How we have sequenced the design and technology curriculum

1. Units of work have been developed and planned that we know are interesting, relevant, and which provide the necessary framework within which to develop a broad range of knowledge, skills and understanding whilst also ensuring full coverage of the national curriculum.

2. The units of work have been sequenced into the key design and technology 'strands' of mechanics and construction, food technology and textiles. Children develop a diverse range of skills, including key life-skills, as they progress through the school, alongside a foundational understanding of more complex concepts, such as mechanics, gears and linkages.

3. The key skills specific to the teaching of design and technology (the disciplinary knowledge) are developed across each strand and alongside critical thinking. This had been mapped out alongside vocabulary, enabling children to progressively develop their ability to think like engineers or chefs whilst making connections between different areas of their learning. 

4. Knowledge overviews provide the focus for teaching and learning and encompass the ‘facts’ and skills we want children to know and to have mastered by the end of each unit of work.

Our design and technology curriculum and supporting scheme enables teachers to quickly gain an overview of each unit of work, identify what the learning outcomes are and how learning is to be developed from what has been taught previously.