Re-drafting of Design & Technology Curriculum to begin on Friday

Posted on 15 Apr 2013 by The Manufacturer

Following outrage from teachers and industry, government has agreed to host a consultation meeting this Friday in which it will begin redrafting the suggested programme of study for Design & Technology at key stage 1 to 3.

The meeting will be held on Friday April 19 at the Royal Academy of Engineering in association with the Design Council and charity The Design & Technology Association.

Lizz Truss, Minister for Education, formally admitted the need for wider and immediate consultation with industry and education following a meeting last week with Dick Olver, outgoing chairman of BAE Systems.

Leaders in industry and education have been lobbying for such recognition since a new programme of study for Design & Technology was released in February this year as part of the National Curriculum review.

The finalised new curriculum will be implemented in September 2014.

Industry leaders were concerned that the suggested programme of study undermined previous work to make D&T a challenging subject for the application of STEM skills in schools and a key enabling subject for engineering careers.

A model programme of study submitted to government last year by the D&T Association has suggested that the principles of user-centred design, industrial manufacture and embedded control should be core elements twithin the new curriculum.

Instead, February’s suggested programme of study focused on “simple” and “basic” skills in traditional craft disciplines. It also included basic cookery and horticulture elements which D&T subject experts felt were inappropriate.

Commenting on the confirmation of this Friday’s meeting Richard Green CEO of the D&T Association said: “This is an excellent opportunity to consult on a wider basis than has been allowed previously.” He described the meeting as “extraordinary”.