Teachers ensure there is appropriate coverage of key areas across each key stage: textiles, mechanical systems, food technology, stable structures and computer aided design. There is a clear progression of skills across units and year groups with areas being revisited and build upon. Children gather ideas through studying and evaluating current products as well as them developing their own ideas.  Specific skills are taught explicitly including different stitches, joining and cutting techniques, making circuits to use switches and sensors, making moving parts and finishing techniques. Pupils explore and practise techniques showing that they can give it a go and be resilient if things are challenging. They apply skills learnt in current and previous units to produce a final project based on their preparatory work. 

Each DT unit will include:

• Specific vocabulary is shared, displayed and used in discussions by teachers and pupils.
• Exploration of similar products currently available. Children will make judgements of the practicality and appeal of products. They will investigate how the products have been made and how they suit the purpose they have been made for. 
• Teachers demonstrate techniques and allow time for pupils explore and practise new skills. 
• Pupils use the information collected to design their own product against a brief. 
• Where appropriate, they plan designs ie for printing, or produce mock-ups as part of this preparation.
• Pupils apply their knowledge and skills to create a final product.
• They reflect on their own and others’ work throughout and at the end of the unit where they have the opportunity to evaluate their product against the brief that was set.
• The final piece will be assessed against expectations for the year group.