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Parliamentary Debating Competition

On Friday 21st October St Clement Danes School took a team to a Debating Competition at the Houses of Parliament. The competition was held in the debating rooms off Westminster Hall where official Parliamentary debates also take place, thus giving us a sense of grandeur but obviously adding to the nerves. The competition was being hosted by Dean Russell MP and Gagan Mohindra MP, both MPs for Watford/South West Hertfordshire constituencies and so we were up against 7 other schools from the area including Parmiter’s, Merchant Taylor’s, Stanborough Park Secondary School and Future Academies Watford.

Our Quarter final match was against Croxley Danes School and we were taking the Opposition position to ‘This House believes that all members of the House of Lords should be cross-party’. The debate was close but our first team of Amelie Ma, Anya A, Anya M-W and Joe prevailed. The Semi-final match was up against Ashlyns, with us again taking the Opposition position to ‘This House would remove whole life orders’. Again, the debate was very close but our second team of Archie, Lucy, Amelie Me and George clinched the victory with clarity of argument and solid, precise evidence.

Having made it to the Final, we found ourselves drawn against Watford Girls School. There was a frantic 15 minutes pulling the final team together and ensuring the arguments were secure. This time we were taking the Government position on ‘This House believes that men’s and women’s sports should have equal airtime.’ Our team of Amelie Me, Archie, Anya M and Joe were superb. Their unscripted, evidenced, clear arguments and their timely interjections were fully appreciated by the 6 judges, who included a prominent member of the House of Lords, Lord Gadhia, and St Clement Danes School won the Final.

A special mention and thank you should go to the Year 12s who unsuccessfully tried out for the team but added so much to our preparation in advance. Likewise, the four members of our 12 person team, Max, Hunter, Edward and Nicole, who played a significant role in analysing the debates and feeding evidence and comments to our speakers. Every member of the team played a crucial role in our win. However, I think everyone would agree that our ‘Man of the Match’ was our ‘finisher’ Joe Hamilton who eloquently completed our arguments in both the Quarter final and Final and got the tone of the debates just right. Congratulations to one and all!

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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.