Just before the end of last half term, over 70 Year 10 Product Design students headed to London for the annual D&T 'Grand Day Out'. This involved the students, who have recently started their GCSE course, seeking ideas and inspiration by spending time exploring both the Science Museum and the Design Museum [which are only a short walk away from each other].

As in previous years, the main focus at the Science Museum were the interactive Technicians and Engineers Galleries which offer a fascinating insight into potential careers in the creative and manufacturing industries. Unsurprisingly, cutting-edge engineering figures quite prominently. Although it is also the case that many of the students still cite the permanent exhibition 'Making The Modern World', which is packed with iconic products from the last hundred years [including planes!], as being one of the highlights.   

For the other half of the day (the groups swap locations after grabbing lunch together in the High Street Kensington), the students investigated the permanent 'Designer - Maker - User' exhibition at the Design Museum which offers an insight into the whole design process. However, this year there was also an additional attraction. In previous visits we have often taken part in some of the hands-on workshops that the museum normally offers, looking at issues such as sustainability etc. However, on this occasion we decided to take it one step further, while still taking advantage of the great facilities and inspirational surroundings that the Design Museum offers, by running our own sketching workshops for the Year 10s.

For the last few years the department have been benefiting hugely from the fact that Sam Lucking from Hurricane Design (and a current parent) has been running sketching masterclasses for our Year 12 Product Design students (the results of which have been clearly reflected in the quality of the A Level NEA folders). And this year for the first time he also very kindly joined us in London for the Grand Day Out where he put on some amazing 'Beginners Guide to Sketching' workshops. The Design Museum don't normally let out their facilities in such a way, but it was obvious from the feedback that we received from them, and the photographs that they were busily taking of all the sketching, that they were clearly impressed and intrigued by how successful the workshops were. It almost goes without saying that we are already hoping that he will be able to join us again next autumn!