DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
This has been an exciting year for the Design Technology Department. We were very pleased to have Mrs Griffiths back in the fold and she and Mr Claustres made huge progress with the development of 3D printing with the pupils. Initially rather niche for us here at St Lawrence College, this year we have invested in two new printers and so 3D printing has become something of a staple. Students were introduced to a new computer aided design package called TinkerCAD, which they ran with. The outcomes have been exceptional, and we have seen 3D printing take centre stage in many of the projects completed. Kirby pupils have continued to impress us with their enthusiasm and creativity. They have designed and made printed bags, robot toys featuring mechanisms and electronics, and cameras. Pupils in the 3rd Form have practised technical skills and learned about design history in the Keep-sake Box Project.
Rhys, Tom, Phoebe, Mabel and Jenson excelled themselves this year by achieving 3rd Place in the Design Museum’s international competition “Design Ventura”. Their work is now on display in the museum in London.
Those in the 4th Form designed and made their own knock-down fittings for the Contemporary Home Project and their ideas for collapsible, flat-pack and multifunctional furniture were some of the strongest we have seen. We are excited to be taking them through to GCSE this year. Pupils in the 5th Form worked on projects around a choice of contexts; “A Souvenir
From a Place of Interest” or “Caring for Animals” and their designs were often innovative. We saw some genuinely original designs including a pet food dispenser, a pet care station and some wonderful graphics for an upcycled clothing business. Pupils in the Lower Sixth Form produced a portfolio of work this year, including ideas for kettle design and then a project around perfume packaging, based on historic icon design styles such as Bauhaus and Memphis. Those in the Upper Sixth Form completed their A Level projects, working on individual contexts including furniture and interior design. This year submissions were the best that they have ever been and the hard work, perseverance and creativity practised by the students has impressed us no end. Several are going on to study related subjects next year and I anticipate that they will excel. We have hosted or run a number of co-curricular events this year, including trips to the Design Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science Museum.
Back in the Autumn we invited students and teachers from eleven schools in the East Kent Partnership to join us for the Big Design Challenge and welcomed Dr Zoe Laughlin from The Institute of Making to deliver a design challenge and to lead the judging. It has been a busy year, but a satisfying one in which our young designers have worked hard and made us proud. We are excited too for September when we will be welcoming a new teacher, Mr Dan Cross, to the Department. He will be an excellent addition to our team and we are looking forward to introducing him to our pupils in September. We have been very impressed with the hard work, creativity and perseverance demonstrated by all our students this year, especially those in the examination groups. We are looking forward to hearing how our leavers get along at University and wish them all the best in their next stage of education.
Mrs K Parker, Head of Design Technology
LAWRENTIAN 2023
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