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SCD student Alex Pullen named Young Musician of The Year 2017

On Saturday 24th June 2017, Bucks Learning Trust Music held its first Young Musician of the Year Competition in the beautiful surroundings of Stowe School.

Over 30 talented musicians applied for a place in the Grand Final with the final 6 successfully making it through to perform to a live audience and a panel of judges, which consisted of Clive Fairbairn from the New Mozarrt Orchestra, Aileen Douthwaite, a freelance Music Consultant and Nick Smart, Head of Jazz at the Royal Academy of Music. The quality of the performances was extremely high and St Clement Danes student Alex Pullen performed so well that he won 1st Prize for playing the Marimba.

On winning 1st place, Alex was awarded a cash prize, a music voucher and  the opportunity to perform with the Bucks County Youth Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in June 2018.

Congratulations to Alex on this fantastic achievement. We wish him every success in his future competitions, including his entry to the International Youth Percussion Competition, which will be  held in Belgium later this month.

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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.