INCLUDE DESIGN

The Include Design campaign aims to raise awareness on the issue and make changes to the Ebacc, which has been described as ‘unworkable ‘ by Glenys Stacey, head of Ofqual, the body which regulations qualifications across the UK.

The newly proposed Ebacc qualification (intended to curtail grade inflation and replace GCSEs) will exclude Design and the Arts from the nation’s educational agenda. This is disturbing, and several bodies have been set up to counter the decision or at least add a ‘Sixth Pillar’ of creative subjects to the curriculum. If the Ebacc remains unchanged then entire generations of design industry and creative professionals will be lost to less practical subjects. Also missing from the Ebacc, which claims to be ‘well-rounded’, are IT (a cornerstone of our economy) and Religious Education (which is vital in a multicultural country like the UK).

Ultimately removing creative subjects from a generation is to hamper the economic abilities of the country. The UK’s reputation for creative quality is as vast as its contribution to the creative industries; both are global. The design sector employs countless individuals, sustains thousands of businesses, and supports hundreds of thousands of independent freelancers.