V and A museum to support / campaign for D and T

Tristram Hunt very energised on the radio this morning talking about D and T and how the Victoria and Albert Museum will promote and encourage it. I hope it's not too late. Been a fortnight since anyone has posted on the D and T forum

 

The V and A can do what it wants but the current crisis in DT is the combination of a number of things that have been imposed by the current and previous government:

• E-bac - The focus on academic subjects has squeezed creative subjects out of the curriculum
• Money - DT is an expensive subject to run. technicians, workshops, computer suites, consumables, materials, maintenance all cost money. Class sizes are theoretically limited to 20 which means higher teaching costs http://wiki.dtonline.org/index.php/Group_Sizes_for_D&T_in_Secondary_Schools
• The new wretched GCSE Technology specifications - the new single title GCSE is a disaster with all the old specialities bundled together and nothing is taught in any depth. Far too much content leads to little meaningful practical work which used to be the main attraction of the subject.
• Graduates leaving university simply do not have the skills to teach the new GCSE specifications because they are so diverse. It is also very boring to teach - list learning at it's worst. DT teacher recruitment has collapsed to 26% of target.
• A-level takeup - Takeup of A-level DT has fallen 41% since 2010 https://culturallearningalliance.org.uk/ofqual-publish-gcse-and-a-level-entry-numbers-for-2018/. The implications of this are that fewer schools will be offering DT at A-level. If students can't follow up GCSE with an A-level then they may not bother doing GCSE in the first place leading to a further decline in the subject.

Sadly, I see DT in decline throughout the school system. There will come a point when the government and business realise the crisis we have in recruiting engineering and creative staff that money will be poured into the subject like it was for TVEI in the 80s and 90s
http://technicaleducationmatters.or...cational-education-initiative-tvei-1983-1997/
Until then DT in schools will just limp on, unloved, badly financed and poorly staffed. Very sad.

 

Good to know that the head of Ofsted is concerned about the decline of D and T.

 

I guessed it would be you Shedman who commented. Two retired old D and T teachers. Still haunted by how great D and T was...

 

I am afraid that the bubble has burst! I retired this time last year after teaching DT for 36 years in a variety of schools with different levels of responsibility. You could see over the last 5 years that the subject was of low priority. The writing was on the wall when the Tories got elected and the decline will not stop. Any initiative will be piecemeal compared to the way DT was respected from the late 80s through to 2008.

 

Very much so! My former DT colleague (older than me!) and me always used to describe as the Statler and Waldorf of our school. Deeply cynical of all the latest 'initiatives' and very creative in drawing up our departmental documentation we always enjoyed a damned good moan!

 

Oh joy. Another voice in the "D+T matters " camp that will be ignored...

Sooooo glad I'm also out!