Design and Technology(D/T)
Intent
Design, Make and Evaluate
At St Joseph’s, we encourage pupils to use their creativity, imagination and problem‑solving skills to design and make products that address real and meaningful needs. Pupils consider their own and others’ needs, wants, and values, exploring ideas and discussing what is required to bring their designs to life.
They are given opportunities to trial, adapt, and refine their thinking, enabling them to become decisive and reflective designers who can articulate what they have done well and identify areas for further development.
Implementation
Design and Technology is taught once each term through a focused project. Lessons are structured to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills across key areas such as design, structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, and a variety of materials, including food.
Our curriculum provides pupils with a broad range of memorable, practical experiences that inspire creativity and encourage them to consider important issues such as sustainability, recyclable materials and the impact these choices have on our world.
At the end of each project, pupils’ work is evaluated, critiqued and celebrated to deepen understanding and promote pride in their achievements.
Impact
Pupils will have increasing opportunities to make thoughtful and informed design choices, selecting appropriate tools, materials and techniques to bring their ideas to life with purpose and precision. They will be able to talk confidently about their design intentions, evaluate the effectiveness of their products, and identify how they could refine or improve their work in the future. Over time, pupils develop a secure understanding of the full design cycle; researching, planning, making and evaluating and understand how these stages connect to real‑world design and engineering processes.
Through repeated experiences of planning and creating, pupils build resilience, problem‑solving skills and the ability to adapt their ideas when they encounter challenges. They learn to apply knowledge from other subjects such as mathematics for measurement, science for understanding materials and forces, and computing for control and programming to strengthen the quality and accuracy of their work.
Progress is visible through pupils’ project outcomes, annotated designs, prototypes, verbal explanations and practical work. Pupils reflect on their learning through topic overviews, self‑assessment and teacher feedback, recognising their achievements and identifying clear next steps. Over time, this leads to pupils who are increasingly confident, independent and capable designers, equipped with the creative thinking and practical skills needed for future learning.