Starting with the question ‘Why teach Design and Technology in secondary schools?’, this paper describes the first stages of a journey to discover a values framework for D&T in English secondary schools. Events and reflections, some of which are described, have informed the initial stages of my PhD studies which is to develop a framework defining the value of D&T in secondary school education in England. This paper is a presentation of some initial findings for the framework. This is only the start of my PhD journey in which there are three stages: 1. An exploratory study of interviews and personal rationales to develop a framework of the value of D&T, 2. Using the framework to make judgements about the profiles different stakeholders have of the subject 3. Using the framework, evaluate the practice in schools The values reported here have been identified from two stakeholder groups: trainee D&T teachers from my own university and D&T academics. At this stage in the study I am not comparing the values held by different stakeholders only in discovering their values which will inform the values framework
