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Duke of Edinburgh Success: Celebrating 248 Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards

 

On Tuesday 5th November, we had the pleasure of welcoming our award recipients from Year 10 to Year 13 to celebrate their remarkable achievements; this year, we proudly recognised 163 Bronze, 73 Silver, and 12 Gold award recipients.

It has been a joy to celebrate these accomplishments with our students. We extend our thanks to Sienna B, our DofE prefect, and Thomas K DofE young Leader for their support of the award last year, running lunchtime sessions, and supporting students to record their achievements through the online portal. Special thanks to Jai B and Charlotte M, for their inspiring presentation on their Duke of Edinburgh journey culminating in their Gold expedition to Norway.

The award isn't just about the expedition, although many students remember this part well. The other three sections Volunteering, Physical and Skills truly develop students' positive attitudes to commitment, communication, cooperation, being active, being curious and helping the community. The volunteering section is truly invaluable, as it fosters personal growth, lasting friendships, and gives back to society. Last year, our SCD students contributed 5,811 hours of volunteer service, an increase of 1,716 from the previous year. This has a societal value of £30,681. 

At St Clement Danes, our commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh Award is deeply rooted in our core ethos of Success, Character and Dignity for all. The Duke of Edinburgh Award builds on the Danes Anchor Character Education award in Year 7 and 8 is open to all students who wish to do their award. It is a community driven model, where our dedicated staff and parents willingly contribute their time to support student achievements. We want to emphasise that it's not just the staff; it's also the assessors who write reports. With each student typically having four sections and potentially four different assessors, the 248 awards involve the participation of 1,004 individuals from our local community. To all those involved, we extend our heartfelt thanks for your time and dedication to our young people.

We are indebted to the staff members who provided expedition support at St Clement Danes. Mrs Parker, Mr Miall, Mr Taylor, Mr Biswell, Mr Sorrel, Mrs Spencer, Mrs Ingleby, Mrs Wheatley, and Dr Lowe have all played integral roles in this year's expeditions. Additionally, Miss Fennessy and Dr Lowe have not only assisted with expeditions but have also played key roles in helping students initiate their awards and supporting them throughout their journeys.

Our gratitude extends to the many staff members who served as assessors for various sections, including music, drama, LAMDA, PE, form tutors, language teachers, geography teachers, all the teachers who run clubs during lunchtime and after school and many more. The students greatly appreciate your time and effort.

The parents who volunteered for expedition support have been absolutely outstanding. Gareth H, John B, Mark L, Nick B, Norman L, Roel J, Sarah D, Trevor B, Andrew M, Eleanor H, Graham E, Jude H,  and Peter E have collectively contributed over 300 days of volunteer support, with a value to SCD students worth £32,700. We are profoundly grateful for their dedicated time and effort. We would also like to acknowledge some of our longest serving parents, including Mark L with 96 days over 10 years, Trevor B  7 years, Norman L 7 years, Sarah D 7 years, John B 6 years, Roel J 6 years and Nic B 5 years.

Behind the scenes, each award undergoes rigorous checks by staff before being sent for verification. Chris Marks and Jaimie-Lee Keen, are the primary award verifier for our school, they have meticulously reviewed every section of every award at every level, over 1000 sections being checked. 

To all the award recipients, we hope that you continue to embrace the challenges and opportunities that come your way. Your experiences will undoubtedly shape your character and open doors for years to come.

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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.