Creative and Design Engineering

Creative & Design Engineering begins in Kindergarten with craft and loose parts play and fluidly wends its way through KS1 and KS2 via Plan Learn Do Review (PLDR) and thematic learning.

Taught as discrete sessions from Year 4, students are led by skills and encouraged to express themselves through guided projects in ways that challenge their perception of art and design, experimenting with mark-making and troubleshooting with an iterative process, often surprising themselves with results.

Taking creative risks and thinking critically and computationally becomes second nature with carefully planned lessons that encompass elements of art and design history, digital mastery, material engineering, coding, and audience-led enterprise. 

Our subject is inclusive in its content and progression, consolidating independent learning. Collaboratively we drill down to inspire even our most reluctant artisans; our summer showcase at Bridge End Garden in Saffron Walden proudly shares one of our making journeys made during the school year. 

We mark-make and craft using an ever widening array of materials and techniques, often triggered by local or national events or initiatives and wherever possible utilising sustainable, unwanted or pre-owned materials.

A variety of clubs are on offer throughout the year, past activities have included Tinker Club (an extension of CDE lessons) structured doodling, craft club, Lego animation and paper craft. These change each term.