Produced in 1995, this publication, written by Ofsted at the request of the Department for Education, identifies some characteristics of good practice in Design and Technology at Key Stages Three and Four, and was aimed at those who are responsible for planning, organising and teaching Design and Technology in...

This progression framework has been developed by the Design and Technology Association in collaboration with the National Curriculum Expert Group for D&T. The framework explains the progression steps for students' knowledge, understanding and skills. The aim is to help teachers to plan activities which build on...

A report from the National Curriculum Council (NCC). The final proposals published in June 1989 added considerable detail to the new approach, and made some minor alterations to the Attainment Targets.
There are four main sections in this document:
1. Design and technology in the National Curriculum...

This teacher's guide, from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, introduces six design and technology teaching activities and explains how they can be used and adapted. It includes an overview of design in the circular economy, including an exploration of how pioneers have rethought design and why it has needed...

The 1995 National Curriculum Revisions for Design and Technology, which defines the much simplified Programmes of Study (PoS) for each Key Stage and the level descriptions for AT1 and AT2. The requirements for Information Technology were separated and published separately.

By this stage it had become clear...

This Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) document contains the 2004 revision of the Design and Technology National Curriculum. As with previous documents, there were no substantial revisions, and none at all to the Attainment Target statements. The role of CAD-CAM and new materials continued to be...

Following a major overhaul of the entire National Curriculum at Key Stage Three, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority produced a version for design and technology with a structure consistent with other subjects. There were no changes to the other Key Stages, so...

The 1999 edition of the Design and Technology National Curriculum included set out clearly the programmes of study and attainment targets for Key Stages One to Four. It sets out the importance of design and technology education to students' performance across the curriculum in promoting social, moral and cultural...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), sets students the challenge of designing and building a water treatment system to produce a clean sample of water. They will need to think about what equipment they would need, what stages the...

In this resource designed by the IET, students design and make a pewter cast medal for the men's football World Cup. The resource introduces the concept of CAD design, pewter casting and how this can be used to create something for a major event. Metal casting is a manufacturing process that involves pouring molten...

This activity introduces the concept of 3D CAD design and some of the basic tools used with CAD software. The software used for the CAD activity is the free and widely used ‘TinkerCAD’. However, this could easily be substituted for any other 3D CAD software already available in school.

The activity involves...

This project concentrates on the design and manufacture of lighting using simple electronics but with complex and functional part modelling. Students apply the tools in Autodesk Inventor to the challenging task of creating a virtual lamp design in parts, before manufacturing the product. Students will spend time...

The project provides a lesson structure for the design and manufacture of an MP3 amplifier. The resources uses a sketching and computer aided design (CAD), alongside laser cutting and 3D printing processes. Students will apply the tools in Autodesk Inventor and 123D Make to create the MP3 parts, before...

This activity involves generating creative design ideas for a building, drawing the final design idea using CAD software, and 3D printing a model of the building. The software used for the CAD activity, ‘Onshape’, is the free and widely used. However, this could easily be substituted for any other 3D CAD...

This resource provides students with a range of consumer or user profiles that can be used for research and creating project briefs. There are 12 profiles with a range of characteristics, for example: age or gender.