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Old Dane Dee Caffari is first female skipper in Volvo Ocean Race

Old Dane and International yachtswoman Dee Caffari is the first female to lead a team in the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race. The Volvo Ocean Race is often described as the longest and toughest professional sporting event in the world; it is certainly sailing’s toughest team challenge and one of the sport’s 'Big Three' events, alongside the Olympics and America’s Cup.

Dee is skipper of the ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic' joint male/female crew, and the team’s guiding mission is to amplify the United Nations Environment’s 'Clean Seas: Turn the Tide on Plastic' campaign throughout the eight months of the race. Dee is the only woman to have sailed solo around the world in both directions, (east and west) as well as being the only female to have sailed around the world three times, non-stop. Dee also holds the female-crewed monohull Round Britain and Ireland speed record, a record she established in June 2009, and has also previously competed in the Vendée Globe, the Global Challenge, the Barcelona World Race and four transatlantic races. This year’s competition will be the longest course in the history of the race at 45,000nm, (the previous longest racecourse was 39,270 in 2011-12).The race will cross four oceans and take in 12 major cities: Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport RI, Cardiff, Gothenburg and The Hague.

Students and staff at St Clement Danes School wish Dee and her team every success in this prestigious and most challenging race!

To follow the Dee and her team's progress please follow the link below:

https://twitter.com/deecaffari

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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.