Design & Technology
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs
Design & Technology Curriculum at Aylesham Primary School
At Aylesham Primary School, our Design & Technology (DT) curriculum is designed to inspire creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. We want our pupils to think like designers and engineers—developing practical skills while understanding how design impacts the world around them.
Our Approach
- Innovation and Evaluation: Children are encouraged to think outside the box, reflect on past and present designs, and critically evaluate how ideas can be improved.
- Sequential and Progressive: Learning builds on prior knowledge through a carefully structured curriculum.
- Real-World Connections: Pupils explore a range of industries, products, and skills they may never have encountered before.
- School Values in Action: Resilience, teamwork, creativity, and flying high are embedded throughout DT, preparing pupils with vital skills for adult life.
- Cross-Curricular Links: DT connects with mathematics, science, engineering, computing, and art, making learning meaningful and integrated.
- Authentic Outcomes: Projects lead to real-world problem-solving, giving pupils a sense of purpose and achievement.
Developing Knowledge and Skills
Our DT curriculum develops substantive knowledge across four key areas:
- Cooking and Nutrition
- Mechanisms
- Structures
- Textiles
To access this knowledge, pupils also master procedural and disciplinary knowledge, including:
- User: Designing for a clear audience with specific needs.
- Purpose: Understanding what the product is for and how it will be used.
- Functionality: Creating products that work, not just look good.
- Design Decisions: Making informed choices about materials, techniques, and form.
- Innovation: Thinking creatively and originally.
- Authenticity: Producing meaningful, real-world designs rather than replicas.
Our Chosen Approach
We use the Design and Technology Association’s ‘Projects on a Page’ because it:
- Is flexible and less prescriptive, allowing teachers and pupils to make decisions together.
- Links easily to topics and themes for cross-curricular learning.
- Emphasises the essentials of good DT practice.
- Provides clear project planners showing all elements on one page.
- Works for single-year and mixed-age classes.
- Encourages authentic, meaningful projects that connect learning to real life.
DT Curriculum Overview
Aspirations for the Future – Design & Technology
Pupils develop an understanding of how DT skills and creativity link to real-world careers and industries.
Here are some of the jobs pupils could aspire to in the future through Design & Technology:
- Architect
- Product Designer
- Interior Designer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Fashion Designer
- Automotive Engineer
- Furniture Maker
- Graphic Designer
- Construction Project Manager
- Industrial Designer