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  • 24th February 2021

Design and Technology Association masterclasses to fight COVID shortfall for KS4 and A Level students

The Ove Arup Foundation has agreed a grant to the Design and Technology Association to provide funding for KS4 and A Level Masterclasses – Developing the designers and engineers of the future.

This is a National Curriculum subject, which educates and enthuses the next generation of designers, engineers, manufacturers and innovators. The subject carries a heavy knowledge base with students requiring a full plethora of research, design, prototyping and manufacturing skills, as well as an in-depth knowledge of materials, processes and manufacturing techniques.

The effects of COVID-19 have hit the subject hard, with many students distance learning. This means that, due to the complexities of sharing machines, tools and workshop facilities, prototyping and making are severely restricted in schools.

The DfE has announced that the examination content will not be reduced, thereby making coverage of all content essential for teachers between now and the 2021 examination.

Specific parts of the D&T syllabus are already delivered erratically across the country as many teachers do not have first-hand experience of industrial practices and are therefore constrained to teaching from a book.

If successful, it is intended to create four digital masterclasses covering some of the more difficult areas of the KS4 and A Level syllabus, including: Building design sustainability; Product life cycle; Machine learning and AI; and material properties.

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