11.12.25 – DT – Strengthening our helmets
11-12-2025
Today we have continued our design and technology project of making helmets, which are shell structures. Our focus today was how we can use layering to strengthen the structure of the helmets.
Purpose of Study
Design and Technology (D&T) at our school is about giving children the skills, knowledge and creativity to design and make purposeful products. We follow the Kapow Primary scheme, which provides a well-structured and engaging curriculum that helps children understand how design and technology impacts everyday life.
The National Curriculum for Design and Technology states that a high-quality D&T education should inspire children to be resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through Kapow, children learn to research, design, make and evaluate products, developing practical skills in areas such as construction, textiles, mechanisms, electrical systems and food technology. They also learn how design and technology connects with real-world problems and future possibilities.
Through the delivery of Design and Technology, we aim to improve children’ skills in these five areas:
- Generating ideas – including generating ideas and exploring the work of others
- Making – planning, practical skills and techniques
- Evaluating ideas – own ideas and products, existing products, key events and individuals
- Technical knowledge – making products work
- Cooking and nutrition – where food comes from, preparing and cooking food and nutrition
Aims
Our Design and Technology curriculum, delivered through Kapow Primary, aims to ensure that all children:
- Develop creative, technical and practical skills to perform everyday tasks confidently.
- Research, design, make and evaluate products that solve real and relevant problems.
- Apply knowledge from other subjects such as maths, science, computing and art in meaningful ways.
- Learn about key designers, inventors, engineers and chefs, and the impact of their work.
- Build cooking and nutrition knowledge, understanding how to prepare food and make healthy choices.
- Gain confidence to take risks, become resourceful problem-solvers, and reflect on how to improve their ideas and products.
Documents
National Curriculum Design and Technology
Design & Technology – Curriculum Statement
Design Technology (DT) Chatter
09. 12.25- DT- Truss Bridge
09-12-2025
Today year 5 had an exciting lesson making a truss bridge out of spaghetti. It was great to see everybody working as a team to build their bridges! They were then able to test the strength of their bridge and compare them to the arch and beam bridge that we made last week.
09.12.25 D.T. – Slider game
09-12-2025
Today we created a mock up of our slider game. We discussed the slider mechanism and used the model to test our ideas and what words would work well.
04.12.25- DT- Beam and Arch bridges
04-12-2025
In DT, we have been looking at bridges and their structures. To help us understand the difference between a beam bridge and an arch bridge, we had a go at making both types physically. Year 5 then investigated to see which bridge could hold more weight. We discovered that the structure of the arch bridge was able to carry more weight.
13.11.25 -DT- Investigation sliders
12-11-2025
We have begun our DT unit be discussing what we know about different mechanisms and how they move. We have practised using specific vocabulary such as – slider, lever, turn, twist, forwards backwards and left and right. We then went on a mechanism hunt around our school to find sliders. Look at our picture to see what we found.
