Design & Technology
Course Overview
The Design and Technology ITT programme seeks to develop strategies and teaching ideas for teaching across the four specialisms within Design and Technology-regardless of your background and experience. We develop your skills in all areas of D&T and explore these further into the best way that we can then teach these to students in both an engaging and safe manner. We consider how we can cater for the varying needs of students and share good practice and ideas in a supportive environment.
As a result, it is intended that Design & Technology trainee teachers will be able to:
- Develop their subject knowledge to a depth and breadth that enables them to teach their subject at KS3-KS4 with confidence and competence
- Understand the pedagogy of their subject and be both deliberate and judicious in their choice of methods and approaches
- Be able of the curriculum requirements for the age range they teach and have awareness of how content is chosen to be broad, balanced and deliberately sequenced
- Understand how learning happens in their subject and be able to use a range of approaches to ensure that knowledge is more likely to be retained
- Learn about the statutory assessment arrangements for Design and Technology and be able to guide and prepare students for both internal and external assessment
- Anticipate and address common misconceptions within planning and lesson delivery
- Develop students’ hinterland knowledge and intellectual curiosity
- Use a wide range of subject terminology and be aware of strategies to help students use these terms for themselves
- Provide learners with actionable, motivational and manageable subject specific feedback in order for them to make progress in their learning
- Create classroom climates that are inclusive for all learners regardless of ability or background through an awareness of potential barriers to learning and how to overcome these
- Learn how to activate hard thinking in their subject as a result of a deliberate approach to structuring, explaining, questioning, interacting and embedding knowledge
Useful Websites
Details of Subject Associations
The Design and Technology Association (DATA) which is £28 for trainee teachers for the year.
Entry Requirements
Mandatory:
A degree in a Design & Technology-related subject, at class 2:2 or above
Maths and English GCSE at grade 4/C or above
Recommended:
Involvement with young people in some capacity
An awareness of issues in Design & Technology in Education
Reading List
Below are the essential texts you should read:
Morela, J and Jones, A (2008) Design and Technology Inside The Black Box Learning Sciences International, USA
Owen-Jackson, G (ed.) (2015) 3rd ed Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School: A Companion Routledge Falmer, Oxen
Spendlove, D (2008) 100 Ideas For Teaching Design and Technology Continuum, London
Textbooks for the examination board you will be teaching:
AQA: Williams, B and Attwood, L (2017) AQA GCSE 9-1 Design and Technology: all Material Categories and Systems Hodder Education, London
OCR: Walker, C and McCarthy, S (2017) OCR GCSE (9-1) Design and Technology Textbook Hodder Education, London
Edexcel: Wellington, M and Dennis, A (2017) Edexcel GCSE 9-1 Design and Technology Student Book Pearson Education, London
The following texts are not essential reading but would be worth becoming familiar with:
Dirkson, J (2015) Design For How People Learn (Voices that matter) New Riders, USA
Owen Jackson, G (2013) Debates in D+T Education Routledge, New York
Owen-Jackson, G (2002) Teaching Design and Technology In Secondary Schools Routledge Falmer, London
Owen Jackson, G (2007) A Practical Guide to Teaching Design and Technology in the Secondary School Routledge, New York
Ronaldi, F (2003) Dyslexia and D+T David Fulton Publishers, London
Sayers, S (2002) Issues in Design and Technology Teaching Routledge, New York
Stanton, J (2014) 100 Design and Technology Lessons: Planning Guide Scholastic Press, London
Course Funding
For 2025-2026, if you are eligible, you will receive a bursary of £26,000 to train in Design & Technology.
To find out more about financing your teacher training, click here
Course Codes
QTS with PGCE, full time or part time - 2GGL
D&T Lead Subject Tutor
Glenn Bracher
Glenn is the Curriculum Lead of Design & Technology at Beauchamps High School, where he has worked since qualifying through Mid Essex ITT. He studied Art & Design: Graphic Media at the University of Essex, and draws on this creative background to design engaging curricula, develop innovative projects, and encourage students to think imaginatively about problem-solving. Starting as the sole D&T teacher, he rebuilt the subject from a non-functioning department into a thriving area of the school, leading on curriculum planning, assessment, and resourcing.
He has mentored trainees and supported colleagues into their ECT years, finding the process rewarding and invaluable for his own development. This is Glenn’s first year as Lead Subject Mentor for D&T, and he is looking forward to supporting the next generation of teachers across the partnership.
