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Students choose Carnegie Award winner

The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are the UK's oldest and most prestigious children's book awards, often described by authors and illustrators as the award that they most aspire to win.

There are eight books on the shortlist and from March to May a group of Year 7 & 8 students, together with English teacher Ms Heatley, have been taking part in the shadowing scheme.  This scheme involved reading the shortlisted books and meeting up once a week in the LRC to discuss the books, and subsequently posting reviews (good and bad) on the award's website. 

This year’s winner was announced on 19th June and both the judges and the SCD students agreed that Ruta Sepetys' refugee story ‘Salt to the Sea’, a fictionalised account of the worst maritime disaster in history, was a worthy winner of the 80th anniversary Carnegie Medal.

To celebrate their winning choice, the students enjoyed a picnic in the LRC. The celebrations continue this week when the group will be travelling to London to visit the British Library and will also spend time at Waterstones bookshop selecting new books for the LRC.

Students' reviews about the shortlisted entries can be read on the Carnegie website by following the link below:

http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/grouphomepages/index.php?GroupID=582

 

 

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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.