Year 10 Warner Bros. Studio Tour

48 Year 10 GCSE Computer Science students had the exciting opportunity to attend the Warner Bros. Harry Potter studios on Tuesday 29^th November. The day began with a talk in the educational department where the role of a Foley artist was explained as someone who creates all the sound effects for films, and the students were then given the opportunity to re-create sounds to add to various Harry Potter film clips. The students were surprised to hear that some very simple tools, such as frozen celery, are often used to re-create the sound of breaking bones - who would have believed that? The technical work was also explained on how analogue sounds are recorded and manipulated digitally before being added back to the video track. Then the gossip! We were told of some of the work currently in post-production at the studio and some of the pieces that were actually being filmed that day were mentioned, however, the students were all sworn to secrecy!

After that it was on to the tour, exploring the history of the Harry Potter films and how technology had evolved a huge amount from when the first film was made to the last - a ten year span. We saw some of the evidence of this with the green screen work, animatronics of animals, such as Aragog the giant spider and the mask for Hagrid worn by Martin Bayfield and the digital creations such as flying galleons and Dobby the house elf. The studio staff were fantastic at being able to offer extra secrets and lots of our students were praised for their thoughtful and insightful questions.

Overall, it was a really exciting and interesting day and gave the students a real insight into the huge range of careers within the film industry from accountants to set designers to editors to programmers and graphic designers.

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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.

30th January

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