Design & Technology at Harper Bell
At Harper Bell, Design and Technology (DT) provides pupils with meaningful opportunities to design, create and solve real‑world problems. We use the Kapow Primary Design and Technology scheme, which offers a clear, structured and progressive curriculum from Early Years through to Year 6. This spiral approach ensures that skills and knowledge are revisited and developed with increasing complexity as children move through the school.
Our DT curriculum focuses on developing pupils' ability to design, make and evaluate, encouraging creativity, resilience and practical problem‑solving. Children learn to think carefully about purpose, user needs and how products can be improved, preparing them with valuable life skills for the future.
Throughout their learning journey, pupils explore key areas including Structures, Mechanisms, Electrical Systems, Cooking and Nutrition, Textiles and the Digital World. In Key Stage 1, children begin by building simple, stable structures and exploring basic moving parts. As they progress into Key Stage 2, this develops into designing and creating more complex structures, mechanisms and systems using a wider range of materials, tools and techniques.
Children learn how to:
- Build and reinforce structures using different materials and joins
- Design and make mechanisms such as wheels, axles, levers, linkages and pneumatics
- Develop textile skills, from decorative techniques to joining fabrics securely using templates
- Create and understand electrical and digital systems, including circuits, switches and simple programming
- Prepare food safely while developing an understanding of nutrition and learning to modify and create recipes
Design and evaluation are central to DT at Harper Bell. Pupils use sketchbooks, models and discussion to generate ideas, refine designs and evaluate their work against clear criteria, learning how to improve and adapt their creations.
Our approach to Design and Technology reflects the biblical teaching found in Proverbs 22:29:
"Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings."
This reminds us of the value of skill, creativity and dedication - qualities we seek to nurture in every child as they design, make and evaluate with confidence and purpose.