Design & Technology (DT) is a creative and practical subject, in which children develop and use their knowledge, skills and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a range of contexts.

DT in the national curriculum has the following aims, for children to:

• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

At Worstead, our children will be taught DT based on the following six principles:

• User – Pupils should have a clear idea of who they are designing and making products for, considering their needs, wants, values, interests and preferences. The intended users could be themselves or others, an imaginary or story-based character, a client, a consumer or a specific target group.
• Purpose – Pupils should be able to clearly communicate the purpose of the products they are designing and making. Each product they create should be designed to perform one or more defined tasks. Pupils’ products should be evaluated through use.
• Functionality – Pupils should design and make products that work/function effectively in order to fulfil users’ needs, wants and purposes. In D&T, it is insufficient for children to design and make products which are purely aesthetic.
• Design decisions – Pupils need opportunities to make their own design decisions. Making design decisions allows pupils to demonstrate their creative, technical and practical expertise, and use learning from other subjects. When making design decisions pupils decide on the form their product will take, how their product will work, what task or tasks it will perform and who the product will be for.
• Innovation – When designing and making, pupils need some scope to be original with their thinking. Projects that encourage innovation lead to a range of design ideas and products being developed and are characterised by engaging open-ended starting points for learning
• Authenticity – Pupils should design and make products that are believable, real and meaningful to themselves and others.