At Gedney Church End Primary Academy, we believe that Design and Technology enables children to become creative thinkers, problem solvers and practical innovators. Our curriculum encourages children to identify needs, explore possibilities and use their knowledge and imagination to design and make purposeful products. We want children to understand that good design has a purpose and that the products, structures and technologies around us have been developed to solve problems and improve people's lives.

Our Design and Technology curriculum is carefully planned so that children progressively develop their knowledge and skills from EYFS to Year 6. Children experience a broad range of areas including structures, mechanisms, textiles, food and nutrition, electrical systems and digital control. As they progress through the academy, children revisit and build upon previous learning, becoming increasingly confident and independent in selecting and using appropriate materials, tools, techniques and processes. 

At the heart of our curriculum is the process of designing, making and evaluating. Children investigate existing products and consider how and why they have been designed. They use this knowledge to generate and communicate their own ideas, develop prototypes, select suitable materials and tools, and create products for a clear purpose and, where appropriate, an identified user. Evaluation is an important part of the design process, with children considering what works well, identifying possible improvements and refining their ideas and products in response to what they discover.

Technical knowledge becomes increasingly sophisticated as children move through the academy. Early exploration of constructing, joining and movement develops into purposeful work with structures and mechanisms. As children progress, they encounter increasingly demanding challenges involving wheels and axles, levers, strengthened frame structures, textiles, CAM mechanisms, electrical systems, digital control and pulleys. Food and nutrition similarly develops from early experiences of preparing and tasting food towards designing, making and evaluating dishes with increasing understanding of ingredients, healthy choices, food preparation and safety. 

Where meaningful, Design and Technology makes purposeful connections with other areas of learning. For example, children apply their historical knowledge when designing Roman-inspired chariots, preparing food within their study of the Maya, creating Viking longships and producing functional textile products linked to the Second World War. These contexts give children's designs a meaningful purpose while ensuring that the focus remains firmly on developing distinctive designing, making, technical and evaluative knowledge. 

Our SPARK values sit naturally within Design and Technology. Children develop Self-belief by turning their own ideas into reality, Perseverance as they test, refine and improve their designs, and Aspiration by striving to create increasingly successful products. Respect and Kindness are developed through collaboration, constructive feedback and designing thoughtfully with the needs of others in mind.

Ultimately, we want children to leave Gedney Church End as confident, creative and resourceful designers. We want them to draw upon secure technical knowledge, think creatively, solve problems and evaluate their ideas critically. Most importantly, we want children to understand that successful design is an iterative process of thinking, designing, creating, testing, evaluating and improving.