Design and Technology
At Tottenhall we recognise Design and Technology to be an exciting and practical subject. It can be found in many of the objects that children use each day and is a part of children’s immediate experiences.
We aim to provide all children with a broad and balanced curriculum which prepares them for life beyond primary education. We encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts.
Design and Technology encourages children to learn to think and intervene innovatively both as individuals and as members of a team. It can improve analysis, problem-solving, practical capability and evaluation skills.
We try to connect our work to subjects like maths, science, engineering, 
computing, and art. Children are encouraged to be creative and try new ideas. Good Design and Technology lessons help make young minds more creative.
In Early Years, we encourage design and technology skills through a mix of adult-led activities and child-led play. Our indoor and outdoor environments give children many opportunities for open-ended Design and Technology projects, such as using recyclable materials, small indoor construction, large outdoor building, malleable materials, water play, and sand play. Children learn to use different tools and equipment safely and independently, and these skills are further developed in Year 1.
Our pupils will learn knowledge and skills in the following areas:
- Design
- Mechanisms
- Structures
- Cooking and Nutrition
They will cover these skills in the following topics:
- Design & make a toy- Generating ideas and design by using pictures, model mock-ups and words.
- Moving Mechanisms- Understand about the movements of simple mechanisms, including levers and sliders.
- Cooking-Describing the properties of the ingredients we are using and why it is important. Explain what it means to be Hygienic. Use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes. Understand where food comes from.
- Puppets- Design, select, make and evaluate.
- Structures- Explore, design, make and evaluate stables structures.
BBC Bitesize Design and Technology Stem Learning- Designing at KS1