn to articulate their design thinking through discussion, sketches, diagrams, and technical vocabulary.
* They develop skills in presenting and explaining their work to different audiences.

Community
* Children learn how design and technology shapes their daily lives and communities.
* They develop understanding of sustainable design and responsible innovation.

Adventure
* Pupils engage in hands-on experimentation with materials and techniques.
* They tackle open-ended design challenges that encourage creative problem-solving.

Our Design and Technology curriculum builds progressively from EYFS through to Year 6, with knowledge and skills developed across key areas:
- Structures
- Mechanisms
- Textiles
- Cooking and Nutrition
- Digital Systems

Each unit carefully sequences substantive knowledge (technical understanding), procedural knowledge (practical skills), and disciplinary knowledge (design thinking). Learning is enriched through practical experiences and real-world applications, helping children develop into innovative and resourceful young designers.