Intent

At Sunnyside Primary Academy, our Design and Technology curriculum, underpinned by the Primary Knowledge Curriculum, enables pupils to become thoughtful designers, skilled makers and reflective evaluators who understand how design and technology shapes the world around them.

We aim to develop pupils who can apply purposeful knowledge and technical skills to solve real-world problems, responding to authentic design briefs that consider user needs, functionality, sustainability and aesthetics. Through a carefully sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum, pupils revisit and build upon core concepts, materials, mechanisms and processes, allowing them to develop confidence, independence and precision over time.

Design and Technology at Sunnyside is rooted in our belief that all pupils can aspire to excellence. Children are taught to think critically, communicate clearly using subject-specific vocabulary, and take pride in producing high-quality outcomes. They learn that design is iterative: ideas evolve through testing, evaluation and refinement.

Our curriculum is explicitly aligned with our Curriculum Pillars:

Aspiring for Excellence

Pupils are encouraged to design with ambition and purpose. They are taught to plan carefully, work accurately, evaluate honestly and improve thoughtfully. Through increasing technical challenge and higher expectations year on year, pupils develop resilience and high standards for themselves and others.

Enriching Language and Communication

Design and Technology is a language-rich subject. Pupils are explicitly taught and expected to use precise technical vocabulary to describe materials, mechanisms, processes and evaluations. Through discussion, annotation, explanation and evaluation, pupils develop the confidence to articulate ideas clearly and justify design decisions.

Cultivating a Strong Community

Pupils develop an understanding that design exists to serve others. Many design tasks have an identified user, encouraging empathy, collaboration and responsibility. Pupils work together respectfully, sharing tools, ideas and feedback, and learning that collective problem-solving leads to stronger outcomes.

Broadening Horizons

Through studying designs, inventions, food and technologies from a range of cultures, environments and historical periods, pupils learn that innovation is influenced by context, culture and need. This broadens pupils’ understanding of the world and their place within it.

Building a Knowledge-Rich Foundation

Our DT curriculum prioritises explicit teaching of core knowledge: materials and their properties, structures, mechanisms, electrical systems, textiles and nutrition. This secure foundation enables pupils to confidently apply knowledge in practical contexts and prepares them for secondary education and beyond.

Implementation

Design and Technology is taught in line with the Primary Knowledge Curriculum approach, where learning is carefully sequenced, cumulative and revisited over time to secure long-term understanding.

Curriculum Structure

The National Curriculum is organised into four strands, which form the backbone of our DT curriculum:

• Design
• Make
• Evaluate
• Technical Knowledge

Pupils move through these strands systematically within every unit, ensuring consistency and depth across the school.

In addition, Cooking and Nutrition is given specific emphasis and taught progressively, ensuring pupils understand:

• Where food comes from
• Principles of healthy eating
• Seasonality and sustainability
• Key cooking techniques and processes

Key Areas of Learning

Pupils revisit six key DT areas throughout their primary education, with increasing complexity:

• Cooking and Nutrition
• Structures
• Mechanisms / Mechanical Systems
• Textiles
• Electrical Systems (KS2)
• Digital World (KS2)

Each revisit deepens both knowledge and technical skill, moving from basic understanding and guided practice to independence and innovation.

Knowledge-Led Design Process

Every unit follows a consistent design cycle:

1. Research and Investigate – building domain knowledge and understanding existing products
2. Design – generating ideas, setting criteria and planning thoughtfully
3. Make – selecting tools and materials and applying techniques accurately and safely
4. Evaluate – testing products against criteria, reflecting on strengths and areas for improvement

Knowledge organisers support each unit, enabling pupils to revisit key facts, vocabulary and concepts and supporting retrieval practice.

Teaching and Learning

Lessons include:

• Explicit instruction in technical knowledge and vocabulary
• Modelling of skills and processes
• Practical, hands-on making opportunities
• Structured talk, collaboration and evaluation
• Opportunities to apply learning independently

This approach ensures all pupils, including those with additional needs, can access and succeed in Design and Technology.

Impact

The impact of our Design and Technology curriculum is that pupils leave Sunnyside Primary Academy as confident, capable and reflective designers, prepared for the next stage of their education.

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will:

• Have a secure understanding of key materials, mechanisms, structures, electrical systems and textile techniques
• Confidently use tools and equipment safely and accurately
• Apply a growing body of technical knowledge to solve real-life problems
• Design and make purposeful products that meet the needs of identified users
• Evaluate their own work and the work of others using precise technical language
• Understand principles of healthy eating, food preparation and nutrition
• Recognise how design and technology impacts communities, the environment and the wider world
• Demonstrate resilience, creativity and pride in their outcomes
• Meet or exceed the end-of-key-stage expectations for Design and Technology as outlined in the National Curriculum

Ultimately, our Design and Technology curriculum equips pupils not only with practical skills, but with the knowledge, ambition and responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the world around them.