Design and Technology
At Danesholme Academies, our design and technology curriculum is designed so that every child will 'Be Ready':
Ready to Learn — We provide a dynamic Design and Technology curriculum that builds secure foundations in designing, making, and evaluating. Children learn key concepts such as functionality, innovation, and sustainability, developing technical knowledge and practical skills through hands-on projects.
Ready for Life — D and T equips children with creativity, resilience, and problem-solving skills that extend beyond the classroom. They learn to apply design thinking, adapt ideas, and use tools and materials safely and effectively—preparing them for real-world challenges and opportunities.
Ready to Contribute — Through collaborative design projects, children learn to share ideas, respect different perspectives, and work as part of a team. They understand how design impacts communities and the environment, fostering responsibility and innovation for a better future.
Ready to Succeed — With high expectations and progressive development of design principles, technical knowledge, and practical skills, every child is empowered to create, evaluate, and refine products confidently—preparing them for the next stage of education and future careers in design and engineering.
Implementation
At Danesholme Infant Academy, we follow the Primary Knowledge Curriculum scheme so Design and Technology inspires children to become creative problem-solvers by following the design process of researching, designing, making and evaluating products for real purposes and audiences. Through the three key areas of cook, sew and build, pupils develop practical skills, technical knowledge and an understanding of how design shapes the world around them.
Learning is carefully sequenced so that children progressively build their knowledge and skills throughout their time at the academy. In cooking, pupils learn about nutrition, food preparation and healthy lifestyles. In textiles, they develop sewing and fabric-working techniques, while in building projects they create structures and mechanisms that apply scientific and mathematical understanding. Sustainability, innovation and enterprise are woven throughout the curriculum, encouraging children to think critically about the environmental impact of design choices and the responsible use of resources.
Where appropriate, learning is linked to the local area, helping children understand the rich industrial heritage of Corby and how design, manufacturing and engineering have played a significant role in shaping the community. Children are encouraged to consider how products and innovations improve people's lives and contribute to modern society.
Our Design and Technology curriculum strongly supports the Danesholme KRR values of being Kind, Ready and Respectful. Children show kindness by working collaboratively, sharing ideas and supporting others throughout the design process. They demonstrate readiness by approaching challenges with creativity, resilience and determination, refining their ideas through evaluation and improvement. They show respect by valuing the work of others, considering user needs and making responsible decisions about materials, sustainability and resource use.
Through practical, engaging experiences, pupils develop the confidence, creativity and technical understanding needed to become thoughtful designers, makers and innovators of the future.
Please see the full implementation below.