DT Intent – What We Aspire for Your Child

At Green Park Community Primary School, we believe in inspiring our children to become the next generation of engineers, world-class chefs, designers, and architects. Our Design Technology curriculum is thoughtfully crafted to provide every child with the chance to take risks, learn from failure, and develop the personal attributes needed to thrive in our ever-evolving, technology-driven world. We are passionate about offering a practical, inspiring, and exciting curriculum that connects directly to real-life contexts and challenges. Through engaging, hands-on projects, we empower our children to experience the full design process—from initial ideas to making and evaluating their own creations—fostering independent, creative thinkers who build a strong sense of pride and achievement. Our aim is to cultivate critical thinking, determination, and resilience, ensuring that our children see DT not merely as a subject, but as a vital pathway to real-world success.

DT Implementation – Bringing Innovation to Life in the Classroom

Our children follow a carefully structured Design Technology curriculum that is designed to ensure they know more, do more, and remember more as they progress through our school. From the Early Years, where pupils explore a variety of tools and materials in a playful, experimental setting, to Key Stages One and Two, where they engage in progressive, project-based learning, our curriculum is built to inspire independence and resilience from day one. Lessons are delivered in blocks to allow sustained focus, ensuring that children have the time to work through a project from start to finish—becoming critical, inventive, and reflective in their approach.

Our DT curriculum is built around four Golden Threads that form the backbone of our teaching:

• Mechanisms and Movement: Exploring the principles of motion and the mechanics behind everyday objects.
• Textiles: Delving into the creative world of fabrics and materials.
• Food: Uncovering the art and science behind culinary creations.
• Structures: Investigating stability, design, and construction in varied contexts.

These threads are explored through the technical elements of our curriculum—including textiles, mechanisms, structures, electrical systems, and food and nutrition—ensuring that our pupils revisit and build upon their learning as they advance. Our detailed schemes of learning underpin effective quality-first teaching, supported by targeted CPD opportunities for our staff and a wealth of high-quality resources for our children.

DT Impact – The Lasting Benefits for Our Children

The impact of our Design Technology curriculum is both profound and far-reaching. Our pupils graduate as confident designers and makers who can independently design, create, and evaluate a range of products for diverse users and purposes. They develop a positive outlook towards taking risks and making independent choices, learning to carry out thorough research, show initiative, and ask insightful questions that deepen their understanding of how things work.

Through DT, our children:

• Learn to work efficiently, using materials carefully and safely.
• Acquire the technical know-how of which tools, equipment, and materials are best for each task.
• Apply mathematical and scientific knowledge accurately when designing and making.
• Manage risks exceptionally well, ensuring that their projects are produced safely and hygienically.
• Cultivate a passion for the subject, inspiring them to further explore their creative potential in the future.

We are incredibly proud of our children’s achievements in Design Technology. As they leave Green Park Community Primary School, they will carry with them not only a rich portfolio of creative work but also the confidence and skills needed to succeed in an ever-changing technological world. Our DT curriculum ensures that our pupils are ready to become the innovative, independent thinkers and makers of tomorrow.

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The Design and Technology Progression Documents (both knowledge and skills)