Design and Technology Association (DATA) summer school keynote 2015

9 July 2015
From here to where?
The Current State of Design and Technology
What we know, what the data is telling us
and the threats, challenges and opportunities
ahead.
Diana Choulerton
National Lead Design and Technology
This presentation is now complemented by a video of the speech:
https://www.data.org.uk/campaigns/key-note-from-2015-dt-summer-school/

Getting the curriculum right
in schools

From here to where ? | 3
So what is it all about?
Being able to take risks
Becoming resourceful,
innovative, enterprising
and capable citizens.
Having a critical
understanding of the
impact of design and
technology on daily life
and the wider world.
Ability to contribute to the
creativity, culture and
wealth and well-being of
the nation.
Creative and
imaginative problem
solving- real and
relevant.
An iterative designing
and making process.
Having the skills,
knowledge and
understanding needed
to do the above.
purposeful,
rigorous and
practical
subject
National Curriculum 2014

The challenge: keeping a balance
Procedural
Knowledge
knowing how
Conceptual
Knowledge
knowing that
Creativity
With reference to Anna Craft 2005

The Challenge: keeping a balance
art engineering
designing making
food Everything else
Craft industrial design

Previous Ofsted findings
 Often insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop
knowledge of electronics, systems and control, and computer
aided design and manufacture (CAD/CAM).
 Many teachers were not keeping pace with technological
developments or expanding upon their initial training
sufficiently to enable them to teach the technically demanding
aspects of the curriculum.
 To enable education in England to keep pace with global
technological change, new approaches are needed to
teaching pupils how to apply electronics in combination with
new materials and how to apply control systems in all aspects
of the subject
Meeting technological challenges? Design and technology in schools 2007–10

My recent observations
 KS3 curriculum very heavily guided making tasks with very
limited opportunities to design in 3-d. Very few opportunities
to engage in an iterative design process.
 A confusion between art and design and technology. Logo
design. 2-d clocks, drawing logos onto pre-designed nets.
 GCSE teaching focussed on ensuring folder content meets
grade criteria. ‘controlled assessment’ taking up most of
course. Is RM mainly about making a predominantly wooden
storage product?
 Electronics and robotics nowhere to be seen.

My recent observations
 Schools often opting for a two year Key Stage 3. This results
in students either dropping D&T in year 9 or studying it in a
narrower way, following a GCSE specification.
 D&T graphic products being confused with graphic design by
leaders, teachers and students
 Students often doing the same projects their parents did!?

Why?
 Limited time to deliver a very wide subject and get balance
between creativity, procedural and conceptual knowledge.
 Teachers over focussed on developing making skills not linked
to developing design thinking and skills- Limited opportunities
for iterative design.
 Teachers lack understanding of and/or don’t utilise approaches
that engender creativity.
 The challenge of engendering genuine problem solving in
systems and control projects – how many problems can be
solved with a moisture sensor (do baths really overflow that
often?).
 Food covering an important and different set of skills which only
get covered for a few weeks a year.

Subject take-up and
achievement

GSCE entry
 In 2014 201,252 students were entered for a D&T GSCE.
That is 35.46% of the total cohort, but a reduction of 16.10%
since 2008 when it was 52.14%

GSCE entry by D&T subject over time
D & T: TextilesTechnology
D & T: Systems & Control
D & T: Resistant Materials
D & T: Graphic Products
D & T: Food Technology
D & T: Electronic Products
Other Design and Technology
0.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
8.00%
10.00%
12.00%
14.00%
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
% of national cohort taking D&T by subject
DFE National Tables 2015

Starting points and attainment
KS2-4 National Subject Transition
Matrices - from RAISE Library
Attaiment
Subject Below L4 L4 L5+ A*-C
German 2.8% 39.7% 57.5% 72.0%
Spanish 4.0% 45.1% 51.0% 68.7%
French 3.8% 45.4% 50.8% 66.7%
Music 6.9% 42.6% 50.5% 73.2%
D&T: Systems and Control 7.6% 47.6% 44.8% 61.0%
History 6.3% 49.6% 44.0% 66.2%
Geography 7.1% 50.0% 42.9% 66.8%
D&T: Electronic Products 7.5% 50.8% 41.7% 64.0%
Business Studies 6.5% 53.4% 40.1% 64.7%
ICT 9.4% 51.4% 39.2% 68.7%
RE 10.1% 51.5% 38.4% 71.5%
PE 8.5% 54.7% 36.9% 70.0%
D&T: Graphic Products 11.7% 53.7% 34.6% 58.0%
Drama 12.5% 53.2% 34.3% 73.0%
D&T: Textiles 15.0% 54.2% 30.8% 71.0%
Art 16.1% 53.5% 30.4% 74.8%
Media Studies 14.1% 58.8% 27.2% 65.0%
D&T: Food 18.7% 56.6% 24.7% 61.0%
D&T: Resistant Materials 18.4% 57.1% 24.5% 54.0%
KS2 AOE

Progress from starting points
GCSE subject Progress from starting points 2014
AOE L3 AOE L4 AOE L5+ Total
3+LP 4+LP 3+LP 4+LP 3+LP 4+LP 3+LP 4+LP
Art 75% 52% 75% 39% 70% 40% 73% 41%
D&T Textiles 56% 29% 70% 41% 81% 54% 71% 44%
English 60% 23% 70% 28% 76% 39% 71% 31%
Drama 62% 34% 67% 37% 71% 38% 68% 37%
Music 50% 26% 62% 35% 74% 43% 67% 39%
D&T Food Tech 54% 24% 50% 18% 58% 33% 64% 34%
Geography 32% 13% 55% 25% 74% 47% 61% 34%
History 30% 14% 53% 29% 74% 47% 61% 36%
Business Studies 31% 13% 54% 26% 70% 36% 59% 29%
D&T Electronic Products 39% 16% 52% 27% 70% 41% 59% 32%
Core Science 38% 15% 60% 18% 61% 25% 58% 19%
French 54% 24% 50% 18% 58% 33% 54% 26%
D&T Graphic Products 40% 18% 51% 26% 63% 35% 54% 28%
D&T Resistant Materials 48% 22% 52% 23% 61% 29% 54% 24%
D&T Systems and Control 41% 19% 49% 23% 59% 30% 53% 26%
Maths 22% 2% 61% 52% 46% 18% 53% 39%
KS2-4 National Subject Transition
Matrices - from RAISE Library

Gender progress gap
 Typically girls make much better progress than boys
Extracted from custom data- from RAISE Team

Disadvantaged Students
 Disadvantaged students typically make much less progress
than non-disadvantaged students.
Extracted from custom data- from RAISE Team

Summary
 Take up is falling except for in product design. But still high.
 The proportion of students taking D&T GSCE with middle or
low starting points (KS2 R,W,M) is low in comparison with
most other option subjects. EP and S&C being the
exception.
 Typically students make less progress from starting points in
D&T than most other subjects.
 Boys typically make significantly less progress than girls.
Except in systems and control.
 Disadvantaged students typically make much less progress
than non-disadvantaged students. In particularly the most-
able.
 Achievement varies considerably between regions.

Where do leaders and teachers go for support?
 DATA
 Independent consultants
 Specialist Leaders of Education? SLEs
 LAs with D&T subject advisers?
 Other schools within their trust, partnership or LA?
Who is ensuring the quality of this support?

Both of death if fifth
Location of D&T SLEs

Initial teacher education (ITE)
 in the last three years 1174 fewer people have been
recruited to D&T ITE than the government target.
 This is the lowest recruitment in any subject over the last 3
years. In 2014-15 only social studies was near at 53%. The
next lowest in 2014/15 was RE and business studies at
71% and 75% respectively.
 The number of allocations agreed in 2013-4 and 2014-15
were less than the government target figure and the
subsequent number of allocated places filled in each was
low. 52% of allocated places filled in 2013-14. 47% of
allocated places were filled in 2014-15.

Initial teacher education 2015 recruitment
 In 2013-14 DFE initial ITE allocations data compared with
entrants shows that 56% of provider-led places (Uni and SCITT)
were filled and 60% of school direct places were filled. Did
universities and SCITTs find it harder to recruit trainees than
teaching alliances?
 In 2014-15. Allocations compared with recruitment show that 380
trainees were recruited. 40% of places allocated were filled.
 22% of applicants were successful in gaining a place offer. This
is in comparison to 16% of all applicants to secondary ITE
gaining an offer. Maths 19%, Physics 22.6%, Chemistry 19%.

Initial teacher education 2015-16 allocation
 127 different providers have been allocated D&T PGCE
places. 67 of these providers have less than 5 trainee places
allocated. Another 9 have between 5 and 9 places allocated.
33 providers have over 10 places.
 Allocations vary considerably across regions

Opportunities and threats
 Understanding of what the subject is actually about.
 New GCSE subject content.
 Food included at KS2-3 and separate at KS4.
 Iterative design.
 School leaders prioritising subjects that show stronger student
progress at KS4. Progress 8?
 Lack of access to subject specific expert advice, support and
CPD. SLE role unclear with regards to improving wider system.
 Too few new teachers being trained. Regional variations too.
 GCSE specifications that award a linear approach and do not
truly assess problem solving and creativity.

The challenge ahead
If design and technology is not or cannot become the subject it
purports to be – what is our justification for it to be valued and
promoted?
Senior leaders in schools must have enough knowledge of D&T
to know if the curriculum is appropriate and being taught well.
Subject leaders must have the knowledge skills and resources
needed to deliver a relevant up-to-date curriculum.
Teachers must get the subject specific support they need to
teach the subject well so students make good progress and the
subject becomes more valid in the eyes of non-specialists.
Sufficient numbers of new skilled D&T teachers are needed.
Suitable subject specific training and support must be at hand for
all subject practitioners.

Design and Technology Association (DATA) summer school keynote 2015

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