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The Cobbs Infant and Nursery School

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (D&T)

The Cobbs Infant and Nursery School understands that Design and Technology allows pupils to solve problems, think creatively and develop ideas. Design and Technology offers pupils a chance to use creative thinking and activity within a defined purpose and tangible outcome. The school is committed to nurturing pupils’ curiosity and creativity, as well as preparing them for living in a modern world where technology is rapidly changing and advancing.

Design and Technology is taught following the Kapow scheme (introduced in 2025), with some discrete teaching, particularly of skills such as using scissors and cutting safely. Each year group is taught three main areas of Design and Technology: cooking and nutrition, structures and mechanisms. Having a specific focus each term enables children to recap prior learning and ensures they make progress. See What Design and Technology looks like in our school below.

What Design and Technology looks like in our school

Cygnets - Explore materials and textures freely
Cygnets - Join different materials
Cygnets - Use one-handed tools to snip paper
Cygnets - Make imaginative small worlds with construction kits
Nursery - Explore different materials in order to develop ideas about what to make
Nursery - Learn how to use a knife
Nursery - Explore textures
Nursery - Join different materials and explore textures
Nursery - Make healthy choices about food
Nursery - Use one-handed tools and equipment
Nursery - Use one-handed tools to create a hole
Reception - Safely use and explore a variety of materials
Reception - Safely use and explore a variety of materials experimenting with function
Reception - Use a a range of small tools (needle), develop fine motor skills
Reception - Use a range of small tools including cutlery
Reception - Use a range of tools safely and confidently
Reception - Express ideas
Year 1 - Assemble, join and combine materials, making simple models
Year 1 - Cut along lines straight and curved
Year 1 - Cut and chop a range of ingredients, working safely and hygienically
Year 1 - Designing a raft
Year 1 - Mark out materials to be cut
Year 1 - Paper folding Chinese dragon puppet
Year 1 - Scissor skills Chinese dragon puppet
Year 1 - Select materials from a limited range that will meet the design criteria
Year 1 - Testing a raft design
Year 1 - Use a simple design criteria to develop their ideas
Year 1 - Use mock-ups, explore ideas by rearranging materials
Year 1 - Use mock-ups to try out their ideas
Year 1 - Designing and making our own bridges
Year 2 - Cut and chop a range of ingredients
Year 2 - Grate a range of ingredients
Year 2 - Make appealing food for a specific purpose
Year 2 - Peel a range of ingredients
Year 2 - Use drawings to record ideas
Year 2 - Learning to sew

In Key Stage 1 Design and Technology lessons are taught independently to ensure full curriculum coverage. Year 1 also have access to a creative area to promote independence and embed the skills taught in lessons. All children have access to an increasing range of materials and tools to develop their ideas. There are a wide range of construction kits available, some of which are used to challenge all abilities. Children develop their resilience and are encouraged to ask questions by following the process of design, make and evaluate.

Year 1 and Year 2 children are provided with opportunities to look at healthy eating by making products such as smoothies and wraps. Children can develop their food preparation skills using equipment like knives, peelers, juicers and graters. This includes finding out where food comes from, nutritional information and food safety and hygiene.

In Early Years the children create their own open-ended products that support their imaginative play such as making rockets and cars out of large blocks and crates outside and they also have the opportunity to design and make junk models using recyclable materials. They practise cutting activities using paper and card to develop scissor skills. They use various construction kits to develop their problem-solving skills within Design and Technology so they build, evaluate and improve their models. Although children have access to each area independently, challenges are included to ensure key skills are applied. Children develop their knowledge of nutrition through taste testing fruit and vegetables before making their own soup.

In each Nursery and Reception class a workshop area is available as part of continuous provision where children develop and practise skills independently. Children use a range of materials and are taught basic techniques such as joining, folding and safe use of simple tools.

Our WOW Experiences

Year 2 - Design and make minibeast pouches

Across Key Stage 1, children are given freedom to explore joining techniques during their lessons. Textiles opportunities, such as sewing and joining materials, are provided throughout the year to ensure that children are challenged. Cross curricular links are promoted by exploring 2D shapes to discuss the best shape for a wheel. In lessons, children create their own purposeful products by exploring a range of sliders, wheels and axles, and different mechanisms through activities such as making a moving toy and creating a fairground wheel.

Some seasonal activities are made across the school for celebrations like Chinese New Year and we make Easter baskets to hold gifts left by the Easter Bunny! Paper manipulation and joining techniques are often used when creating cards for Mother’s Day and when making Christmas decorations.

See what our children think about Design & Technology in Pupil Voice below.

Pupil Voice

Reception