Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement
Intent
At Samlesbury CE Primary School, we believe every child is a unique individual, created in God’s image, with their own gifts, talents, and potential. Through our Design and Technology curriculum, we aim to nurture these gifts and give children the opportunity to shine their light, developing skills that will support them both now and in their future lives.
Our Design and Technology scheme of work inspires pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who understand and appreciate the design cycle: from imagination and ideation, through to creation and thoughtful evaluation. Children are encouraged to be confident in taking risks—drafting, modelling, testing, and refining their ideas—so that they grow as reflective learners who value their own work and respect the work of others.
Through the Kapow scheme of work, we build children’s awareness of the importance of design and technology in shaping the world around them. We encourage pupils to be resourceful, enterprising, and forward-thinking citizens, equipped with practical skills and creativity to contribute positively to future design innovations.
In the EYFS, our Reception units provide opportunities for children to meet the Development Matters statements and Early Learning Goals. These experiences spark curiosity, develop early problem-solving skills, and lay the foundations for creativity. In doing so, we aim to inspire children to design, create, and participate fully in a rich culture of innovation and imagination—helping them to grow as individuals who can use their skills to serve others and make a difference in the world.
Implementation
At Samlesbury CE Primary School, our Design and Technology curriculum is carefully structured to follow the National Curriculum and to reflect our vision that every child is valued, unique, and encouraged to shine their light. We ensure that the three main stages of the design process, design, make, and evaluate, are taught and developed progressively throughout the school. Each stage is underpinned by technical knowledge, giving children a secure understanding of the historical, contextual, and practical aspects of design.
Cooking and nutrition hold a particular focus in our teaching, as we believe this is an essential life skill. Every year group learns about food, where it comes from, how it is prepared, and how to make healthy choices, ensuring that children leave us with confidence and independence in this area.
Using the Kapow scheme, Design and Technology attainment targets are organised under four subheadings:
- Design
- Make
- Evaluate
- Technical knowledge
Across their time at Samlesbury CE Primary School, children develop skills in four key areas:
- Cooking and nutrition
- Mechanisms / Mechanical systems
- Structures
- Textiles
In Key Stage 2, children also explore two further areas:
- Electrical systems
- The digital world
The scheme is taught through a spiral curriculum, meaning that key skills and knowledge are revisited regularly and built upon with greater complexity, allowing children to grow in confidence, creativity, and technical ability. Each unit follows the design cycle and is linked to a real-life context or design brief, encouraging pupils to think about the needs of others, problem-solve, and use their gifts to create purposeful outcomes.
Lessons are taught weekly for one half-term each term and make use of a variety of strategies: independent tasks, paired and group work, hands-on practical activities, computer-based projects, and imaginative problem-solving challenges. This ensures that lessons are engaging, inclusive, and accessible for children with a range of learning styles and strengths.
To deliver high-quality teaching, we support staff with strong subject knowledge. The Kapow scheme provides teacher videos and resources for ongoing CPD, and the subject leader attends subject updates and shares training with colleagues to ensure our teaching remains robust and effective.
Impact
At Samlesbury CE Primary School, we continually monitor the impact of our Design and Technology curriculum to ensure that every child is making good progress and developing their individual gifts. Teachers use both formative and summative assessment to track progress, with each Kapow lesson including clear guidance for assessing pupils against learning objectives. Unit quizzes provide further opportunities to check understanding, and children’s progress is reported to parents through annual reports and mid-year data entries. Where children need extra support or further challenge, the subject leader works closely with staff to ensure every pupil can achieve their full potential.
Through this carefully designed and well-sequenced curriculum, when children leave our school, 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, CAD, 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.
Most importantly, pupils will leave our school with the confidence to use their Design and Technology skills creatively and purposefully. They will understand that their ideas matter, that their individuality is a gift, and that through their creativity they can shine their light and make a positive difference in the world.