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Charities Week 2017

Charities Week is an annual tradition at St Clement Danes School, always held in the last week of school before the school closes for the Christmas holidays.  It is a time for festive fun for students and staff alike, whilst the school community raises money for chosen charities. This year the donations will be distributed between chosen charities Mind, Addaction, the International Refugee Trust and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

The week began with a Carol Service for students and staff and the annual Christmas dinner. Once lunch time on Monday began, Charities Week events got started. 

The Charities Prefects in Year 13 have been planning all year for this special fundraising event, organising activities such as an "Elf" Auction, a mince pie eating competition, student versus teacher dodge ball, sixth form students "kidnapping" lessons, tuck shops held at break times,uniform stickers, selling donuts and bleacher tickets and nail painting. Last year, the Charities Committee raised more than £10,000 and the Committee were hoping to raise a similar amount this year.

Two popular events are the annual staff flash mob and the Sixth Form Revue, neither of which disappointed. Shamelessly advertising this year's production, Grease, the staff put on their own version, with Dr Valentine in her last week as Headteacher bringing the house down as Sandy to Mr Sutherland's Danny. The Year 13 surpassed themselves in putting on a fantastic revue with a number of familiar faces gracing the video screen.

Well done to all the sixth form students who worked so hard to make these events such a success and to Mrs Hawkins and the Sixth Form team d work behind the scenes. Finally, a huge thank you to the students, their families and to staff for their tremendous support of the event - a fantastic response meant that over £12600 was collected over 48 hours for these worthy causes!

Please see the photo gallery for a selection of photos taken during these events.

Also, further information can be found regarding the chosen charities below:

https://www.mind.org.uk/

https://www.addaction.org.uk/

http://www.irt.org.uk/

https://www.cysticfibrosis.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.