Furniture Makers’ Call to Action

EBACC  – WHERE IS DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY?

On the face of it the Government’s decision to establish the EBacc seems sensible enough; surely encouraging schools to focus on the core academic subjects at GCSE level will help improve results, results which are patchy in some places and downright poor in others?  Just to clarify the core subjects are English, Maths, History or Geography, the sciences and a language.   EBacc is really just a measurement tool of some GCSEs and as we all know in business, measurement allows management and management leads to increased performance.

EBacc – measuring success leads to choice but is it the right choice for all?

So what could go wrong?  Well, the answer is simple.  Most schools want to be successful and to do that they need to attract the best possible students to achieve the best possible grades in their exams.  Parents are offered some choice in choosing schools and league tables provide a simple opportunity to compare performance; the schools with the best performance generally do attract the best students.

EBacc – unintended consequences?

If a creative subject such as Design and Technology (DT) is not part of the measurement for success then schools may, understandably, focus their efforts on those that are.  This will inevitably lead to a reduction in resources to creative subjects, which will then lead to fewer trained teachers, fewer workshops and a general reduction in the number of students that take DT at GCSE.  This will certainly lead to fewer AS and A2 DT students which must also reduce the number attending design based coursed at University.  This fact alone may not necessarily be a bad thing – there seems to be no shortage of qualified designers in the industry.

But what it will mean is that in future hundreds of thousands of children will leave school without having designed or made a product.  This could have a massive impact on our industry and make it more difficult to encourage youngsters into a relevant apprenticeship or  career in manufacture, design and production, if they have never even had a taste of it at school.  Our Furnishing Industry competes in a global marketplace and to do that well great design and lean manufacturing are essential

EBacc – How can we influence change to include Design & Technology?

The EBacc, in its current form is a real threat to us.  We must be a strong, united voice to ensure Government understands the unintended consequences of their changes to measuring GCSE success: while it is difficult in itself to argue against focussing on the core subjects, the damage that will be done to our industry as a result is very considerable.

EBacc – What can WE do to protect the future of our industry?

IF YOU AGREE TO THE POTENTIAL UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES BY THE PROPOSED NEW EBACC FOCUS, ACT NOW. PLEASE GO TO THE PETITION AND ADD YOUR VOICE. WE NEED 100,000 SIGNATURES.

“A united voice is a stronger voice for the Furnishings Industry’s future”