Design and technology GCSE axed from nearly half of schools, survey finds – Telegraph.co.uk

Design and technology GCSE has disappeared from nearly half of schools because teenagers no longer like making things, a survey has found.

Hundreds of schools across the country have axed the subject from the curriculum in the past year alone, according to a poll of teachers conducted by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

Julie Nugent, chief executive of the Design and Technology Association, said the survey results were worrying, adding that they have been inundated with phone calls from concerned parents whose children are not able to take up the subject because their school no longer offers it.

We know that the subject itself suffers from a bit of an image problem, people see it as a craft based subject, where you just make a bird box or something like that, she said.

The most recent figures released by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) revealed a ten per cent decrease in the number students taking design and technology as a GSCE.

Ms Nugent said that the decline began with the Labour governments removal of the requirement for pupils to study design and technology at GCSE in 2004, but has accelerated in recent years following the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) which focuses on a narrow curriculum made up solely of core academic subjects.

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Design and technology GCSE axed from nearly half of schools, survey finds - Telegraph.co.uk