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French Exchange students report on an exciting trip to Lyon

On Saturday16th March, twenty two students across Years 8 to 13 travelled to France as part of the school's French Exchange programme. The aim of the trip was to improve our French by staying with a French family and go on various activities around Lyon.

We arrived in sunny Lyon where we met our correspondents and their families at the airport. As soon as we met them, we departed and stayed with them for the weekend. Sunday was a free day where we were able to spend the day with our families. The families had organised a wide range of activities for each of us. Some went to the zoo, others went shopping in town.

An itinerary had been created for the whole week, which was full of fun activities. On Monday, we went to Fourvière, the Musée des miniatures et du cinema,  and we also visited the Vieux Lyon. We especially liked Fourvière (a hill facing the city) because we got to go on a tram going up and the view from the hill was amazing. The next day, we went to two museums, the Musée des Confluences and the Centre d’histoire de la résistance et de la deportation. Another brilliant part of the trip was our visit to Les Halles Paul Bocuse, where we got to try lots of different French food and Lyon specialties. We even tried snails!

On Friday, we had to follow our correspondents around their school. We had many subjects to study, eight lessons in all! We had a great time! Some teachers asked us to introduce ourselves and talk about England in front of the class.

Overall it was a fantastic week and we would recommend it to anyone! At the end of our exchange, many families invited us for a future stay in France. Also, during the week Miss Massé bought us ice creams, book marks, notebooks and snails! We really had an amazing week in France!

Reported by Mathilda and Sophie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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.