Debating Competition at the Houses of Parliament

On Friday 15th November 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 Gagan Mohindra MP, MP for the South West Hertfordshire constituency and so we were up against 6 other schools from the area including Parmiters, Merchant Taylor’s and Rickmansworth.

Our first round match was against Rickmansworth and we were taking the Opposition position to ‘This House would make entrepreneurship a school subject’. The debate was close but our team of Jonny, Louie, Lahari and Toby, ably assisted by Lani who analysed the debate and provided ongoing advice and feedback during it, narrowly lost out to the eventual winners, Rickmansworth. Unfortunately this meant that our second team of four, Nikita, Ali, Indy and Toby were unable to debate their ‘Government’ position on ‘This House would introduce a murder classification system like that in the USA’.

Having stayed to watch the semi-finals we recognised the strengths of good parliamentary debating and the judges were impressed with the students' agility in their debating skills being able to present clear, evidenced arguments but respond to questions and timely interjections.

Whilst we were only able to take 8 students in the team, a special mention and thank you should go to the Year 12s and Year 13s who unsuccessfully tried out for the team but added so much to our preparation in advance. Every member of the team played a crucial role. Congratulations to one and all and better luck next year.

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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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