Art

Computing

DT

English

French	Geography	History
Maths	Music	PE
PSHE	RE	Science

Intent

At Lethbridge, we want every pupil to design and make products that have a real purpose, using their creativity, imagination and understanding of the design process. We want them to take risks, and to become resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens.

High-quality design and technology makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation. Swindon shows pupils this at first hand. The town was built on engineering, from Brunel's Great Western Railway works to the car plants of today, and pupils learn how designers and engineers have shaped the world around them.

DT projects are linked to each term's topic and draw on mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Every pupil completes at least three focused DT projects each year, and a fourth may come from STEM Week.

In line with the national curriculum, we want all pupils to:

• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise to carry out everyday tasks confidently and take part in an increasingly technological world
  
  
• build knowledge, understanding and skills to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
  
  
• critique, evaluate and test their own ideas and products and the work of others
  
  
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Our curriculum is built on the Kapow Primary design and technology scheme, which covers the full national curriculum, and is adapted to fit our topics and our two-year cycle.

Our DT projects across the two-year cycle

Year groups are taught separately, but Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6 follow the same two-year cycle of topics. Design and technology alternates with art and design across the six terms, and each project is linked to that term's topic.

Phase	Cycle	Term and topic	DT project	Area
EYFS	Every year	Term 2: Let's Celebrate	Threading with an over-and-under technique	Textiles
EYFS	Every year	Term 3: Once upon a time…	Junk modelling (instruments or a STEM car); a slider to move a story character	Structures, mechanisms
EYFS	Every year	Term 6: Pirates	Making pizzas; making and testing boats	Cooking and nutrition, structures
Years 1 and 2	A	Term 2: Top Toys	Wheels and axles	Mechanisms
Years 1 and 2	A	Term 5: Wish You Were Here?	Baby Bear's chair	Structures
Years 1 and 2	A	Term 6: All About Me	A balanced diet	Cooking and nutrition
Years 1 and 2	B	Term 1: Blast Off!	Puppets	Textiles
Years 1 and 2	B	Term 5: Time Travellers	Constructing a windmill	Structures
Years 1 and 2	B	Term 6: Ready, Set, Go!	Smoothies	Cooking and nutrition
Years 3 and 4	A	Term 1: Changing Childhoods	Making a slingshot car	Mechanical systems
Years 3 and 4	A	Term 2: Tremor	Wearable technology	Digital world
Years 3 and 4	A	Term 3: Anglo-Saxons	Pavilions	Structures
Years 3 and 4	B	Term 1: Romans	Cushions	Textiles
Years 3 and 4	B	Term 2: Settlements	Torches	Electrical systems
Years 3 and 4	B	Term 6: Food for Thought	Adapting a recipe: making biscuits	Cooking and nutrition
Years 5 and 6	A	Term 3: The Census	Navigating the world	Digital world
Years 5 and 6	A	Term 4: Harry Potter	Automata toys	Mechanical systems
Years 5 and 6	A	Term 6: Eco Architects	Doodlers	Electrical systems
Years 5 and 6	B	Term 1: World War 2	Developing a recipe	Cooking and nutrition
Years 5 and 6	B	Term 4: Oceans	Stuffed toys	Textiles
Years 5 and 6	B	Term 6: Why does population change?	Bridges	Structures

Because pupils in a cycle may meet a Year 2 project before a Year 1 project, teachers check the prior learning each project expects. They teach any missing skills and knowledge first, either within the project or as a separate lesson. Progression is then secured across each key stage.

How we teach design and technology

Every project follows an iterative process of designing, making and evaluating, set in a real context such as the home, school, leisure, industry or the wider environment.

• Design. Pupils research existing products and users, then write design criteria. In Key Stage 1 they share ideas through talk, drawings, templates and mock-ups. In Key Stage 2 they move on to annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.
  
  
• Make. Pupils learn to choose and use tools, equipment, materials and components safely and accurately, for cutting, shaping, joining and finishing.
  
  
• Evaluate. Pupils test their products against their design criteria, take account of others' views and suggest improvements. They investigate existing products and learn how key events and individuals, such as Brunel and the engineers of the Great Western Railway, have shaped the world.
  
  
• Technical knowledge. Pupils learn how to make structures stronger, stiffer and more stable, and how to use mechanisms and mechanical systems such as wheels and axles, levers, sliders and cams. In Key Stage 2, they also build electrical circuits and program, monitor and control their products.
  
  
• Cooking and nutrition. Pupils learn where food comes from, what a healthy and varied diet looks like, and how to prepare and cook a range of mainly savoury dishes. In Key Stage 2 they also learn about seasonality and how ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
  
  
• Vocabulary. Words from the Kapow vocabulary progression, such as design criteria, prototype, mechanism and circuit, are taught explicitly and used throughout each project.
  
  
• STEM Week. Pupils apply their DT, science, maths and computing knowledge to open-ended engineering challenges.
  
  
• Cross-curricular links. Projects are linked to each term's topic and draw on mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art.

Inclusion and safety

Our DT curriculum is an entitlement for every pupil, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

• Teachers adapt how content is taught, not what is taught, using demonstrations, step-by-step guides, adapted tools and pre-taught vocabulary.
  
  
• Pupils learn to use tools and equipment safely and hygienically, and staff check for food allergies before any cooking activity.
  
  
• Every pupil has access to the tools, materials and ingredients each project needs.
  
  
• Additional adults help pupils become more independent, so every pupil still benefits from the class teacher's teaching.

Assessment and impact

We measure impact by what pupils know, can do and can make.

• During lessons: teachers watch, question and give feedback as pupils design and make, and adjust teaching straight away.
  
  
• Design folders and final products: pupils' designs, prototypes, evaluations and finished products show how their skills and knowledge develop over time.
  
  
• Pupil voice: pupils explain their design choices, how they tested their products and what they would improve.
  
  
• Subject leadership: the subject leader looks at pupils' work, visits lessons and uses what they find to refine the curriculum and support staff.

By the end of Year 6, pupils will be able to design, make and evaluate functional, appealing products for real users. They will be able to use structures, mechanisms, electrical systems and simple programming, and to cook a range of healthy dishes. They will also