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ELDP (Educator Led Development Programme)

During this academic year, 3 members of staff have undertaken projects following the Educator Led Development Programme. The programme is in its 3rd year at St Clement Danes and has the aim of giving all staff (teaching and non-teaching) an opportunity to develop an idea or project - furthering their Leadership and professionality.

Louise Fennessy, Emma Brown and Mark Sorrell presented their projects at a morning briefing to share their progress and journey to all staff.

Louise Fennessy’s project 'Developing strategies to provide sensory provision in the classroom' has had huge success at KS3. She has created a set of tools that are available with all LSP’s in the school and now helps support individuals in lessons. The strategy has also been adopted for Year 11s and Year 13s that are experiencing exam anxiety during the exam months.

Emma Brown has focussed on 'Develop strategies to improve students’ confidence in their understanding of the way they learn and how that links to the specific exam requirements'. After the shared briefing session, the feedback from staff raised that this is a concern in other subjects and Emma’s strategy is now being shared in other faculties.

Mark Sorrell wanted to explore 'Developing strategies to nurture and support the engagement of male students in Year 8'. After reading ‘Boys do Cry’ and ‘Boys don’t try’  by Matt Pinkett, Mark developed a focus group of students to trial strategies to engage and reflect on how they approach their learning in lessons. The strategies will now be used in form times in KS3 next year.

The participants have been led by our in-house facilitator and coach lead: Jude Wheatley, who has done a brilliant job, supporting and guiding colleagues with expertise and enthusiasm in equal measure. Jude said ‘It has been a pleasure to facilitate the group this year and see the development and legacy of the projects.’

 

 

 

 

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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.