Any Design and Technology (D&T) teachers feeling nervous about the upcoming year and what the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) - which does not include D&T - will have on their subject can rest assured that they have some high-profile supporters.

The James Dyson Foundation, the Royal Academy of Engineering and a host of businesses and organisations have joined the Design and Technology Association (Data) in calling for the government to recognise the importance of D&T. They are committed to getting a change of stance on D&T’s inclusion as an EBacc subject.

The hope among D&T advocates is that the new D&T GCSE, which will begin from September 2017 and is considered to be a more robust and rigorous qualification, will persuade decision-makers to make that change.

Whether the pressure pays off only time will tell. But what should D&T teachers at primary and secondary levels be focusing on this year?

What you need to consider in the next 12 months

The Design and Technology Association has provided the key questions that teachers need to focus upon in the coming year.

PRIMARY

Schools should be asking whether D&T contributes to a broad and balanced curriculum.

• Does your school cover the requirements of the national curriculum adequately?
• Does your school have sufficient curriculum time and resources to teach D&T effectively?
• Do children carry out one D&T project per term in each class?
• Are children in your school receiving a genuine D&T experience, where they design and make functional products with users and purposes in mind?
• What systems does your school have in place to ensure that children make good progress in developing D&T capability?
• Are children in key stage 2 given opportunities to program and control some of the products that they design and make?

SECONDARY

Issues relate to modernising, preparing for the new qualifications and government attitudes to the subject. Departments should be:

• Reviewing and selecting GCSE specifications that provide students with the best opportunities to demonstrate a range of creative responses, innovation and risk taking.
• Analysing their KS3 and 4 schemes of work and planning a coherent, five-year programme that reflects modern designing and making, and includes iterative designing processes, high-tech aspects of the subject, such as digital designing and manufacturing technologies, as well as links to science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects and industry.
• Auditing staff knowledge and skills to identify any areas for development and to submit requests for CPD.
• Maximising opportunities in KS3 and GCSE to incorporate programmable components in designing and making, and liaising with computing colleagues to ensure effective delivery.
• Asking the Department for Education what it is doing to address the critical shortage of D&T teachers and to ensure D&T is retained as part of a broad and balanced curriculum for all.