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Key stage 1

Full curriculum coverage for Key stage 1 Design and technology, developing pupils’ skills and knowledge across four key areas: Structures; Mechanisms; Cooking and nutrition; and Textiles.
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Image of hands weaving a card slider through slots to make a matching game in D&T.
Three pull-along toys created for a Design and technology unit.
Three pencil pots made from cardboard tubes with different designs to appeal to a Year 1 pupil, on a yellow background.

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Units

Explore engaging Design and technology units for Key Stage 1; strands can be taught in any order, however, follow the suggested order of units in each strand to support progression of knowledge and skills through Years 1 and 2. Lessons cover four key areas: Structures, Mechanisms, Cooking and Nutrition, and Textiles. Each unit includes structured lesson plans, helpful teacher guidance, supporting resources and demo videos to make planning and delivery easier in the primary classroom.

Year 1

Mechanisms: Matching slider game
New!
Multiple options
Design and technology

Mechanisms: Matching slider game

Exploring different types of mechanisms used in products, with a focus on how sliding mechanisms create movement.

(5 lessons)

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Structures: Stable structures
Design and technology

Structures: Stable structures

Investigating stable shapes and using an understanding of balance to discover how wide or heavy bases improve stability in freestanding structures.

(5 lessons)

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Textiles: Simple stitches
New!
Multiple options
Design and technology

Textiles: Simple stitches

Examining fabrics, practising basic sewing techniques and identifying how different materials are made from threads.

(5 lessons)

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Mechanisms: Wheels and axles
New!
Design and technology

Mechanisms: Wheels and axles

Developing an understanding of how wheels, axles and axle holders work while practising cutting straight and curved shapes with scissors.

(5 lessons)

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Cooking and nutrition: Smoothies
Design and technology

Cooking and nutrition: Smoothies

Selecting fruit and vegetables and preparing food by cutting and juicing to create a smoothie to meet a design brief.

(6 lessons)

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Year 2

Mechanisms: Fairground wheel
Design and technology

Mechanisms: Fairground wheel

Designing and creating a functional fairground wheel so that the wheel rotates and the structure stands freely.

(5 lessons)

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Cooking and nutrition: Balanced diet
Design and technology

Cooking and nutrition: Balanced diet

Discovering the importance of a balanced diet and creating a tasty, balanced wrap to meet a design brief.

(6 lessons)

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Mechanisms: Levers
New!
Multiple options
Design and technology

Mechanisms: Levers

Investigating different types of levers and how they work in everyday mechanisms.

(5 lessons)

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Structures: A chair for a bear
New!
Multiple options
Design and technology

Structures: A chair for a bear

Investigating strong shapes and the properties of stiff and flexible materials by designing a chair inspired by the story ‘There’s a Bear on My Chair’.

(5 lessons)

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Textiles: Pouches
Design and technology

Textiles: Pouches

Developing basic sewing skills by learning how to create templates, cut fabric accurately and sew a running stitch.

(4 lessons)

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Popular content

Front cover of D&T National curriculum coverage - a handy document mapping the National curriculum end-of-key-stage objectives to the Kapow D&T scheme.
Design and technologyAll years

D&T: National curriculum coverage

This National curriculum coverage document shows each of the National curriculum's statutory attainment targets and which D&T units work towards them.

Mapping
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The front cover of the D&T Curriculum guide for parents and carers which details each term of Kapow's D&T curriculum.
Design and technologyAll years

Design and technology: Curriculum guide for parents and carers

Designed for school websites, this document offers parents and carers a clear overview of their child's DT journey through the school.

Guides
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Front cover of D&T List of significant designers, inventors and developments - a document highlighting the designers and inventors that can be studied in D&T units.
Design and technologyYear 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5Year 6

Design and technology: List of significant designers, inventors and developments

Showing the designers and inventors that can be studied alongside our Design and technology units.

Mapping
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The front cover of the D&T Personal Development, SMSC and British values mapping document, mapping Ofsted statements against Kapow's D&T curriculum.
Design and technologyYear 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5Year 6

Design and technology: Personal development, SMSC and British values mapping

A user-friendly document mapping Ofsted's SMSC descriptors, British values and Personal development statements against Kapow Primary's DT curriculum.

Mapping
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D&T
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Design and technology: KS1 Pupil voice

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