D&T at Excalibur

'I loved making my puppet look like a tiger. I gave it stripes and a tail' Year 1

'Sewing was tricky at first but now I can do it all by myself!' Year 2

'We learned about what the ancient Egyptians wore and then made our own collars. I used gold sequins and bright colours' Year 3

'I loved choosing the colours and pictures for my book cover. It’s really nice to protect my book and make it look cool at the same time!' Year 4

'I made a stuffed animal that looks like a dinosaur. It was fun turning my drawing into a real toy. I even gave it little spikes down its back!.' Year 5

'It was tricky to make the waistcoat fit my toy perfectly, but I’m really proud of how it looks now. It feels like I made a special outfit just for my toy! Even Mr Hancock made one!' Year 6

Pre-School

Pre-school have been busy practicing their D&T skills with a range of Autumn activities.  During our Nursery Rhyme theme, the children threaded pipe cleaner legs for Incy Wincy, cut and assembled Humpty Dumpty jigsaws, rolled and created telescopes to view Twinkle Twinkle.  After reading ‘Each, Peach, Pear, Plum’, we celebrated the end of our theme by making and enjoying a layered plum pudding.

Reception

Reception children have been exploring how to build strong and stable bridges using a variety of materials like blocks, straws, and sticks. They experimented with different shapes and designs to see which bridges could hold the most weight. Through lots of hands-on play and teamwork, they learned important ideas about balance, strength, and construction while having fun creating their own bridge models.

Year 1

Year 1 have been busy making their very own puppets. They explored different ways to join fabric, including using glue and practising simple stitching techniques. The children had lots of fun designing their puppets based on favourite characters or animals and brought them to life with colourful decorations.

Year 2

Year 2 have been learning how to make their own fabric pouches. They practised threading needles and using a running stitch to join two pieces of fabric. Once their stitching was complete, they decorated their pouches with creative designs and thought carefully about how they might be used—for coins, treasures, or special keepsakes!

Year 3

Year 3 have been exploring ancient history through textiles by designing and making their own Egyptian-style collars. They looked at traditional Egyptian patterns and jewellery before creating their collars using felt, sequins, and fabric pens. The children carefully cut out their templates and decorated their collars with symmetrical designs and bold colours, just like those worn by pharaohs!

Year 4

Year 4 took on the challenge of making textile products with fastenings, such as wallets or pencil cases. They explored different types of fastenings including buttons and Velcro, then designed and made their own fabric book cover with both function and style in mind. The class showed fantastic problem-solving as they tested and refined their designs.

Year 5

Year 5 became toy designers this term, creating their very own stuffed toys. They worked from design briefs, carefully cutting and stitching fabric to form 3D shapes. They considered safety, purpose, and appeal as they brought their ideas to life. The end results were imaginative, soft, and full of personality!

Year 6

Year 6 rose to the challenge of designing and making wearable waistcoats. They began by creating paper patterns, then used advanced stitching techniques to assemble their garments. Pupils personalised their waistcoats with fabric pens, applique, and decorative stitching, producing impressive final pieces that showcased their creativity and technical skills.