2024 Design and Technology Exhibition

On Friday, this year’s DT Exhibition opened at the Whitestone Gallery. The exhibition will be on show until Friday 3 May. 

The department are showcasing work from across all year groups including MAKERSPACE and Arkwright Scholarship applications. Highlights include GCSE products exploring the themes of climate change, playing games and self-directed prototypes from our A Level Product design pupils. 

Additionally, there will be work from pupils Ethan, Joss and Anton, who will be entering into this year’s Technology, design and Innovation competition. 

Technology, design and innovation competition 

The competition hosted by The Manufacturing Technologies Association is open to all young people aged 14-19. It is an opportunity to showcase GCSE, A Level and passion projects that demonstrate the best in creative talent to an industry that relies upon vision and innovation. 

Last year, pupil Scarlett presented her product - a Pool Safety Laser Trip Alarm, that seeks to prevent deaths - to a panel for 20 minutes and showed the hosts how she had used technology, design and innovation in her project. Scarlett won a £200 Amazon Voucher, a day out to the Praga Cup race day, a Bronze Industrial Cadet Award and a £1000 investment to the school to help support the delivery of Design and Technology teaching in the classroom. Scarlett was also later awarded an Arkwright Scholarship. 

Both of this year’s Fifth Form entrants, Ethan and Anton, are also hopeful for an Arkwright Scholarship. They have been working on projects for their GCSE and for co-curricular MAKERSPACE. 

Joss has an interest in refurbishing computers. He enjoys taking them apart and putting them back together and so decided to create modular sustainable surrounds for a computer. He wanted to combine his passion for sustainable products with his interest in how computer monitors work, whilst developing his engineering skills. He has used CAD, , laser cutting, CNC Routing and 3D printing to create his product. He aspires to a career in nuclear engineering. 

Anton hopes to become an electrical engineer in the future. He is really enjoyed the process of putting his Arwkright application together in developing his Fusion 360 and learning new concepts outside of the classroom. He challenged himself to research and create an efficient hydroelectric power source which can be used on a domestic scale and so created a generator to be used on downpipes. Using inexpensive materials like PLA and recycled components, Anton has built an eco-friendly generator. 

Upper Sixth pupil Ethan, has also entered his A Level coursework prototype into the competition – a portable, collapsible, pivoting photo voltaic array for sail boats. His achievement is nothing short of outstanding and his portfolio is exemplary. He looks forward to studying Mechanical Engineering at either Durham or Manchester University.