design and technology association’s 3rd annual consultant conference

25 September 2015

From here to where?

The Current State of Design and TechnologyThe threats, challenges and opportunitiesahead.

Diana Choulerton

National Lead Design and Technology

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 Knowledgeknowing how

Conceptual Knowledgeknowing 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%

Provisional figures for 2015 show a further drop in volume of take up by about 8.5 K. Approximately a 1% drop in cohort size.


GSCE entry by D&T subject over time

D & T: Textiles Technology

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

AttaimentSubject Below L4 L4 L5+ A*-CGerman 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 start ing points 2014AOE L3 AOE L4 AOE L5+ Total

3+LP 4+LP 3+LP 4+LP 3+LP 4+LP 3+LP 4+LPArt 75% 52% 75% 39% 70% 40% 73% 41%D&T Text iles 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 has fallen 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 high 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.

Developing the workforce

Where do leaders and teachers go for support?


Design and Technology Association?

Independent consultants?

Specialist Leaders of Education? SLEs

LAs with D&T subject advisers?

Other schools within their trust, partnership or LA?

Subject networks?

Social media?

Who is ensuring the quality of this support?

Both of death if fifth

Location of D&T SLEs

SLE survey outcomes


Survey sent to 41 D&T SLE. 21 completed responses.

Key findings.

Over half the SLE who responded, provided support to other schools for the equivalent less than one day a week. Only one provided over a day a week of support.

Most have only supported one or two other schools during in the last year. Three supported more than two schools. Two have not been deployed at all.

The main way in which an SLE’s services are publicised is through the SLE’s teaching alliance website. Only one SLE uses social media to this end. Two use word of mouth.

The next generation?

Initial teacher education (ITE)


In the last three years recruitment to design and technology initial teacher training has been noticeably low.

Latest figures show that only 43% of places have been filled for 2015-16.

52% of allocated places filled in 2013-14. 47% of allocated places were filled in 2014-15.

The number of places filled has increased this year to 550 from 450 in 2014-15. In 2013-14 390 places were filled.

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

Conclusions

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.

Your role: Points to consider.


What role do you play?

How can you maximise your impact?

How can / do you keep up to date and ensure that you are helping the subject move forward?

How can the wider D&T community work with D&T SLE to make sure that their role is optimised?