We have produced this resource following the publication by Schools, Students and Teachers network (SSAT), the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) of a series of Refocusing Assessment documents concerning English, geography, history, mathematics, modern foreign languages and science.

This document has been informed by these publications and follows a similar structure. We believe that such a document is particularly necessary for design & technology (d&t) because the introduction of a new single title GCSE to be taught from September 2017 has provided the opportunity for secondary schools to develop a coherent five-year teaching programme beginning in Year 7. Understanding what it means to be successful in d&t, how pupils might make progress and what it means to get better, are essential for such an approach.

We believe that it is essential that d&t departments have the same opportunities and support as those subjects within the EBacc to develop a well-informed and robust approach to assessment (as well as other aspects of teaching and learning). This will help them keep their pedagogies under review and enable them to contribute to teaching and learning debates taking place in their schools, including those about assessment.

We see the move away from a single national assessment system (levels) to a more flexible, school-determined approach as providing interesting opportunities for schools to develop curricula that are appropriate for their pupils. However, we are aware that uncertainty about the nature of progress and how to assess it is likely to reduce the confidence with which d&t teachers are able to tackle the curriculum reform that is necessary both for their own situation and for the subject nationally.

We have a deep interest in the both the curricula and associated assessment that schools develop for d&t and invite teachers to tell us about their work by contacting us.