Design and Technology

‘Design is not just what it looks like. Design is how it works.’

Steve Jobs

At St Nicolas, children develop to become creative, lateral thinking designers. Our Design and Technology curriculum is inspiring, rigorous and practical. Using creativity and imagination, the children design and make products that solve real and relevant problems with a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.

Children are taught to take risks, become resourceful and innovative in their thinking, and reflective in their evaluation– skills vital to their own and our country’s future. Design and technology has huge importance in children’s development, harnessing their scientific, computing and mathematics knowledge and applying this to real-life problems and practical solutions.

What you will see: 

• Children engaging with real-life problems together, collaborating and considering their consumer.
• Children selecting from age-appropriate equipment and materials and using them with skill and confidence to create beautiful products.
• Children using annotated sketches, prototypes and diagrams to improve their ambitious designs and create their final products.

What you will hear:

• Children analysing a design problem and discussing the needs, wants and values of their consumers.
• Children discussing and explaining their ideas using key technical vocabulary. 
• Specific, constructive reflections by children about designs and products created by them, their peers or professional designers.
• Children being encouraged and supported to take risks and be ambitious in their plans.

Throughout the year, constant links will be made between DT and other areas of the curriculum: the literacy and artistic skills are used to develop and communicate their design ideas, and the technical skills of design.