Design and Technology
Vision for Design and Technology at St John’s including EYFS curriculum
At St John’s, our vision for Design and Technology is to inspire curiosity, creativity, and resilience by equipping pupils with the skills to design and make purposeful products that solve real problems. Through hands-on experiences, children learn to think critically, take risks, and reflect on their work in order to improve.
We believe Design and Technology should:
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Nurture creativity by encouraging innovative thinking and imaginative solutions.
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Develop practical skills through exploration of tools, materials, and digital technologies.
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Connect learning to life by tackling authentic challenges that link with other subjects and the wider world.
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Foster collaboration and independence so pupils can work confidently both as part of a team and on their own.
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Build resilience by teaching children to embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth.
Our aim is for every pupil to leave St John’s with a strong foundation in problem-solving, a respect for sustainable design, and the confidence to shape the future with ideas that make a difference.
At St John’s, we use Kapow Primary to support our Design and Technology curriculum. The Kapow Primary D&T scheme of work follows a structured, spiral curriculum. This document is a valuable tool for primary D&T planning, enabling you to see how skills and knowledge build upon each other from year to year.
The document supports subject leaders and teachers when planning the D&T curriculum by outlining the progression of skills throughout KS1 and KS2 and showing which lessons support that progression. Use it during your planning process to ensure each year group builds on the previous one, with clear guidance on which lessons to focus on at each stage.
This document outlines the development of D&T knowledge across all year groups, ensuring a clear pathway for pupil learning. Progression is broken down into six key areas:
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Cooking and nutrition: discovering where food comes from; creating a balanced diet; following kitchen hygiene and safety; developing preparation and cooking skills; following a recipe.
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Mechanisms: using cams, followers, levers and sliders to mimic natural movements.
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Structures: learning about the properties of materials; improving a structure’s strength and stability; reinforcing structures.
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Textiles: using fabric techniques to fasten, sew and decorate.
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Electrical systems: creating electrical products using series circuits, circuit components, circuit diagrams and symbols.
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Digital world: programming products to perform tasks; developing 2D and 3D designs and models using CAD software.
