About the Subject
The Changing Face of D&T
Design and technology is the last remaining vocational mainstream subject left on the English curriculum. Our origins lie within the craft skills required following the Second World War, where woodwork, metalwork, home economics and technical drawing formed the subject’s content. Today, the subject has evolved in line with technological advancements, and whilst some of the traditional skillsets remain, you are likely to find students designing using CAD and additive manufacturing processes to prototype possible solutions to a design problem.
Designing Solutions That Matter
In recent years, the subject has adopted a ‘design thinking’ approach in which students are encouraged to work through a process of ideating, realising prototypes and critiquing proposed solutions to real-world problems. The subject encourages students to adopt an inclusive approach to design and empowers young people to make a positive impact on a world that cannot continue to consume without due regard for sustainability and the health of the planet.
Not all students who study design and technology will go on to work in related fields, but the subject helps them become informed consumers, confident problem solvers, and sustainably aware members of society.
Curriculum Review
We have actively contributed to the ongoing curriculum review with a series of detailed reports and collaborative efforts. These include a joint paper with the Design Council, NSEAD, and fifteen other organisations, alongside our own response informed by over 500 teacher submissions. There is widespread agreement that the existing curriculum requires substantive reform.