"Design and technology is a practical and valuable subject. It enables children and young people to actively contribute to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of themselves, their community and their nation. It teaches how to take risks and so become more resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable."

Design & Technology Association

Curriculum Intent

At Minster-in-Sheppey Primary School, our vision is for every child to be the best they can be – best learner, best friend, and best citizen. Our Design and Technology curriculum reflects these values by fostering creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. We aim to develop pupils into resourceful, enterprising individuals equipped with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a modern world.

Our curriculum is hands-on and practical, encouraging pupils to think critically and design with purpose. Each unit draws inspiration from carefully selected experts in the field, providing real-world context and relevance. Pupils learn to create mechanisms, structures, electrical systems, textiles and food products while considering sustainability, resource availability, cost, and cultural factors. Reflection and self-evaluation—key aspects of our Minster Muscles—are embedded throughout, ensuring pupils continually review and improve their work.

We celebrate our local environment and heritage by incorporating projects linked to our Island’s rich history. Examples include visiting Sheerness’ Clock Tower for a clock design project, exploring sea defences tied to historical flooding, and redesigning park spaces inspired by visits to The Glen.

Recognising that many pupils have limited prior experience in Art and Design or Design and Technology, we have mapped our curriculum to provide depth, breadth, and balance across all year groups. Art and Design and Design Technology are interwoven to create a cohesive, creative learning experience that enriches problem-solving skills. This approach supports our ongoing school development goal of raising the profile of creativity, with the Artsmark framework playing an influential role.

Implementation

At Minster-in-Sheppey Primary School, we will ensure that Art and Design and Design and Technology is a fundamental component of our creative curriculum, by planning it in a creative and exciting manner, allowing adequate time for the teaching of key skills in Art and Design and Design and Technology, which therefore develops the breadth of pupils’ experiences, following the guidance laid out in the National Curriculum. The planning was created in collaboration with university professors and experienced teachers to ensure that it was progressive, innovative and built upon previous learning, In the Foundation Stage, we relate the creative development of the children to the objectives laid out in the EYFS documents.

Through the study of Design and Technology children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design technology, its uses and its impacts. Design and Technology helps all children to become constructively critical and informed consumers and potential innovators. Children will learn to produce practical solutions to real problems whilst developing technical understanding and making skills, learning about design methods and investigating their environment and the materials around them. We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in Design Technology lessons. The principal aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding when developing ideas, planning and making products and evaluating them. We use a balance of whole-class teaching and individual/group activities, giving children the opportunity to learn on their own and to collaborate with others. Children are encouraged to listen to the ideas of others, and treat them with respect, to critically evaluate existing products, both their own work and those of others. They have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including ICT.

In EYFS the children have a variety of different materials to explore such as components, textiles and ingredients. They build their skills through a combination of adult directed activities and during child-initiated times when they are encouraged to select their own resources. Pupils in EYFS will also engage in some themed activities to celebrate different occasions such as: Remembrance, Christmas, Guy Fawkes and charity events such as: Children in Need which will also serve as a launchpad to support the development of key knowledge and skills (please see EYFS document Design and Technology in EYFS).

In KS1 and KS2, Design and Technology pupils complete three projects by the end of a school year. The inspiration for each unit of learning is taken from our six curriculum themes:

• Home and Away
• Time Tunnel
• One World
• Through the Ages
• Environmental Explorers
• Going Global

Where possible these units link learning to key events or places associated with the Geography and History of our Island

Each unit of learning follows specific stages:

• Explore – pupils research the concept and look at the work/impact of an associated expert.
• Design – pupils create a design brief linked to audience and purpose and consider other factors such as, social and environmental concerns. Ideas are then explored by drawing, making templates and reviewing at each point whether the design brief has been met and whether any refinement or adaption is required.
• Make – Pupils will select appropriate tools and resources to make their product.
• Evaluate – Their own products and those of their peers are then evaluated against the design brief. Pupils at this point consider what has worked well and what could be improved,
• Throughout the project pupils build technical knowledge in relation to each area studied e.g Textiles, Mechanisms, Structures, Electrical circuits and Food and Nutrition.

One project per year in each year group focuses on Food and Nutrition. The pupils will understand the principles of a healthy diet and prepare a dish using various cooking techniques. As they progress through the school they will build their knowledge of a healthy varied diet, including understanding where their food comes from. This is a key area of the curriculum we wish to expand upon and have linked it to our Home Learning Award Scheme: The Duke of Minster. Our intention is to develop further cooking opportunities to support our pupils’ personal development.

Impact

At the end of each year, our pupils would have experienced many opportunities to apply Design and Technology skills across the curriculum.

Our pupils are exposed to a wide range of lessons that include: Food and Nutrition, Textiles, Designing and construction structures, mechansims and electrical circuits.

We aim for all our pupils to become the ‘Best Learner, Best Friend and Best Citizen equipping and preparing them for each next step they take including secondary school and becoming well-rounded citizens. To support this we give out pupils the opportunity to be creative, innovative and imaginative in a safe and reflective setting. Pupils are encouraged to use their Minster Muscles across the curriculum and those of Risk-taking, Empathy, Teamwork and Self-reflection/evaluation are encouraged and used in all Design and Technology lessons. The impact of this allows pupils to feel confident to try different techniques and equipment to meet the design criteria.

Progress, will be demonstrated through regular monitoring and evaluation of pupil's learning

 Teachers continuously monitor pupils work over time, and give feedback to build their knowledge and skills. Retrieval practice is built into each teaching and learning sequence to assess both learning over time and performance to support lesson adaption.

The subject leader conducts learning walks, book looks to evaluate the curriculum. Progress is measured through formative assessment and class teachers keep assessment records.