Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase take-up of design and technology alongside the EBacc; and if he will make a statement.

Design and technology (D&T) is an important part of a broad and balanced curriculum. Over 150,000 pupils in England entered a D&T GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2016 - 2017, which is over 25% of all pupils.[1]

The EBacc was designed to be limited in size to let pupils continue to study additional subjects that reflect their individual interests and strengths, including D&T.

The Department introduced the new D&T GCSE in September 2017. It counts towards Progress 8, the headline measure of secondary school performance. Key organisations such as the James Dyson Foundation provided input to link the new GCSE with industry practice and supported students to progress into further study and employment. The content has been updated to make D&T GCSE a rigorous subject that has a strong focus on iterative design processes.

The Department also continues to provide bursaries of up to £12,000 to attract more graduates into D&T teaching.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017.