Build creativity, problem-solving skills, and practical confidence through making and designing.
Walnut helps students develop their design thinking, technical knowledge, and project-planning skills using guided questioning, supportive feedback, and adaptive explanations that strengthen understanding — not shortcuts.
Whether your child is learning basic workshop skills at Key Stage 3 or preparing for GCSE D&T projects, Walnut makes design learning structured, clear, and confidence-building.
🔧 How Walnut supports Design & Technology learning
Walnut guides students step by step through the design process — helping them think creatively, plan effectively, and reflect on their decisions.
Learners can use Walnut to:
- develop design ideas
- understand materials, tools, and processes
- evaluate products thoughtfully
- explore real-world design problems
- plan projects and write design specifications
- learn safe, confident working practices
Walnut won’t design projects for students.
Instead, it prompts them to think critically, question assumptions, and improve their own ideas.
📘 Key Stage 3 — Building creative and practical foundations
Focus areas:
- Research, design specification, and idea development
- Materials and their properties (wood, plastics, metals, textiles)
- Safe use of tools and equipment
- Basic making skills and workshop processes
- Product analysis and evaluation
- Sustainability and responsible design
Walnut helps KS3 learners:
- explore ideas through guided prompts
- understand why designers choose certain materials
- break down projects into manageable steps
- evaluate strengths and improvements in their work
- gain confidence in the design–make–evaluate cycle
The result: thoughtful young designers who understand how and why products are made.
🎓 Key Stage 4 (GCSE) — Strengthening design thinking for real outcomes
Focus areas aligned with GCSE D&T frameworks (AQA, Edexcel, OCR):
- Core technical principles (materials, forces, systems, processes)
- Specialist technical knowledge depending on chosen materials
- Designing: specifications, idea development, sketches, iteration
- Making: techniques, tolerances, accuracy, quality control
- Evaluating: user needs, sustainability, testing, improvements
- NEA (Non-Exam Assessment) support: planning, annotating, reflecting
Walnut supports GCSE students by:
- guiding them through research and problem framing
- helping them write clear, justified specifications
- prompting iterative idea development without producing ideas for them
- explaining materials and processes simply and accurately
- supporting evaluation writing using mark-scheme-aligned language
Walnut uses an I do → we do → you do approach that builds independence, confidence, and clarity.
🧠 What makes Walnut different
- Thoughtful guidance: Supports the design process without creating student work.
- Adaptive explanations: Adjusts support based on confidence and progress.
- Structured thinking: Helps learners justify choices clearly and logically.
- Practical understanding: Builds knowledge of materials, processes, and safe working.
- Parent visibility: Clear progress summaries highlight real skills being developed.
Help your child design confidently, think creatively, and solve problems with purpose.
Walnut Learning Assistant makes Design & Technology learning structured, supportive, and inspiring for every learner.
