St Stephen's Church of England Primary School and Nursery
St Stephen's Church of England Primary School and Nursery
Design & Technology
Year 1
Autumn
Mechanisms
Pupils will investigate how sliders work. They will design and make their own card slider product.
Structures
Pupils will investigate what needs to be in place so that a structure can remain standing on its own. They will use a range of materials to explore and reason about why some structures may fall.
Spring
Food & Nutrition
Pupils will learn that eating is a sensory experience. They will learn about the nutritional value of vegetables and why colourful food can be better for you. They will use a range of culinary techniques to create and modify dishes that appeal to the senses.
Understanding Materials
Pupils will be able to identify a range of construction materials. They will investigate how materials can be changed by adding heat or water. They will use a combination of materials to create a small model house.
Summer
Textiles
Pupils will learn how to sew pieces of fabric together to form a pouch. They will be able to name the parts of a needle and may be able to thread it.
Food & Nutrition
Year 2
Autumn
Textiles
Food & Nutrition
Spring
Mechanisms
Understanding Materials
Pupils will investigate materials to discover whether they absorb or resist water. Pupils will also use wax or oil crayons to create a waterproof coating for a paper hat which they have made by creasing and folding a sheet of paper.
Summer
Food & Nutrition
Pupils will learn how foods that are pre-made and processed can often be unhealthy. This block lets pupils practise skills and make food that will help improve their energy, mood and future health.
Structures
Year 3
Autumn
Textiles
Pupils will explore ways to stiffen fabric. They will have the opportunity to cover a box with cloth and then go on to create a rigid box out of fabric.
Food & Nutrition
Pupils will consider what a balanced diet is. They will make three products that are often bought pre-made or highly processed.
Spring
Mechanisms
Pupils will investigate various linkages and levers to design and make their own linkages and levers product. Pupils will select and use a variety of modelling materials to create their final outcomes.
Food & Nutrition
Pupils will explore the nutritional value of food and its effect on our physical and mental health. Pupils will practise methods for preparing a range of vegetables and apply these skills to create different dishes. They will learn how to change the texture and flavour of food by roasting and adding herbs and spices.
Summer
Systems
Pupils will look at different types of energy and how these can be used to power different devices. They will consider how design choices are influenced by energy sources.
Structures
Year 4
Autumn
Food & Nutrition
Pupils will explore the difference between freshly made food and mass-produced food. The unit will focus on common foods that are part of a healthy diet but are often bought premade and can contribute to poor physical and mental health.
Mechanisms
Pupils will investigate how hinges work. They will then select a range of modelling materials and tools to make their own hinged products, evaluating and modifying them throughout.
Spring
Textiles
Pupils will learn how to sew a button onto fabric. They will identify the different functions of fastenings and reflect on the advantages or disadvantages of using certain fasteners. They will also create a solution to the problem of a towel slipping off a hook.
Structures
Summer
Electrical Systems
Pupils will learn how different types of switches work within electrical circuits and how these can be used to perform a function in a product.
Food & Nutrition
Pupils will learn how to make healthy food from low-cost ingredients. They will start to consider how cheap processed foods will affect their diet and health in later life.
Year 5
Autumn
Food & Nutrition
Pupils will look to Middle Eastern and Danish foods for inspiration and consider what they can learn from the diets of different cultures. They will learn how to make flatbreads and use a range of techniques to make delicious, appetising food.
Systems
Spring
Textiles
Pupils will consider the durability of fabrics. They will design and make a functional and hardwearing lunch bag. They will create fair tests to investigate the properties of a range of fabrics and consider insulation and waterproofing.
Food & Nutrition
Summer
Structures
Mechanisms
Pupils will investigate how pulleys and gears work. They will design and make their own pulleys and gears products, selecting and using a variety of modelling materials to create final outcomes.
Year 6
Autumn
Food & Nutrition
Pupils will study and make street foods from different cultures. The aim of these sessions is to encourage pupils to think about their own diet and snacks and how their nutritional value could be improved. The block provides an opportunity for pupils to learn about a range of different cultures.
Mechanisms
Pupils will investigate how pulleys and gears work and design and make their own gears product. Pupils will select and use a variety of modelling materials to create final outcomes.
Spring
Food & Nutrition
Pupils will learn how to cook foods that are often pre-made and processed. They will learn and apply techniques to make dishes designed to help improve energy levels, mood and future health.
Structures
Pupils will test the strength of spaghetti and then apply what they have learned to construct a tower that is at least one metre tall.
Summer
Electrical Systems
Pupils will learn how switches can be combined with electrical components in different ways to change the functionality of a product.
Textiles
Pupils will learn how they can reduce waste by recycling and repurposing snack packets and plastic bags into useful items.