At Old Mill, Design and Technology follows the National Curriculum and is supported by a bespoke scheme of work, drawing on high-quality resources including Plan Bee, and structured around the core strands of design, make, and evaluate across key areas: textiles, cooking and nutrition, mechanisms, stable structures, and electrical systems. Each unit follows a five-stage process of product analysis, design, key skills practise, make and evaluate and has been planned to allow for incremental progression of knowledge and skills from EYFS- through to year 6. Lessons are designed to be explorative, creative, collaborative, and iterative, ensuring that children find design and technology inspiring and engaging while effectively learning and retaining the necessary knowledge and skills.
At Old Mill, Design Technology (DT) is a dynamic and practical subject which follows the national curriculum approach of design, make, evaluate. Our aim is to foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in our pupils.
Our curriculum is designed to provide children with the necessary knowledge and skills to engage with the world around them as thoughtful designers, innovators, and consumers, considering diverse needs and making ethical and sustainable choices to reflect the world we live in.
Pupils gain incremental knowledge and skills across disciplines like mathematics, science, engineering, computing, and art and are able find and explore links between them.
By evaluating past and present design and technology, pupils build a critical understanding of its influence on daily life and how it impacts the creativity, culture, wealth, and well-being of the world around them.
At Old Mill, our D&T curriculum is carefully designed to develop creative, technical, and practical expertise in all pupils, enabling them to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. It follows the National Curriculum and is supported by a bespoke scheme of work, drawing on high-quality resources including Plan Bee, and structured around the core strands of design, make, and evaluate across key areas: textiles, cooking and nutrition, mechanisms, stable structures, and electrical systems. Lessons are designed to be explorative, creative, collaborative, and iterative, ensuring that children find design and technology inspiring and engaging while effectively learning and retaining the necessary knowledge and skills.
In EYFS, the foundations for Design and Technology are laid through a play-based, hands-on curriculum where children explore and manipulate a variety of materials and tools. Through both adult-directed and child-initiated activities linked to key themes, children begin to:
Investigate and explore materials, their properties, and uses.
Safely use a range of tools and techniques, including cutting, joining, threading, and weaving.
Develop early food technology skills with a focus on hygiene and healthy eating.
Express opinions about familiar products and features, laying the groundwork for product analysis and evaluation.
Verbally communicate their ideas during the design and making process, fostering early problem-solving and iterative thinking.
Use age-appropriate vocabulary to reflect on their work and the work of others, beginning to understand artistic and functional intent.
Building on their EYFS experience, pupils in KS1 begin to work more formally while still engaging in practical, exploratory activities. Each child receives a Design and Technology book to:
Record ideas, practise skills, and document the design process.
Begin to draw labelled designs to communicate ideas clearly.
Take part in collaborative product analysis through group discussions and class mood boards.
Practise and refine joining and manipulating techniques, exploring new materials and methods.
Follow the five-stage D&T process: product analysis, skills practise, design, make, and evaluate.
Engage in structured discussions about their products and those of others, using increasingly accurate technical vocabulary.
Select from a range of materials and tools appropriate to their design intention.
Work towards understanding design criteria, considering the suitability of materials and functions.
In KS2, children deepen their knowledge, understanding, and application of D&T through increasingly independent and complex projects. They:
Develop detailed designs using diagrams, including exploded or flat-pack views, and digital tools where appropriate, with annotated measurements.
Use technology more widely for both research and design purposes.
Conduct independent and group product analysis using mood boards and class discussions.
Show growing independence in following and adapting the five-stage design process.
Demonstrate increasing ability to discuss and justify design decisions, processes, and final products using a broad D&T vocabulary.
Begin to co-construct or independently create design criteria tailored to the user or product.
Apply skills in new contexts with greater autonomy, choosing from a broad range of tools, materials, and techniques appropriate to their intended outcomes.
Supporting vulnerable children in Design and Technology is essential to ensure inclusion, confidence-building, and skill development.
Pupil Premium children are supported in Design and Technology through the ‘Pupil Premium First’ strategy used at Old Mill. This approach ensures that their needs are prioritised during lessons. For example, Pupil Premium pupils are given priority when reading (related texts, instructions etc.) and they are questioned first to encourage participation and check understanding. Their work is reviewed first during feedback to ensure timely support and recognition. Additionally, they are given meaningful roles and responsibilities during lessons—such as distributing resources or sharing group ideas—to build confidence, engagement, and a sense of ownership in their learning.
SEND pupils will be supported in Design and Technology through a range of strategies designed to reduce barriers and promote engagement. Step-by-step instructions and explicit modelling, including ‘think aloud’ demonstrations, will help break down tasks into manageable parts. Key vocabulary will be clearly displayed on title pages for each unit, with additional word banks provided as needed to support understanding. Opportunities for group or paired work will allow pupils to collaborate with peers who can provide support. The product analysis and mood board stages will be largely visual and discussion-based, minimising the need for reading and writing. Where written annotations are required, teachers or teaching assistants can scribe pupils’ ideas to ensure their thoughts are captured.
Children with fine motor difficulties, who may find tasks such as cutting, joining, or drawing challenging, will benefit from adapted resources and equipment. Non-slip mats or blu-tack can be used to stabilise materials, and tools with thick or ergonomic handles—such as glue sticks or screwdrivers—will be provided to aid grip and control. Where appropriate, children may be given pre-cut materials, stencils, or templates to support the completion of tasks. Technology, such as digital design platforms like Tinkercad, can be used to reduce reliance on manual skills, and visual or audio instructions will be available to reinforce understanding, particularly for pupils with dyslexia. Fine motor warm-up activities, including playdough, threading, or pegboard tasks, can help build strength and coordination before practical tasks. Finally, a well-organised and accessible classroom—with clearly labelled, easy-to-reach tools and materials—will ensure all pupils can participate fully and independently.
Our Design and Technology curriculum equips pupils with the skills, knowledge, and creativity needed to become confident problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and innovative designers, as well as thoughtful consumers. Through a carefully sequenced and practical curriculum, pupils learn to design, make, and evaluate purposeful products using a range of tools, materials, and techniques- taking into account the needs of others and balancing function with aesthetic. They develop resilience, independence, and teamwork as they work through the iterative process of designing and making.
By the end of primary school, pupils are able to apply their understanding of structures, mechanisms, food technology, electrical systems and digital design to real-life contexts. They can communicate their ideas clearly through drawings, models, and discussion, and are able to reflect on and improve their work. Pupils are also introduced to key technical vocabulary and taught how to work safely and effectively with tools and equipment.
As a result, our pupils leave Old Mill with a strong foundation in practical and creative skills, ready for the next stage of their education. They are well-prepared for the more complex demands of the secondary D&T curriculum and have developed a lifelong appreciation for design, innovation, and the impact of design and technology on daily life.
Assessing pupils’ learning is done formatively throughout lessons, primarily through careful questioning and observation of children during each stage of the process as well as book looks. Final product outcomes will be taken into consideration but not solely used to assess- teachers also consider pupils’ product analysis, skills practise, design and material selection, iteration and evaluation of their own and other’s products. Pupils should also be able to show their understanding through discussion of their design process from start to end, their design choices and how they would improve their product. Teacher’s use their judgement to make a final assessment.
Pupils are assessed as working towards to the expected standard (WTS) or working at the expected standard (EXS). A pupil who has designed, made (using the specific skills within the unit), and evaluated effectively would be assessed as EXS. Whereas, a pupil who has struggled to apply certain skills and/or not evaluated effectively would be assessed as WTS.
Old Mill Primary School
Station Road
Broughton Astley
Leicestershire
LE9 6PT
Old Mill Primary School
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