Design and Technology at Tintagel Primary School

At Tintagel Primary School, we believe that Design and Technology provides children with opportunities to become imaginative, resourceful and innovative thinkers. Through designing, making, evaluating and refining, pupils learn how ideas can be transformed into purposeful products that solve real problems and meet the needs of users.

Our curriculum follows the Design and Technology Association progression framework, ensuring that knowledge, skills and technical understanding are carefully built and revisited throughout a child's primary education. Through a wide variety of projects, pupils learn how to work creatively and practically whilst developing an understanding of the role that design and technology play in everyday life. 

Children explore a broad range of areas including structures, mechanisms, textiles, cooking and nutrition, electrical systems and innovative technologies. Throughout each project, pupils are encouraged to think critically, take risks, solve problems and evaluate their ideas, developing resilience and confidence as designers and makers.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children begin to develop these skills through exploration, construction, model making and imaginative play. Through hands-on experiences, they learn to investigate materials, express their ideas and solve problems creatively.

Above all, we want children to understand that Design and Technology has the power to improve lives, shape communities and influence the world around us.

Aims

Through our Design and Technology curriculum, we aim for all pupils to:

• Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to design and make high-quality products.
• Generate, develop and communicate ideas through drawing, discussion, modelling and prototypes.
• Understand the design process and use it to solve real and relevant problems.
• Select and use tools, materials and components safely and effectively.
• Build technical knowledge across structures, mechanisms, textiles, electrical systems and food technology.
• Evaluate products and designs, considering their effectiveness and identifying ways to improve them.
• Learn about significant designers, inventors, engineers, chefs and manufacturers who have influenced the modern world. 
• Develop an understanding of nutrition, food preparation and healthy eating. 
• Apply learning from subjects such as science, mathematics and computing when designing and making products. 
• Develop resilience, independence and confidence when tackling design challenges.

How We Teach Design and Technology

Our Design and Technology curriculum is delivered through the Design and Technology Association progression framework, which provides a clear sequence of knowledge and skills from EYFS to Year 6. Learning is organised around the iterative process of designing, making and evaluating, allowing children to revisit and deepen their understanding over time. 

During projects, children are encouraged to:

• Investigate existing products and consider how they have been designed.
• Explore the needs of users and develop purposeful designs.
• Communicate their ideas through sketches, plans and prototypes.
• Select appropriate materials, tools and techniques.
• Make and refine products using a range of practical skills.
• Evaluate their work against design criteria and identify opportunities for improvement.

Through this approach, pupils develop the knowledge, understanding and confidence needed to become creative problem-solvers who can respond thoughtfully to the challenges and opportunities of the modern world.