Design & Technology
Woodside’s Design & Technology Curriculum
“Young designers can help build a more sustainable future.” – James Dyson
At Woodside, we believe every child is a designer, innovator and problem‑solver. Our bespoke Design & Technology curriculum nurtures creativity, resilience and technical skill, enabling children to design and make meaningful products that improve the world around them.
A Curriculum That Inspires Innovation
Our D&T curriculum encourages pupils to imagine, design and create with purpose. Children explore how products are made, who they are for and how they can be improved. They gain hands‑on experience in cooking and nutrition, structures, textiles, mechanisms and electrical systems, using real tools and techniques safely and confidently.
D&T at Woodside is built around a clear five‑part teaching sequence:
Research → Develop & Master → Design → Make → Test & Evaluate.
This provides pupils with a structured and empowering approach to designing and making products independently and collaboratively.
Rooted in Diversity, Careers and Real‑World Design
Children meet a wide range of designers, engineers, architects, chefs and product developers who bring global, national and local design stories into the classroom—such as Stella McCartney, Nadiya Hussain, Peter Boizot, Hillary Graves and Sir Nicholas Grimshaw.
These diverse role models help pupils see the breadth of opportunities in design and engineering, raise aspirations, and highlight inclusive pathways into creative and technical careers.
Every study identifies a clear product, user and purpose, helping children understand the real people their products are designed for—including families, younger pupils, community groups, and even local wildlife.
Sustainability at the Heart
Sustainability is an ongoing thread woven throughout our curriculum. Pupils consider eco‑friendly materials, energy efficiency, environmental impact and creative reuse. They grow ingredients on site, explore local habitats and think deeply about how design can make the world better for future generations.
Designed for Progression and Creativity
From early cutting skills in Reception to engineering mechanisms and electrical systems in upper KS2, pupils’ knowledge and skills progress purposefully each year.
Children build mastery through exciting, age‑appropriate projects such as:
- Reception: fruit kebabs, Easter bonnets, picture frames
- KS1: moving pictures, bridges, puppets, pizzas, model villages
- LKS2: scones, mini greenhouses, pneumatic mascots, pencil cases, stir‑fries, nightlights
- UKS2: street food, bird hides, racing cars, light‑up signs, sustainable fashion pieces, afternoon tea
Each project is carefully selected to build technical skill, creativity, independence and pride.
Contextualised to Woodside and Our Community
Our curriculum is purposefully shaped by our school’s identity and wider community. Learning draws on our local environment, parish partnerships and outdoor spaces—including using the school grounds to grow ingredients for cooking studies.
Children also take part in whole‑school events such as Business Enterprise Week, where they create products, design business plans and sell items at the Enterprise Fayre—developing financial understanding, teamwork and entrepreneurial thinking.
What Makes Woodside’s D&T Curriculum Special?
- A clear, rigorous design cycle that supports creativity and technical mastery
- A diverse range of designers and engineers represented across year groups
- Strong links to sustainability, wellbeing and spirituality
- Real‑world, purposeful products with clear users and needs
- Integration of STEM, Maths, Science and Computing
- Community links that bring learning to life
- Opportunities to celebrate innovation through events like Enterprise Week
At Woodside, we don’t just teach Design & Technology—
we grow designers, engineers and creative thinkers who shape their world.