News & Events

I am delighted to invite you to the Teachers as Researchers Conference that Tavistock College, in conjunction with Plymouth University, are hosting on Thursday 25th June 2015 from 4.00pm until 6.30pm at Tavistock College.

This is a fantastic opportunity for any interested individual to come along and listen to the research that some of the professionals at Tavistock College and other schools are currently undertaking. Alternatively, if you are interested in sharing any Masters research that you have undertaken and would like to carry out a short 15 minute presentation, please let me know. We would welcome presenters from all partners to share their experiences as part of this valuable networking opportunity.

For further information, please click here

We are very grateful for the work of the Tavistock College Endowment Fund. The Fund is there to support wider opportunities for our young people. Applications for funding are welcome from both staff and individual families.

The Trustees meet three times a year in January, May and October and prefer all applications to be submitted to them at least two weeks prior to their meeting. They do not wish to approve applications retrospectively.

It is also important to stress that anyone applying for funding should, wherever possible, try to raise some funds themselves. Many groups have done this by activities such as bag packing at a local supermarket, seeking business sponsorship or holding their own fund-raising events. The Trustees do not support mainstream activities in school but do provide funding for extracurricular activities and trips where appropriate. They have generously supported the Aspire Programme, trips to Japan and other parts of the world and the Sports Tour.

Application Forms are available from the Principal’s Office.

Helen Salmon
Principal
May 2015

Tavistock College’s Technology Faculty hosted its fourth and biggest Product of the Year event on the evening of 7th May. The event, which attracted several hundred parents and visitors to the college, celebrated the skills and achievements of a wealth of students from the technology subjects. Principal Helen Salmon said:
“Product of the year is one of the most wonderful events run by the College. The standard of work just gets better every year. Students are able to showcase their innovative and excellent products across all aspects of design and computing. This really does demonstrate the skills and talents of our students.”

Over 70 students exhibited their work and visitors voted for their favourites in 9 different categories. At the end of the night, after a fashion show, live music and time for visitors to chat to the exhibiting students and make their decisions, the votes were counted and the evening became an awards ceremony. The categories included a wide range of subjects, from product design and resistant materials technology, to textiles, fashion, food tech and computing. Mr Pete Keegan, who hosted the event along with Josh Towl, Year 13, and Darcy Brown, Year 8, said:
“The event is designed to celebrate the outstanding quality of work the students at our college produce. This really is something special and being part of the evening is a huge privilege. I am always delighted to see the students discussing their projects with the public. They are so full of pride and it makes all the hard work seem so worthwhile.”

The college welcomed Simon Andrews, senior lecturer at Falmouth University’s ‘Sustainable Product Design BA course’. The Technology faculty have built a progression partnership with this highly rated degree course and Simon was there to judge the ‘most sustainable design’ award. After discussions with all of the students, Simon announced his winner for this new award as A2 Product Design student Emily Spry. Emily’s contemporary desk lamp was described as “A product that demonstrated a real maturity and attention to detail in her project development work. The final design is well considered in terms of materials and production, but also has an intuitive and playful quality.” Simon went on to say, “I was so impressed by the overall quality of work and the enthusiasm for design expressed by the students. The event clearly demonstrates Tavistock College’s commitment to design and the value they place on it in the curriculum.”

The winners were:

• Best KS5 Product Design: Emily Spry with a contemporary and innovative angle poise lamp.
• Best Y10 Resistant Materials Product: Rebecca Banks – Table
• Best Y11 Resistant Materials Product: Dominic Newton with his innovative collapsible camping table.
• Best KS4 Textiles / Fashion Product: Kayleigh Rogers with her Alice and Wonderland inspired waistcoat.
• Best Bake Off Product: Sam Beard with his chocolate and raspberry layer cake.
• Best KS5 Fashion / Textiles product: Beth O’Boyle with her Monet inspired shift dress
• Best KS3 Product Design: Georgia Liddle with her nature inspired bird feeder.
• Best KS3 Textiles / Fashion product: Jemma Ninnis and Evie Ward with their Tie-dyed top and layered skirt inspired by the wind.
• Most Sustainable Design: Emily Spry with a contemporary and innovative angle poise lamp.
• Overall Product of the Year 2015: Also Emily Spry with a contemporary and innovative angle poise lamp.

Emily commented: “I am absolutely chuffed with winning these awards, and wasn’t expecting it at all! The evening was a great experience, with so many good projects. I’m very lucky and grateful to have won!”

We would like to thank our very generous sponsors, Towls of Tavistock, The Technology Company and Brigid Foley who donated prizes. For more information about the Technology Faculty, please visit our website or contact the Head of Faculty Pete Keegan at p.keegan@www.tavistockcollege.org.