Recommendation 3 - Consider D&T in any reform of reform school accountability, performance and inspection measures.

Consider D&T in any reform of reform school accountability, performance and inspection measures.

Policymakers should consider how they can change the structural enablers of better design education:

– Prioritise changes that support the revival of D&T in any reform to EBacc and Progress 8 accountability measures. The House of Lords 11-16 Education Committee’s report has highlighted the damaging impact of the EBacc and calls for it to be withdrawn. When assesing potential alternatives, such as shifting to ‘Progress 5’, policymakers should prioritise interventions that widen student choice and enable schools to more evenly distribute resources to creative subjects like D&T.

– Ensure Ofsted are rewarding excellent D&T teaching at secondary schools appropriately. The Department for Education should work with Ofsted to ensure secondary school inspection criteria are properly incentivising schools to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, recognising and celebrating the importance of excellence in D&T teaching.

– Agree a permanent creative addition to the PISA framework. The government should also work with other OECD member countries and the PISA governing body to agree a permanent addition to the PISA framework which assesses pupil performance in creative thinking and problem solving, ensuring that British student excellence in design capabilities is valued at the highest level. In the interim, the UK should commit to entering students into all creative PISA assessments, correcting the error of opting-out of the 2022 Creative Thinking test.