Design Technology

Subject leader: Mrs Trounson

Our DT curriculum intent

At Porthleven School, we aim to provide a high-quality Design and Technology education that inspires and empowers children to be innovative and problem-solvers. Our curriculum, following the approach of Kapow, encourages children to become confident creators, thinkers, and makers. We want our students to enjoy Design and Technology and feel confident exploring ideas and building solutions in an environment that fosters creativity, experimentation, and resilience. In our classrooms, there is an energy of excitement as children collaborate and share their designs, celebrate their successes, and learn from their challenges.

Through our Design and Technology curriculum, we aim to inspire children to be ambitious and forward-thinking by engaging them with real-world problems and encouraging them to design solutions with a creative mindset. Where possible, we integrate other subjects, such as Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, to show the connections between design and the world around them.

This approach empowers our children to see the value of design in everyday life, helping them to develop the skills and knowledge to shape a better future through creativity and collaboration.

The Porthleven Way

We embed the culture of the Porthleven Way into our teaching of Design and Technology by linking its affirmations and principles to creativity, problem-solving, and innovation.
Children explore how designers, engineers, and inventors throughout history have responded to challenges, using design and technology to improve lives, solve problems, and inspire change. They learn that experimentation, reflection, and learning from mistakes are essential parts of the design process, leading to deeper understanding and technical growth. We want children to feel confident in their ability to design, create, and evaluate, embracing challenges as opportunities for innovation. Through exploring a range of materials, techniques, and real-world applications, they develop a sense of belonging in a world shaped by design and technology.

We encourage children to take responsibility for their creative journey, developing independence in using a variety of tools, materials, and digital resources. They explore different aspects of design, including structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, and textiles, while also learning how to research, plan, and take inspiration from designers and engineers. Design and Technology lessons are designed to be engaging and hands-on, fostering curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Creativity extends beyond the classroom through our ‘topic homework choosing grid,’ encouraging children to continue their exploration of design and technology at home. By the time they leave our school, children will understand how design shapes the world around them, how products are created to meet needs, and how they can contribute to future technological advancements. Most importantly, they will learn that design and technology are powerful tools for innovation, collaboration, and making a meaningful impact.

 What will children experience through DT at Porthleven?

We follow a split curriculum in Art and Design where Design and Technology and Art and Design alternates with every half term. Design and technology is taught during the second part of each term. There are six key areas of focus, cooking and nutrition, mechanisms, structures, textiles, in Key stage 2 they also explore electoral world and digital systems. Then each area of focus is broken down into  units for each year group where there is a progression of skills and knowledge drops. Each unit has a specific focus on specific skills and end project where the children learn different techniques and use a variety of tools and equipment. The children then feel safe to take risks to develop and try out the design approaches.

Eyfs

In Nursery and Reception, Design Technology fosters independence by helping children choose and use tools like scissors, paper, and glue. Weekly activities, such as junk modelling, develop their skills through demonstrations and conversations with adults. Linked to communication and language, it nurtures transferable skills for both indoor and outdoor play, including den building and the mud kitchen.

KS1&2

At our school, key DT skills have been carefully mapped across the curriculum to ensure clear progression from Year 1 onwards. These skills encompass the core strands of the DT National Curriculum: design, make, evaluate, and technical knowledge.

From Year 1, children document their learning journey in individual DT books, where they develop and refine their skills over a sequence of lessons. Through hands-on, practical activities, they engage in the iterative design process—researching, planning, making, and evaluating—while considering functionality, user needs, and aesthetic appeal.

Each lesson provides opportunities for children to reflect on their own work and that of their peers, fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and resilience. By engaging in collaborative discussions and self-evaluation, they develop as responsible, independent learners who can apply their knowledge and skills in real-world contexts.

During their time with us at Porthleven School, children will cover every aspect of the DT National Curriculum. There are exciting and engaging units such as boats (structures) or fairground wheels(mechanisms). These are just a selection of the units.

Curriculum impact

At the start of each unit, teachers establish the starting point for each child and ensure that all lessons taught are relevant and developmental, and consideration is given to how greater depth will be reached within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion.

Assessment for Learning (Daily in class)

• Use consistent feedback and live marking strategies (see marking and Feedback policy)
• Pupil self-assessment and peer-assessment against success criteria
• Targeted questioning
• Examples of children’s work to be shown under the visualiser.

Formative Assessment

• Teacher to assess each child at the start of a new unit.
• Learning in Design and Technology is evidenced in our learning conversations (adult/child, child/child, etc).
• Learning in Design and Technology is evidenced in targeted questioning and response.