Key Stage 3 - National Strategy
The Secondary National Strategy for School Improvement (previously called the KS3 National Strategy) aims to raise standards by strengthening teaching and learning across the curriculum for all pupils aged 11 to 16.
Background to the design and technology framework materials
The focus of the D&T Framework is on improving the teaching of designing skills and the management of the subject within D&T materials areas. For several years Ofsted/HMI have identified this as a weakness within the subject. Consequently, the development of the pilot materials provided an opportunity to:
- address how the "sub-skills" of designing could be taught and to improve the teaching of designing
- increase expectations and challenges in teaching
define progression through the yearly objectives in key skills and concepts to facilitate planning, teaching and assessment
- improve the quality of teaching in design and technology by providing examples of effective teaching approaches, drawn from the training materials for foundation subjects, that include questioning, modelling and structuring lessons
The aim is not for departments necessarily to spend more time teaching designing skills, but to ensure that sufficient time is allocated to it and that this time is used efficiently and effectively. Although the D&T Framework materials do not specifically address making skills, they do continually stress that the subject has always been - and continues to be - about both designing and making.
What are the Framework and training materials?
The D&T Framework (also referred to as National Strategy: FS D&T Programme) sets out teaching objectives for five designing sub-skills. It also provides useful guidance on planning and managing design and technology in KS3. This includes consideration of curriculum organisation and will be particularly helpful to departments undertaking curriculum review.
The Framework materials are designed to be used flexibly by departments on training days or in after-school sessions. They are designed to help departments to:
- understand the Framework and how it can be used to inform long, medium and short term planning
- develop strategies for teaching designing skills
- address related needs identified by the departmental review (e.g. transition issues, creativity, questioning, starters and plenaries etc)
Further support from the D&T Association
Further support is available in the Resource Vault (Members only), including:
- examples of KS3 lessons and effective practice
- exemplar starters and plenaries
- techniques for teaching designing skills
In the online shop - Bright Ideas! is a series of CD-based teacher resources for Key Stage 3 designing for food, product design and textiles.
- Guidance from DfE - this DfE leaflet is aimed at D&T subject leaders and teachers. The contents are drawn from pilot schools and D&T departments who have worked with the D&T Framework and materials since January 2005. The Secondary National Strategy has developed a range of complementary resources with subject-specific materials for D&T to support subject leaders in addressing a range of whole-school issues.
- The Leading in Learning programme (January 2005) was developed by DfE as part of the Key Stage 3 Strategy's support for whole-school improvement. It is a systematic, research-based programme, focused on improving pupils' thinking skills in curriculum subjects. Leading in Learning takes a cross-curricular approach and is deliberately structured so that teachers and pupils look beyond subject confines to thinking and learning more generally. There is a focus on specific thinking abilities and metacognition to encourage systematic development of thinking skills and transfer of learning across subjects and to other aspects of pupils' lives. Downloads available from the website include a guide for school leaders, training manuals and posters, ands exemplification for a number of subjects including D&T.
- DfES Pedagogy and Practice: Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools (2005)
- Did you miss the Literacy in D&T for self study by the KS3 national strategy? Visit the Standards website to download Literacy in design and technology - for school-based or self-study. The training materials in the foundation subjects also contains helpful material, especially in terms of speaking and listening.
- Key Stage 3 Strategy Framework for Teaching D&T, DfES, 2004
- QCDA National Scheme of Work
- National Strategy Foundation Subjects: D&T Programme, DfE, 2004
Resources from the Design Council
- In-depth case studies provide profiles of five products awarded Millennium Products status by the Design Council for their use of design and innovation. The profiles each look at particular design issues faced by the manufacturers, including use of materials, sustainability, branding and research.
- Product Profiles are case studies of 11 Millennium Products, exploring the design process behind each one and examining individual aspects of them from markets to production costs. A teachers pack is included.
- The Big Zipper was a teaching resource aimed at pupils studying D&T at Key Stages 3 and 4 and is referred to several times in the KS3 National Strategy materials. The posters explain the design process which can be displayed independently somewhere prominent within the school, or can be used in conjunction with the additional activities within the pack. The D&T pack links well with the activities for the KS3 strategy, and was written by Louise T Davies. The pack is no longer in print but the Design Council has made the posters available to download in pdf format from the website to support the KS3 National Strategy.
Other resources
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A number of PowerPoint resources set in the context of food technology are available on the Food Forum website. These resources exemplify many of the strategies suggested in the D&T framework and are ready-made for classroom use.
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- Science UPD8 translates the latest breakthroughs and science behind the news, into inspiring activities - and publishing them lightning fast. Quality and ease of use mean that teachers simply "download and go" Whilst aimed at science colleagues, the website provides some great ideas which can be adapted for D&T.
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