Design and Technology at Hurst Green is designed to develop pupils’ creativity, problem-solving skills and practical understanding through purposeful designing and making experiences. The curriculum is carefully structured from EYFS to Year 6 to ensure that pupils progressively develop technical knowledge, practical skills and evaluative thinking across a range of disciplines within Design and Technology.

Pupils are encouraged to become innovative and reflective designers who can investigate, design, make and evaluate products for different purposes and audiences. Through practical experiences, pupils learn how design and technology impacts everyday life while developing resilience, independence and creativity.

Structure & Sequencing

The curriculum is organised into six key strands: Mechanisms and Mechanical Systems, Structures, Textiles, Electrical Systems, Food Preparation and Cooking, and Food and Nutrition. Three strands are taught each year, with all strands revisited over a two-year cycle to ensure progression and secure understanding over time.

Units are carefully sequenced to enable pupils to build upon previously taught skills and technical knowledge as they move through the school. In EYFS and Key Stage 1, pupils begin by exploring materials, tools, structures and simple mechanisms through practical investigation and guided design tasks. As pupils progress into Key Stage 2, they develop increasing independence and precision when designing, making and evaluating products, alongside a deeper understanding of technical concepts such as electrical systems, mechanical movement, structures and nutrition.

The curriculum incorporates progressive design, making and evaluation skills throughout each strand. Pupils learn how to generate ideas, create plans, select appropriate tools and materials, test products and evaluate outcomes against design criteria. Vocabulary is carefully mapped across the curriculum to support pupils in discussing and explaining their ideas using increasingly precise technical language.

Designing, Making & Evaluating

Practical learning is at the heart of Design and Technology at Hurst Green. Pupils are encouraged to experiment, solve problems and refine their ideas through hands-on learning experiences. Across the curriculum, pupils develop confidence when using tools, materials and equipment safely and effectively while learning how products are designed and adapted to meet specific purposes.

Food preparation and nutrition form an important part of the curriculum, helping pupils develop understanding of healthy eating, food origins, seasonality and sustainable choices. Sustainability and real-world application are increasingly woven throughout the curriculum, supporting pupils in understanding the wider impact of design decisions and technological development.

As pupils progress through the school, they are encouraged to evaluate existing products, reflect on their own work and identify ways to improve designs through testing and adaptation. The curriculum supports pupils in becoming thoughtful, creative and resilient learners who are prepared to apply design and technological thinking in the wider world.

Enrichment

Design and Technology is enriched through cross-curricular links, practical projects and wider STEM opportunities which allow pupils to apply their learning in meaningful and engaging contexts. Through the curriculum, pupils are encouraged to become confident innovators who understand the importance of creativity, functionality and problem solving within design and technology.