Design and technology is a subject much enjoyed at Queen Emma. The opportunity to use their imagination and creativity to produce items that fit a given brief or help solve a problem are enjoyed by children across the school.

In line with the national curriculum for design and technology we aim to ensure that all pupils:

• 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

Yearly Overview

Design and technology at Queen Emma is linked very closely to the topics. Below is a table which shows the work children complete each half term in the different year groups. For each topic there is an element of designing, making (which will involve the use of a wide range of materials) and evaluating.

Our Work

In Reception children use a range of materials to create a wide range of wonderful things. In the photos below you should be able to spot dinosaurs, a laptop, a rain cloud and superhero models.

Below you can see examples of designing and evaluating from Key Stage 1.

The same process can also be seen here in some Year 3 work.

Photos of Learning

Year 1

We had fun designing, making and painting planets using papier-mâché. We worked in groups and shared the resources. We linked this to our work in Science on Space, seasons and night and day.

In Year 1 the children made their own castles in Design and Technology. We use paper for the door, arrow slits and portcullis. String was attached to make a draw drawbridge. We chose the colours we painted our castles very carefully, ensuring our audience could recognise the shapes of the bricks.

Then we evaluated our own work. We discussed with a talk partner what we had learnt, what worked well and then how we might be able to improve our work if we carried out the same activity again. 

Year 2

Designing and Making Fairytale Rooms

Year 2 children had fun making their own fairytale rooms in the style of Lauren Child. First, they worked with a part to plan their room and make a list of the furniture and décor.

Next they drew a plan for their room together.

Then they worked together to make their room, decorate it and to add furniture.

Finally, they evaluated their room to decide what they liked and what they would change if they were to do it again.

Designing and Making Sandwiches

Year 2 children found out about healthy eating and designed their own sandwich. They wrote what ingredients they would need, explained why they chose the fillings and later evaluated their sandwich. It was fun making and eating delicious sandwiches!

Design and Technology skills were used again to make collages of the sandwiches.

Year 3

A wide variety of materials are used by children across the school when constructing different items. Below you will find examples of children in Year 3 making Greek Pots from clay. Before creating their final piece children experimented with making a coil pot and pinch pot. They also learnt about effective ways of joining the clay.

Children in Year 3 also used corrugated cardboard to create Greek Temples. They has be to very careful with their measuring, cutting and joining skills to ensure the roof was secure and straight.

Year 3 were also given the problem of building a winding mechanism that could be used to move an anchor up and down on a pirate ship. They had to think carefully when constructing the axel to decide which parts should be fixed and which should be able to move freely. We also learnt how to use hacksaws safely to cut the pieces of wood to the length we needed. The winding mechanisms were then joined onto the pirate ships.

Year 4

Children in Year 4 made bridges out of art straws. They worked in groups to create the strongest bridge using their knowledge of the strongest shapes and structures. During the Islamic Golden Age Muslims discovered that triangles were the strongest shape, a fact that is still true today. Only a couple of bridges survived holding a heavy dictionary.