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Inspirational visits to National Gallery and Watts Gallery

Students this week visited two prestigious art galleries in preparation for their GCSE studies. Both gallery visits were arranged to inspire and stimulate the students in Years 10 and 11 by looking, analysing and observing the works of artists in both galleries.

On Tuesday 10th January, 25 Year 11 Art students visited The George Frederick Watts Gallery in Compton, Surrey. The visit enabled the students to develop preparatory studies about artists for their externally set assignment, ‘Beginnings and Endings’ which is part of their GCSE Art exam. The purpose of the visit was to enable the students to create their own ideas as responses to the theme.

On Wednesday 11th January, 34 Year 10 Art students visited the National Portrait Art Gallery, also in preparation for their GCSE Art coursework project, ‘Icons’, in which students explore the concept of “What is an Icon?" By producing many observations of both celebrities and figures of leadership, power and iconic status, the students then can make their own choice of which icon they wish to portray as their final artwork.

Please follow links below to find out further information about both galleries.

http://www.wattsgallery.org.uk/en-gb/

 

http://www.npg.org.uk/

 

 

 

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30th January

Teachers commended for transforming Design & Technology education

We were delighted to read that our Design and Technology teachers, Miss Yalley and Mr Hadley were featured in the Design and Technology publication.  The article discusses the transformation of the Design & Technology (D&T) department at St. Clement Danes School over the past five years. It discusses how Mr Hadley and Miss Yalley took ownership of the subject, implementing a new subject ethos based on trust, excellence, respect, and safety to foster student responsibility and independence. Key Initiatives & Changes Revamping Projects & Curriculum Introduced more challenging design projects at earlier years (Years 8 & 9). Shifted focus to design skills, problem-solving, and justifying choices over just practical outcomes. Prioritized quality over quantity in student projects. Notable projects: Year 7: Robot concepts Year 8: Articulated lamps Year 9: Branded dispensers & modular speakers Encouraging Inclusion & Diversity Created a girls-only club to boost female participation in GCSE Product Design. Sixth-form girls mentor younger students, building confidence and community. Design Ventura Competition Integrated mock coursework with the Design Ventura competition. Encouraged teamwork and prototyping to improve engagement. Use of AI & Technology Introduced cloud-based tools to make learning more accessible. Leveraged AI for idea development and communication. Professional Development & Industry Links Participating in the Teachers in Residence program to gain industry insights. Adopted industry models like the Double Diamond Design Process and Scrum-based project sprints to enhance student learning. Established workshops with industry professionals to inspire students, especially girls, to pursue design careers. Key Takeaways for Educators Adapt curriculum to student needs and school culture. Pilot new initiatives as clubs first to gauge student interest. Encourage student feedback to refine teaching methods. Be open to change and continuously evolve teaching strategies. The article ultimately encourages educators to embrace creativity, experimentation, and student collaboration in D&T education. We are very proud of our teachers for their continued hard work and dedication for each of their subject areas. Congratulations to Mr Hadley and Miss Yalley for their inspiring article and the incredible work they’ve done to transform Design & Technology at St. Clement Danes! Their dedication to fostering creativity, inclusion, and industry connections is truly commendable, and their impact on students will undoubtedly be long-lasting.