Design and Technology

At Herons Dale, Design and Technology enables pupils to investigate needs, develop ideas and create purposeful products. The subject is planned separately from Art so that pupils experience a clear design process and build technical knowledge alongside creativity and practical skill.

Across the four-year curriculum cycle, pupils encounter structures, textiles, food technology, mechanisms and, for appropriate formal learners, electrical systems. They design for genuine purposes, such as making shelters, boats, bug hotels, musical instruments, vehicles, masks, moving products, lighting products and food items. Each project develops the process of investigating, designing, making, testing and evaluating.

DT is inclusive and practical. Staff adapt materials, tools, communication methods, physical support and the complexity of each design challenge while retaining its purpose. Pupils develop from sensory exploration and supported participation towards increasingly independent construction, technical understanding, problem-solving and evaluation.

How Design and Technology Develops Across Our Pathways

Discoverers

Our youngest and most complex learners explore materials, textures, tools and simple construction through play and sensory experiences. They notice cause and effect, make choices and take part in pushing, pulling, joining, building and taking things apart. The emphasis is on curiosity, engagement and purposeful participation.

Explorers

Pupils begin to recognise what familiar materials, tools and products do. They participate in short making sequences, communicate preferences and use simple equipment with support. Practical experiences help them develop control, persistence and an early understanding that materials can be changed and joined to create something for a purpose.

Adventurers and Voyagers

Pupils investigate existing products, identify what a product needs to do and make increasingly purposeful design choices. They select materials, follow or contribute to a plan, use a wider range of tools and test what they have made. Pupils begin to explain decisions and suggest how products could be improved.

Pioneers

Formal learners undertake more complex design challenges involving structures, wheels and axles, pneumatics, textiles, food technology and electrical circuits. They communicate ideas, select suitable materials and components, construct with increasing accuracy and evaluate how successfully a finished product meets its purpose.

Navigators

Pupils in the Navigator cohort draw flexibly from the wider pathway curriculum according to their developmental needs and readiness. Projects are linked closely to pupils’ interests and broken into manageable stages. Clear goals, visual sequences, carefully managed cognitive demand and personalised support help pupils plan, persist and solve problems. The structured, practical nature of design and technology supports regulation, resilience and the experience of completing something successfully.

What Pupils Learn

Across the school, pupils learn to:

  • explore and compare materials, tools and existing products
  • understand that products are designed for a purpose and a user
  • communicate ideas through choices, pictures, models, symbols, speech or writing
  • develop practical skills in joining, cutting, shaping, constructing and finishing
  • learn about structures, textiles, food technology and mechanisms
  • develop appropriate technical knowledge, including electrical systems for some learners
  • use tools and equipment with increasing control and safety
  • follow and contribute to the process of investigating, designing, making and evaluating
  • test products, identify problems and try possible solutions
  • develop independence, resilience and confidence in practical problem-solving.

Cultural Capital and Enrichment

Design and Technology helps pupils understand the designed world around them. They explore how everyday objects, buildings, clothing, food and mechanisms meet human needs and how designers use materials and technology to solve problems.

Practical projects linked to school themes and real-life contexts give pupils experience of creating for a genuine purpose. Visitors, community links, food projects and opportunities to share finished products broaden pupils’ understanding of design, technology and possible future interests.

Preparing for Adulthood and British Values

DT develops skills that support everyday independence and future participation. Pupils learn to use tools safely, follow a process, organise materials, make decisions and evaluate whether something works. Problem-solving and persistence help pupils approach unfamiliar tasks with growing confidence.

Collaborative design encourages pupils to listen to others, share resources and respect different ideas. Considering users and purposes develops empathy and responsibility. Pupils learn that successful products may be designed in different ways and that every person can contribute to a shared project.

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