Disapplication at Key Stage
4
Do food
technology teachers need to be trained?
What are the
recommended number of hours for design and technology?
What are the recommended
group sizes?
How do I calculate the
number of technicians required?
Is MDF safe to use?
Disapplication at Key Stage 4
DATA is acutely aware of the difficulties that many departments have faced
this year with some curriculum managers making early and ill informed
decisions about the position of design and technology at Key Stage 4. We need
to remember David Blunkett’s letter to QCA during the lengthy revision
period, when he stated his intention that none of the current subjects be
removed from the statutory curriculum. Whilst this does remain the case, this
has in effect opened wider the disapplication door, allowing school managers
to push through a far larger number of students than was ever intended.
The original criteria for disapplication, introduced in September 1998,
remains in force, i.e. disapplying individual pupils for extended work-related
learning. Two new purposes have subsequently been introduced under section
363, namely:
1 In response to pupils’ individual strengths and talents, to allow
pupils to emphasise a particular curriculum area by exchanging National
Curriculum subject(s) for further course(s) in that curriculum area.
2 To allow pupils making significantly less progress than their peers to
study fewer National Curriculum subjects in order to consolidate their
learning across the curriculum.
QCA have now submitted to the Minister advice on the final criteria and the
process of drafting the final regulations has begun. These will be statutory
criteria and QCA aim to publish guidance on their website by the end of
February. The regulations, and hard copy of the guidance, will be sent to all
schools at the beginning of May and will include procedures for disapplying
individual pupils. Later in the year QCA will conduct a monitoring programme
asking all schools about their use of the regulations. Forms must be returned
by 31 October 2000.
FAQs about disapplication
Which subjects may be disapplied?
Design and technology and/or modern foreign languages.
What are the procedures for disapplication?
Disapplication is an exceptional provision and to be used at the discretion of
the Headteacher and governors. They must satisfy themselves that they have met
the regulations in full, including the criteria within them. The decision to
move away from the statutory requirement must be significant and made for an
individual pupil based on his/her needs.
Should parents be involved in this decision?
Parents must be made aware of the decision to move away from the
statutory requirement. If a pupil’s parents do not agree with the school’s
decision to disapply a National Curriculum subject from their child’s
entitlement, they have the right to secure access to the full statutory
requirement for their son/daughter. They do not, however, have the same right
to secure disapplication. Draft criteria require the curriculum plan to be
discussed and agreed with the pupil and their parents.
Can the school allow pupils a choice with regard to disapplication?
The statutory requirement for design and technology is still in place.
The starting point for disapplication is from an individual pupil’s needs.
It is therefore inappropriate to suggest to pupils that, for example, design
and technology has the same status as history or art, which may or may not be
chosen at Key Stage 4. The expectation must be that pupils will study design
and technology and any decision to move away from this must be significant.
What is meant by exceptional?
The Secretary of State announced in March 1998 his decision to
maintain the current statutory requirements at Key Stage 4. It is the
Secretary of State’s intention that the majority of pupils will continue to
study all statutory subjects. A decision to move away from the statutory
requirement must be significant for an individual pupil. The school must have
a secure rationale for judging that the full statutory requirement is not
fully meeting that pupil’s needs.
What is meant by strengths and talents?
This purpose gives schools the opportunity to respond to individual
pupil’s areas of strength and talent. In deciding to use this regulation the
school must have a secure rationale for why an emphasis in a particular
curriculum area would better meet the individual pupil’s needs than the full
statutory requirement.
Can we make a general judgement if we are in a specialist language/technology
school?
No. The statutory requirements remain the same for specialist schools.
Decisions to use the regulations would still be made on an individual basis.
How do the regulations apply to grammar schools?
The statutory requirements are the same in grammar schools. If pupils
generally take 12 or more GCSEs there is clearly no need for any National
Curriculum subjects to be disapplied for an emphasis, for example, in the arts.
DATA is grateful to the QCA 14–19 team for clarification regarding
disapplication.
Further information can be obtained from the QCA website or by contacting
Mary Doherty, Principal Manager: Curriculum on 020 7509 5273 or Jo Armitage,
Principal Officer Key Stage 4 on 020 7509 5298 at QCA.
Members will no doubt be interested to see a copy of Jacqui Smith's letter
to the TES, 28th April 2000.
"Your report on the Design and Technology Association conference
failed to mention that the disapplication of design and technology at key
stage 4 is designed to be used for individual students in very specific
circumstances.
It should not be used to allow large numbers of pupils to opt out of
the national curriculum. It will be apparent, through normal monitoring,
whether it is being used in this may, and we will act to prevent misuse of the
system.
Design and Technology is, and will remain, a statutory subject at key
stage 4. It is an entitlement which develops key skills which prepare children
for future life. Denying children that entitlement damages their education and
their future prospects. Britain has taken the lead in design and technology
education , and we want to keep it that way."
Jacqui Smith
Education minister
DfEE
Do
food technology teachers need to be trained?
Over the past twelve months DATA has received many enquiries from food
technology teachers. Heads of Department and school managers about the need to
employ fully qualified food technology teachers. DATA recognises the shortage
of teachers in this particular specialist field and is extremely concerned
about the lack of clarity regarding the implications of employing non-specialists
in any area of design and technology. A briefing note published in the TES
17th March further served to confuse the issues. Two different, but related,
points need due regard:
Health and Safety Training Standards in
Design and Technology (DATA 2000)
These standards are fully compatible with BS4163 (2000) and set out quite
clearly that all teachers of esign and technology should have the Secondary
Core in Design and Technology (SCHS) and in the case of food teachers,
Secondary Food Technology (including the Basic Food Hygiene) Certificate (SFHS).
Minimum Competences for Students to
Teach Design and Technology in Secondary Schools (DATA 1995)
This publication outlines quite comprehensively the minimum requirement to
provide well trained, high quality teachers (including food technology
teachers) who meet the expectations of employers.
So, yes! Food Teachers, together with all
other professionals do need to be fully qualified in their specialist area,
particularly at a time when they, like others are striving to continually
raise standards in the subject.
What are the recommended number of
hours for design and technology?
At Key Stage 3 Dearing recommends 63 hours, which represents
approximately 7.5% of curriculum time. This recommendation appears in the
Design and Technology Draft Proposals, May 1994 published by SCAA. Dearings
original recommendation was 45 hours, but this was increased to 63.
DATA recommends 10% of curriculum time in DATA
Guidance Materials for Design and Technology Key Stage 3.
What are the recommended group sizes?
There is no Government recommendation for group sizes at Key Stage 3
and 4 in England and Wales.
DfEE Building Bulletin 81 Design and Technology Accommodation in Secondary
Schools states that teaching are large enough to accommodate 21 pupils, as
this reflects the typical maximum group size in secondary schools.
DATA believes that for planning purposes Key Stage 3 groups should be no
larger than 20 pupils, Key Stage 4 groups should be no larger than 18 pupils.
However if larger group sizes are in operation and a teacher feels that it is
unsafe they should apply risk assessment. DATA has the standard work on this, Risk
Assessment in Secondary Schools.
How do I calculate the number of technicians
required?
DATA has a range of formula for calculating the number of technicians
required in design and technology. In its most simplistic form to give a broad
balance 1 technician is required to 3 teaching spaces.
Full details of the calculations can be found in the Design
and Technology Technicians' Guide.
Is MDF safe to use?
Much media attention has been drawn towards MDF and the hazards
associated with its use in schools. DATA has no evidence from either HSE or
the Education Service Advisory Committee (ESAC) which leads us at present to
call for MDF to be removed from use in schools. We however welcome the
decision by the HSE to fund a research project at De Montfort University.
Hardwood dust is classified in COSHH as carcinogenic, and softwood is now a
suspect carcinogen, although not defined as such in COSHH. Thus under risk
assessment procedures substitution by natural wood may not eliminate the
problem.
DATA's advice to schools is that:
A high level of cleaning of the teaching environment must take place to reduce
to a minimum the dust in the environment.
All machining of MDF, and other timbers, should have good quality and
effective dust extraction.
Rooms should be well ventilated when working MDF by hand tools.
The use or rotary sanding discs with no dust extraction is not recommended for
use.
