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The
Fashion Café |
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School: Sawtry Community
College |
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Fellow: Julia Jones |
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Email: julia.jj.jones@talk21.com |
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My Gatsby fellowship has focused on a large-scale
project entitled ‘The Fashion Café. |
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Click
this link to download a PowerPoint presentation
of the Fashion Cafe here. |
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The thinking behind the project was to allow
students to understand how important design
and technology is to the world in which we
live. The project was planned to allow students
the opportunity to design and manufacture
products for real customers to real deadlines. |
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The whole project started with a trip to
Disneyland, Paris. This would allow students
to observe how real designers work, and how
they have created the surroundings to enable
people to ‘get away from it all’.
The students are able to achieve this and
escape from reality while they are at Disneyland. |
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We wanted students to be able to recreate
this atmosphere at Sawtry for the Fashion
Café. Everywhere students turned at
Disneyland, there were real examples of design
and technology, from the rides to the costumes
and food. Everything had been designed and
manufactured and had passed strict quality
control checks and quality assurance systems. |
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In total, 121 students from the Year 10
groups went to Disneyland, Paris, for five
days. |
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In each material area of design and technology
(Electronics, Food, Graphic Products, Resistant
Materials and Textiles), the students were
responsible for a part of the Fashion Café.
There was inter-communication between students,
both in and out of their particular design
and technology subject area. Each area knew
what the other area was covering in the Fashion
Café. |
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However, each student concentrated on their
own material area, no-one had a picture of
the whole event – not even the staff!!
Much of the project evolved and developed
as problems arose. Design decisions were made
at the time, as needed, in consultation with
the students themselves. |
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It was decided that the designing and manufacturing
of clothes for ‘The Fashion Café’
would be too difficult in the time frame for
the textiles group to produce. It would be
far more professional for us to obtain clothes
that had been already manufactured ……it
was time to open the Yellow Pages and see
what could be found. |
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After consultation with staff, it was thought
that Marks and Spencer might well be interested
in working with the local community to promote
themselves. Marks and Spencer had recently
received a bad press owing to various factors
and our Fashion Café might well be
of appeal to them as a promotional feature. |
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Marks and Spencer were amenable to our idea
and after several meetings, agreed to provide
the clothes we needed for the three nights
of the Fashion Café. |
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Other companies then became involved, including
a mineral water company, a vending machine
company, a supermarket and a computer company.
It was found that as long as it was clear
what, when and how much was required, companies
were fairly open to our requests. However,
I found speaking to a designated person at
a local company was far more like to work
than simply sending letters to head offices
– the personal approach. |
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Each lesson was very pressurised in all
material areas. Although the project started
in January, it was amazing just how quickly
May came upon us. Everything had to be organised
and ready for the 4th May, as the café
was start that evening. The pressure was not
just related to Design and Technology however,
as the project had been cross curricular.
Work had been completed in Maths, Science,
Music and Drama. |
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From our experiences at Sawtry Community
College, I have created a CD Rom that other
teachers will be able to use, to support them
in carrying out a project of this nature.
The CD Rom explains how the project covers
each materials area and exam boards specifications
(AQA). The CD Rom will hopefully be publicised
through DATA. |
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The outcomes of the project have been many.
Students have learned citizenship skills,
managing budgets, adhering to deadlines and
mass-producing products. The opportunities
the students have had, have boosted their
self-confidence and equipped them with a sound
knowledge of the design process. This has
enabled them to produce their best work for
the major project coursework. A-level groups
have definitely increased in size and the
enthusiasm for Design and Technology has grown.
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The Fashion Café 2002 has been an
experience that the Class of 2002 will never
forget. |
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