Our school follows the Kapow Primary Design and Technology scheme, which provides a carefully sequenced curriculum from Reception to Year 6. The scheme ensures pupils revisit the key strands of structures, mechanisms, textiles, electrical systems, cooking and nutrition, developing their skills progressively each year through practical, purposeful projects.

The curriculum is designed so that pupils:

• Build technical knowledge and practical making skills
• Learn to design with a purpose and evaluate their products
• Develop confidence using tools, materials and components
• Apply their learning in increasingly independent and sophisticated ways
• Understanding how design and technology help solve real-world problems

Curriculum Progression in Design and Technology

Reception

In Reception, children begin their Design and Technology learning through hands-on exploration and simple making activities. They are introduced to:

• Structures through junk modelling
• Boats as part of a structures-focused project
• Cooking and nutrition through making a rainbow salad

Children develop early skills in:

• Selecting and joining materials
• Talking about what they have made
• Exploring simple design ideas
• Using basic tools and materials safely with support

Year 1

In Year 1, pupils deepen their understanding of making by working across the strands of:

• Cooking and nutrition – smoothies
• Textiles – puppets
• Structures – stable structures

Children begin to:

• Generate simple ideas
• Design and make products for a purpose
• Learn to use a wider range of tools and materials
• Evaluate whether their product works well

Year 2

Year 2 introduces more focused work on:

• Mechanisms – wheels and axles
• Structures – Baby Bear chair
• Mechanisms - moving monster

Pupils develop skills in:

• Making products with moving parts
• Exploring how mechanisms work
• Strengthening and joining structures
• Testing and improving their designs

Year 3

In Year 3, pupils build on earlier learning through:

• Textiles – pouches
• Mechanisms – fairground wheel
• Cooking and nutrition – eating seasonally

Children are expected to:

• Measure and cut more accurately
• Join materials with increasing precision
• Understand how mechanisms can create movement
• Begin to use knowledge of healthy and seasonal food in cooking

Year 4

Year 4 focusses on:

• Mechanical systems – pneumatic
• Textiles – fastenings
• Electrical systems – torches

Pupils progress by:

• Using more complex tools and components
• Learning how forces and air pressure can create movement
• Selecting appropriate fastenings for a purpose
• Constructing simple electrical circuits safely and accurately

Year 5

In Year 5, pupils tackle more ambitious design challenges:

• Mechanical systems – pop-up books
• Textiles – stuffed toys
• Structures – bridges

Children refine their skills in:

• Designing products with moving mechanisms
• Creating more detailed textile items
• Investigating strength and stability in structures
• Planning, making and evaluating with greater independence

Year 6

In Year 6, pupils apply their knowledge to more complex and purposeful projects:

• Electrical systems – steady hand game
• Structures – playgrounds
• Cooking and nutrition – adapting a recipe

Pupils are encouraged to:

• Combine prior learning to solve design problems
• Work with greater accuracy and independence
• Adapt recipes and consider the needs of different users
• Produce and evaluate products against clear design criteria

Progression of Skills Across School

The Kapow scheme supports clear progression in Design and Technology by developing the following areas over time:

Designing

Pupils move from:

• Talking about simple ideas and making choices
  to
• Planning with purpose, designing for a specific user, and using design criteria to guide their work

Making

Pupils progress from:

• Exploring and manipulating materials
  to
• Measuring, cutting, joining, assembling and finishing with increasing accuracy

Evaluating

Pupils move from:

• Simple comments about what they like
  to
• Thoughtful evaluation of products against success criteria, including suggestions for improvement

Technical Knowledge

Children develop an understanding of:

• Structures and how to make them stable and strong
• Mechanisms and how moving parts work
• Textiles and how materials can be joined and shaped
• Electrical systems and how circuits work
• Cooking and nutrition and how to make healthy, purposeful food products

Independence and Creativity

As pupils move through school, they become:

• More independent in planning and making
• More precise in their use of tools and materials
• More confident in selecting suitable techniques
• More creative in solving design problems

Why We Teach Design and Technology

At our school, Design and Technology enables pupils to become creative, practical and reflective problem-solvers. Through a well-sequenced Kapow curriculum, children learn to design and make products that are relevant, purposeful and challenging. They leave primary school with the knowledge and skills to approach design tasks with confidence, curiosity and resilience.

*  new unit	DT Autumn Term	DT Spring Term	DT Summer Term
Reception	Structures Junk Modelling	Structures Boats	Seasonal Project Making a rainbow salad
Year 1	Cooking and Nutrition Smoothies *	Textiles Puppets	Structures (option 1) Stable Structures *
Year 2	Mechanisms Year 1, option 1 Wheels and Axles*	Structure Baby Bear Chair	Mechanisms Moving Monster
Year 3	Textiles Year 2 (option 2) Pouches	Mechanisms Fairground Wheel (Y2 Unit)	Cooking and Nutrition Eating Seasonally
Year 4	Mechanical systems (option 2) Pneumatic Toys ( Year 3 unit) *	Textiles Fastenings*	Electrical Systems Torches
Year 5	Mechanical Systems (option 2) Pop Up Books	Textiles Stuffed Toy	Structure Bridges
Year 6	Electrical Systems Steady Hand Game	(SATS PREP) Structure Playgrounds (Links to a maths topic I Cover after SATS)	Cooking Adapting a recipe (Y4 unit) (Links to biscuit making)