The Design Mark is a quality standards framework developed jointly by the Design & Technology Association and the Design Council. It is intended as an aspirational badge awarded to primary and secondary schools that demonstrate excellence in their teaching of design. It looks beyond schools that simply deliver excellent design and technology to schools that also integrate contemporary design thinking into their teaching.
The Design Mark aims to identify and reward primary and secondary schools that are delivering high quality design education to their pupils. It also aims to:
- Promote higher standards in the quality of design education
- Help schools and pupils better understand the wider role of design in society
- Encourage schools to develop closer links with professional design practice
- Raise the status of design in schools and local communities
- Provide schools with a framework to help them evaluate and self-review standards and practice
Schools are already required to evaluate their own performance in education. This framework provides the quality ‘standard’ against which they can evaluate their design education practice. The framework has been designed to reflect the ways in which leaders and co-ordinators of the design education curriculum area are likely to be required to account for its overall effectiveness within a whole school context. Thus the elements do have a synergy with the sections of the Ofsted Self Evaluation Form (SEF), whilst not mirroring them exactly. The framework also reflects the five ‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes and the emerging aspects of the personalised learning agenda as set out in the DCSF’ ‘2020 Vision’ published in 2007. Some schools may wish to use the Design Mark framework for self evaluation purposes only and not apply for the quality mark.
On the Design Mark website www.thedesignmark.org you can see examples of primary and secondary schools that have been awarded the Design Mark, and learn from them how their design teaching meets the standards framework.
Download a PDF of some short case studies of schools that have already been awarded the Design Mark for the quality of their design teaching.
The Design and Technology Association
Established in 1989 the Design and Technology Association is the professional body and subject association representing for all those involved in D&T education www.data.org.uk
Schools that have been awarded the Design Mark
- Ashfield School, Nottinghamshire
- Balsall Common Primary School, Warwickshire
- Cardinal Allen Catholic High School, Lancashire
- Comberton Primary School, Worcestershire
- de Ferrers Specialist Technology College, Staffordshire
- Fairchildes Primary School, Surrey
- Hathershaw College of Technology & Sport, Oldham
- Highworth Grammar School, Kent
- Hurst Park Primary School, Surrey
- Langley School, Norfolk
- Mascalls School, Kent
- Newtown Primary School, Shrewsbury
- North Baddesley Junior School, Hampshire
- Our Lady & St. Gerard’s RC Primary School, Preston
- Pearl Hyde Primary School, Coventry
- Ripley St. Thomas C of E High School, Lancaster
- Robin Hood Junior School, Sutton
- Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, Kent
- St. Mary’s CE (VA) Primary School, Kent
- St. Nicholas C of E Middle School, Worcestershire
- Wembrook Primary School, Nuneaton
- Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary School, Burnley