Introduction to Nuffield D&T

Design & technology is a remarkable subject. It can change the way your pupils learn and see the world. The Nuffield approach gives you the power to bring it alive in your classroom.

The Approach

The Nuffield Foundation began supporting design & technology in 1990 by establishing the Nuffield Design & Technology Project. By working closely with teachers the Project was able to develop an approach to teaching and learning design & technology that has been incorporated into the National Curriculum. To support teachers in using the approach the Project has produced a wide range of curriculum materials that work well in the classroom and are used by many schools both here and abroad.

Combining the intellectual with the practical

Design & technology is where pupils learn to design and make things that are useful both to themselves and for other people. It is both intellectual and practical. It teaches pupils the powerful process of designing; a process in which new ideas are conceived and taken from the mind's eye into the made world. It requires creativity and problem-solving abilities. It develops hand-eye co-ordination in the precise use of tools and materials.

Governors' Guide

It is important that school governors understand the importance of design & technology and the contribution it can make to young people's education and aspirations and the effect that a good D&T department can have on the whole school. This guide enables you to provide your governors with easy to access, relevant information – on this website and as a download from the Reports section in D&T World.

Parents' Guide

Many parents will have little experience of design & technology and those that do may have rather bleak memories of the difficulties encountered in the early days of the National Curriculum. Thankfully those days are long gone but there is still the need to make sure parents understand the benefits of a good D&T education. This guide enables you to do just that – on this website and as a download from the Reports section in D&T World