Taking inspiration from Dickens’ classic ‘A Christmas Carol’, a text studied as part of the GCSE English curriculum, year 10 students have created decorations using a variety of production techniques.

Engineering students created their designs from cut aluminium, adding decorated elements of texture using stamp and hammering techniques, while Design Technology students used Photoshop computer software to create their designs before printing them onto polyester-based materials using a heat press. 

Amy Norris, head of DT, said: “My engineering groups enjoyed making their baubles and were excited that they would be on show for the school community to enjoy. They were able to recall lots about the storyline of A Christmas Carol in our group discussion, which led to them designing baubles that were relevant to the story. Many cut out intricate shapes, such as a grandfather clock, a flame and a snowflake, which takes a lot of skill and patience. 

“Meanwhile, Miss Hopewell's DT groups developed their Photoshop and dye-sublimation printing skills to create their bauble designs. The learning of this printing process will prove useful when completing their NEA (Non-Examined Assessment) next year.”

Laura Aldridge, lead for whole school literacy and reading, added: “The idea for the decorations was to help students to think more visually about key quotes, characters and themes from the novella and to use them as a tactile revision activity.”