At Langwith Bassett Primary Academy, we believe Design and Technology provides children with exciting opportunities to be creative, curious and practical. Through designing, making, cooking and evaluating, our children learn to turn ideas into purposeful products while developing the confidence to solve problems and overcome challenges.

Our Design and Technology curriculum encourages children to think creatively, work collaboratively and make informed decisions. Children are given opportunities to design products for real users and purposes, considering how their choices of materials, tools and techniques affect the success of their finished product. We want our children to become resilient designers who understand that mistakes and changes are an important part of the design process.

Design and Technology is taught throughout the school and is carefully planned to develop knowledge and skills progressively. Learning is often linked to other areas of the curriculum, allowing children to apply their understanding of subjects such as science, mathematics, computing, art, history and geography in meaningful and practical ways.

We place particular importance on children developing independence and practical skills. As they move through the school, children build their confidence in selecting and using appropriate tools, materials, techniques and equipment. They learn to plan, make, test and refine their ideas, understanding that successful products are often developed through a process of trial, evaluation and improvement.

Cooking and nutrition form an important part of our Design and Technology curriculum. Children develop essential life skills by learning how to prepare and cook a range of dishes, make healthy food choices and understand where food comes from. As children progress through the school, they develop their knowledge of ingredients, cooking techniques and seasonality.

We also encourage children to explore the work and achievements of designers, engineers, inventors and innovators, recognising how Design and Technology has influenced the way we live. Through learning about significant individuals, developments and technologies, children begin to appreciate the role that creativity, design and problem-solving play in shaping our world.

Key principles of our Design & Technology curriculum

At Langwith Bassett Primary Academy, we aim to ensure that children:

• Design with purpose, creating products that meet a specific need, solve a problem or are designed for a particular user.
• Develop their own ideas, encouraging creativity, individuality and different approaches to design.
• Learn through doing, developing practical skills through designing, making, testing and improving.
• Become confident problem-solvers, learning to adapt their ideas when something does not work as expected.
• Use tools and materials safely and effectively, selecting appropriate techniques for the task.
• Evaluate their work, considering what has worked well, what could be improved and how successfully the final product meets its intended purpose.
• Develop their understanding of materials and mechanisms, including structures, textiles, electrical systems, mechanical systems and, where appropriate, programming and control.
• Develop essential cooking skills, learning about healthy and varied diets, food preparation, cooking techniques and where food comes from.
• Understand seasonality and sustainability, considering the environmental impact of food, materials and products.
• Explore the contribution of designers, engineers and inventors, understanding how their ideas and innovations have changed people's lives.
• Make links across the curriculum, applying knowledge from science, mathematics, computing, art, history and geography to practical design projects.
• Work both independently and collaboratively, valuing the ideas of others and learning to communicate their own designs clearly.
• Develop the confidence to be creative and innovative, recognising that there can be many different solutions to the same problem.

Through Design and Technology, we aim to equip our children with the practical skills, creativity, resilience and problem-solving abilities they need not only for their learning at school but also for life beyond the classroom. We want every child to leave Langwith Bassett Primary Academy with the confidence to ask “How could I make this better?” and the skills to turn their ideas into reality.