Design and Technology

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."  Albert Einstein 

At Our Lady & St Joseph Catholic Primary School, we believe that Design and Technology is an inspiring and practical subject that encourages children to use their creativity, imagination and problem-solving skills to improve the world around them. Through meaningful, hands-on learning experiences, children learn how to design, make and evaluate products while developing the resilience, resourcefulness and technical knowledge needed to become innovative thinkers.

A key feature of our curriculum is our dedicated Design and Technology Immersion Day, which takes place once each term for every year group. The vision behind these immersive experiences is to provide children with the time and opportunity to engage deeply with the full design process, developing the knowledge, skills and understanding outlined in the National Curriculum. By completing a sequence of focused lessons across the day, children can fully explore, design, create and evaluate purposeful products while making meaningful links to real-life contexts and future careers.

Throughout their time at Our Lady & St Joseph, children progressively build and refine their skills through carefully planned projects that follow the National Curriculum's key areas of Design, Make, Evaluate and Technical Knowledge. Learning is sequenced to ensure that children revisit and build upon prior knowledge, developing increasing confidence and competence in areas such as structures, mechanisms, textiles, food technology and electrical systems. Design journals are used to record ideas, research, designs and evaluations, enabling children to revisit and refine their thinking throughout the design process.

We are committed to ensuring that Design and Technology has a clear purpose and relevance. Wherever possible, projects are linked to other curriculum areas, allowing children to apply their knowledge from subjects such as Science, Mathematics, Computing and History in meaningful and practical ways. Children are encouraged to solve problems, think critically, take creative risks and consider how design can improve lives and meet the needs of different users.

Through discussion, collaboration and evaluation, children develop strong communication and teamwork skills. They learn how to explain and justify their design choices, give and receive constructive feedback, and reflect thoughtfully on the effectiveness of their products. Each Immersion Day concludes with a self-evaluation and mini-assessment, enabling children to celebrate successes, identify areas for improvement and deepen their understanding of the design process.

As with all areas of our curriculum, we are committed to ensuring that every child can access and succeed in Design and Technology. Through adaptive teaching, scaffolded support and appropriate levels of challenge, learning is carefully tailored to meet the needs of all learners. To support children with SEND and those who may experience anxiety around changes to routine, social stories are shared with families before each Immersion Day and revisited by staff in school. This helps children feel prepared, secure and confident, enabling them to participate fully and achieve success.

Children are also given opportunities to learn about the wide range of careers linked to Design and Technology. By exploring how designers, engineers, architects, chefs, inventors and manufacturers contribute to society, children develop an understanding of the importance of Design and Technology in the wider world and begin to see how their own skills and interests may connect to future aspirations.

As a result, our children develop confidence, creativity and resilience as designers and problem-solvers. They leave our school with a strong foundation of technical knowledge and practical skills, an ability to evaluate and improve their work, and an appreciation of how Design and Technology shapes everyday life. Most importantly, they develop the curiosity, determination and innovative thinking needed to become successful learners and active contributors in an ever-changing world.