Wadhurst CE Primary School & Nursery

At Wadhurst CE Primary School, we aim to inspire innovation and creativity amongst pupils through an appreciation for the product design cycle, which includes ideation, creation, and evaluation.  

We empower our children to be confident when taking risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling and testing. Our supportive ethos allows our children to be curious and reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others in a tone of respect.  

The National Curriculum Programme of Study states that pupils should ‘design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts’. At Wadhurst, we aim to provide our pupils with the knowledge and skills needed to support them in facing the challenges of an ever-changing world.  

Why do we use the scheme we use? 

At Wadhurst we base our Design and Technology curriculum on the Kapow scheme of work which is designed to provide a spiral curriculum that ensures progression of knowledge and skills. Throughout this scheme, prior learning is revisited, reinforced and extended year on year during the children’s primary school career. Our Design and Technology scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of Key Stage attainment targets defined in the National curriculum.  

The National curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. The Kapow Programme of Study incorporates these subheadings into primary strands upon which a broad range of topics are taught through a series of videos, discussions and activities. 

Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical, and technical understanding required for each strand.  

It is essential to prioritise quality over quantity so that staff can deliver purposeful and coherent DT lessons whilst ensuring that the programme reflects the universal needs of all of our children, as well as the specific needs of the pupils in the school and our local community. Therefore, the Kapow scheme has been adapted accordingly to suit Wadhurst’s mixed-age classes.  

• Cooking and nutrition 
• Textiles 
• Structures  
• Mechanisms/Mechanical systems 

Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work including practical hands-on and inventive tasks. This variety means 

that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary. 

Strong subject knowledge is vital for staff to be able to deliver a highly effective and robust Design and Technology curriculum. Each unit of lessons includes multiple teacher videos to develop subject knowledge and support ongoing CPD. This ensures that teachers deliver lessons of a high standard that ensure pupil progression. 

If our children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. We measure the impact of our curriculum through the reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes, assessing learning against the age-related expectations for DT, tracking knowledge in pre- and post-learning challenges and in pupil discussions about their learning.  

We expect that when children leave Wadhurst they will be able to: 

• Understand the functional and aesthetic properties of a range of materials and resources. 
• Understand how to use and combine tools to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating, and manufacturing products. 
• Build and apply a repertoire of skills, knowledge and understanding to produce high quality, innovative outcomes, including models, prototypes, and products to fulfil the needs of users, clients, and scenarios. 
• Understand and apply the principles of healthy eating, diets, and recipes, including key processes, food groups and cooking equipment. 
• Have an appreciation for key individuals, inventions, and events in history and of today that impact our world. 
• Recognise where our decisions can impact the wider world in terms of community, social and environmental issues. 
• Self-evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve. 
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Design and Technology. 

• Recorded learning 
• Discussion based tasks 
• Questioning and feedback to support small steps in learning