Design & Technology Curriculum Intent

Curriculum Vision

Our Design & Technology curriculum is ambitious for all learners and is rooted in the belief that technological understanding empowers young people to shape the world around them. We ensure equitable access to powerful technological knowledge so that every pupil can develop both technological capability and technological perspective.

At Washington Academy, pupils learn that everything that is not grown or born has been designed to solve a problem. Through design thinking, making and critical evaluation, pupils develop the knowledge and confidence to respond creatively and responsibly to real-world challenges.

We explicitly teach both substantive knowledge (materials, systems, nutrition, structures, processes, health and safety, sustainability and technical principles) and disciplinary knowledge (how designers investigate, generate ideas, model, test, refine, evaluate and communicate solutions). Through iterative design practice, pupils apply this knowledge with increasing independence and precision over time.

Curriculum Rationale and Sequencing

The curriculum is coherently sequenced from Year 7 to Year 11. Foundational knowledge of materials, tools, safety, nutrition, structures and systems is introduced early and revisited in increasingly complex contexts.

Across Key Stage 3, pupils build secure foundations in technical accuracy, problem solving and evaluation. They experience designing without making, making without designing, and designing and making, ensuring conceptual understanding alongside practical capability.

At Key Stage 4, pupils apply this cumulative knowledge through specialist pathways. They engage in sustained investigation, refinement and purposeful outcomes aligned to examination and non-examined assessment expectations. This progression ensures readiness for independent technical practice and extended project work.

Curriculum content is selected to build cultural capital, exposing pupils to influential designers, engineers, architects, chefs and technologists across time and place.

Technical Literacy and Mathematical Application

Technical vocabulary is taught systematically and cumulatively, enabling pupils to communicate design intent, justify decisions and evaluate outcomes with clarity and precision.

Pupils develop mathematical and analytical fluency through measuring, scaling, costing, nutritional calculations, structural analysis and interpretation of specifications. This

strengthens their ability to apply knowledge confidently in increasingly demanding contexts.

Practical and Analytical Skills

Pupils develop competence in safe tool use, material manipulation, construction techniques and food preparation skills. They learn to test, critique and refine their work, using feedback and evaluation to improve outcomes.

This iterative process ensures that knowledge, technical skill and conceptual understanding are retained securely and applied independently in unfamiliar and challenging situations.

Ambition for All

We maintain high expectations for all learners, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Our curriculum is designed to remove barriers to achievement and ensure sustained progress over time.

Adaptive teaching, structured modelling, scaffolded design processes and explicit vocabulary instruction enable all pupils to access the full technological curriculum.

Assessment

Assessment is structured to ensure pupils build secure foundations and make sustained progress in technical skill, problem solving and evaluation.

Assessment is cumulative and designed to strengthen long-term retention. Regular opportunities for retrieval, practical refinement and critique enable pupils to improve precision and deepen conceptual understanding.

At Key Stage 3, assessment evaluates technical accuracy, creativity, problem solving and evaluation. At Key Stage 4, assessment is aligned to examination board criteria and is synoptic in nature, requiring pupils to demonstrate investigation, planning, making, testing and evaluation through sustained projects.

Preparation for Future Pathways

We prepare pupils for ambitious next steps in education, employment and training by making explicit the connections between technological knowledge and professional pathways.

Pupils explore careers in engineering, architecture, product design, construction, sustainable development, hospitality, catering, food science, manufacturing and the wider creative and technical industries.

Through Design & Technology, pupils develop highly transferable skills including problem solving, resilience, analytical thinking, collaboration, precision, project management and the ability to refine work through structured critique.

Pathway-Specific Provision

Product Design

Pupils develop understanding of materials, mechanical devices, emerging technologies and specialist techniques. They learn to design iteratively and produce high-quality prototypes informed by research and evaluation.

Construction and the Built Environment

Pupils explore the built environment life cycle, structural principles, sustainable construction and health and safety. They develop sector-specific knowledge aligned to vocational and technical pathways.

Food Technology

Pupils develop knowledge of nutrition, hygiene, food science and practical preparation skills. They understand the relationship between diet, health and sustainability.

Hospitality and Catering

Pupils gain understanding of hospitality operations, food safety, menu planning and industry standards. They develop practical competence alongside knowledge of professional expectations within the sector.