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I’ve been quiet on the podcast, and I wanted to be honest about why. The short version is not drama, it’s the reality of design and technology education work right now: drafting curriculum, managing confidentiality, and trying to protect enough headspace to do any of it well.

A big part of my time has been taken up with national curriculum work. I’m involved in drafting the new national curriculum for England, which comes with an NDA, so I’m careful about what I say and how it could be interpreted. Alongside that, I’ve been leading the writing of the technology and design curriculum for Northern Ireland, working with brilliant teachers and learning a lot about how different jurisdictions frame D&T, rigour, accessibility, and purpose.

I also talk through something more personal but very common in education and academia: the tension between public-facing work and institutional recognition. After applying for promotion, I had to reflect on whether an independently produced podcast can count as evidence, and what that means when I also believe D&T needs stronger status and leadership, including professorial voices in design and technology education across the UK.

You’ll also hear updates on the newsletter (Mailchimp limits and a possible move), editing the next edition of Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School, and an international curriculum comparison project. If you’re in England, keep an eye out for the national curriculum consultation later in the year, and please get involved when it opens.

If you find this useful, subscribe, share it with your D&T department, and leave a review so more teachers can find the show. What topic would you like me to pick up next?

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