Design & Technology
Subject Vision
At Deptford Park, our Design and Technology curriculum inspires pupils to become curious, creative and innovative thinkers with a broad understanding of how products are designed and made, in other words, to think like designers and engineers. The intention is for pupils to develop the confidence to identify problems, generate ideas, plan and create products and evaluate their outcomes.
Our curriculum aims to raise pupils’ awareness of how design and technology shape the way they live, work and interact with the world. It encourages pupils to become resourceful, enterprising individuals who have the skills to contribute to and improve the world around them.
By the end of primary school, children will have developed a secure foundation of techniques and the confidence to think creatively and critically. They will understand purpose in design and making, be able to talk about how products work, model their ideas, refine their skills and evaluate their own and others’ work thoughtfully.
How do children learn Design & Technology at Deptford Park?
We follow the Kapow Primary scheme of work, which supports national curriculum expectations and provides clear progression across the key stages. Through Kapow, children develop confidence, creativity and technical understanding that prepares them for further learning at Key Stage 3 and beyond.
Design & Technology learning follows a structured, developmental approach. Children revisit existing knowledge and skills and then build upon them incrementally, ensuring learning is consolidated, extended and applied in increasingly sophisticated ways.
Across their time at Deptford Park, children work within three principal areas of development:
- Investigative, disassembly and evaluative activities — exploring how products work, analysing existing designs and understanding purpose.
- Focused practical tasks — learning and practising specific skills, techniques and processes.
- Design and make assignments — applying learning to create purposeful products for real users and real needs.
The children learn through these key areas:
- Mechanisms
- Electrical systems
- Cooking
- Textiles
- Digital world
- Cooking and nutrition
Through these areas, children learn to create, explore, apply and problem solve. Each unit includes visual teaching aids and clear instructional guidance to support both skill development and pupil independence. Lessons are designed to be inclusive, high‑quality and carefully sequenced to ensure progression for all learners.
We alternate teaching Art and Design and DT each half term throughout the year (see document below).
How do we know what children have learned?
We use a range of approaches to understand children’s learning in Design & Technology:
- Questioning
- Pupil learning reviews
- Learning walks
- Quizzing and retrieval practice
- Feedback
- Evaluation of finished products
- Progress that matches the curriculum intent
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