Universities have a key role to play in the secondary school curriculum; with recent announcements about the Ebacc, schools feeling the financial pinch and difficulties in teacher training recruitment I think its essential that they engage with what is happening in schools at subject level. These are my views about the perfect storm that design and technology is findings itself in and what the consequences of this might be at HE level.
Applying to any course students must have some
prior experience or qualification. It’s rather like the old
lady who swallowed a menagerie to catch a fly:
- To apply to a design related degree they (usually) must be studying a design-related A level, such as D&T, and have a portfolio to bring to interview (the bird);
- To study A level D&T they (usually) must have studied GCSE D&T an achieved a C grade or above (the spider);
- To study GCSE D&T year 9 pupils must have achieved a certain mark/ behaved in a particular way/ shown a clear aptitude for D&T (the fly).
Although in this situation nothing is being swallowed, but a
lack of nourishment could lead to extinction or at least being placed on an
endangered list.
The fly
The GCSE D&T ‘fly’ is caught in a perfect storm.
- As was reported in the summer, there has been a dramatic and steady decline in the number of pupils studying D&T at GCSE since 2004. At the time I didn't think the changes to league table measures and the introduction of the Ebacc were a reason for this. but after Nicky Morgan set the target that 90% of pupils will be studying the Ebacc I've changed my mind.
- D&T is not part of the Ebacc (a measure of success for schools and pupils), along with other creative subjects including art and design, music and drama.
- School budgets are being cut and D&T is expensive.
- The national data on pupils’ achievement in D&T, as reported by Diana Choulerton in the summer, reveals that pupils’ achievement in D&T is below of that made in other subjects.
- Recruitment of trainee D&T teachers has been dire this year.
So with no teachers to teach it, no money to teach it, low
achievement rates and it’s not part of the new ‘measuring system’ the situation
for the fly is looking rather dire.
The spider
With the potential of less pupils studying D&T at GCSE,
there will be fewer pupils who are qualified to study A level D&T.
I’m already picking up from D&T teachers that schools
are cutting A level D&T from their curriculum, even though the results from
these departments is outstanding.
Not all applicants will study A levels, some will have
BTECs, usually studied at further education (FE) colleges. Recent news items
about FE’s funding
crisis could impact on this route into HE design and creative courses.
The bird
In 2012/13
8.9% of undergraduates were enrolled on a Creative Arts and Design degree.
Within this broad category are courses such as product design, fashion,
architecture and computer gaming design, many of which that do require either A level D&T and/or
a portfolio to be brought along to interview.
With no A level D&T or portfolio from the coursework
this bird could develop some characteristics akin to a dodo. But then these are
the creative subjects and they should have a creative solution.
I think it’s time that universities began to look more closely
at the potentially far reaching impact of the Ebacc focus in schools, even
though these pupils are more than four years away from entering university.
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