Design and technology

Subject Leader: Miss Taylor

Design and Technology Intent

At Barnfields, Design and Technology is a key component of our curriculum, introduced in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, building upon the foundations laid in the Early Years Expressive Arts and Design. Our approach encourages children to select and use appropriate tools safely and effectively to create a product. The curriculum is designed to progressively deepen children’s understanding of design and technology techniques, emphasising that these skills serve a purposeful goal: to satisfy a human need or want.

This is encapsulated in the idea of “Something for Somebody for Some Purpose.”

Alongside this, we study a range of designers and food practitioners, exploring diverse styles. This exploration enables Barnfields children to learn how designers can reflect and interpret the world around them. Additionally, our curriculum fosters critical thinking, empowering children to express their opinions, thoughts, and feelings about designs and products.

Our Design and Technology Approach at Barnfields

The Design and Technology curriculum at Barnfields is underpinned by the National Curriculum. It is carefully sequenced across a series of high-quality lessons to provide children with opportunities to design, make and evaluate purposeful products. Each unit builds upon prior knowledge, enabling children to progressively develop their technical understanding and creative thinking. The three strands of knowledge are embedded within every unit. Practical knowledge equips children with the skills to create, while theoretical knowledge deepens their understanding of design, function and innovation. Disciplinary knowledge helps them think and work like designers, understanding how ideas are developed, refined and realised to solve real-world problems.

Design and Technology Curriculum Overview