Four Blue Coat students were awarded the Commendation for Best Design Presentation with their Designosaur project in a national schools’ design competition event in London.

Year 10 students Rachel, Livia, Haliyah and Rebekah, were among 10 finalists for the Design Ventura, the Design Museum’s flagship learning project and reached the last 10 entrants.

Rachel, of Y10C, said: “We attended the awards celebration event where we were honoured to receive the Commendation for Best Design Presentation award for our Designosaur product.

“This opportunity allowed us to develop our skills in design, art, business, and networking, and gave us a cherished, wonderful, and certainly memorable experience for which we’re very grateful.  

“We all thoroughly enjoyed the event. It was so inspiring to learn about the creative industry from a variety of wonderful professionals in the presentations and the speed networking sessions.

“During the day, we attended workshops on the creative process and typography, a speed networking session where we got the opportunity to speak to inspiring individuals from different areas of the creative industry, from a food designer to an illustrator.

“We were given so much important advice for our futures, and I am very thankful for the opportunity.”

The students’ brief was to create a new product for London’s Design Museum shop, and they fought off competition from 300 other teams from around the country to win a place in the final.

They had three minutes and six slides to pitch their idea to the judges at the London HQ of competition sponsor Deutsche Bank, on 22 March.

The Designosaur is a ‘gender-neutral’ plywood plant holder kit in the shape of a small dinosaur, which includes cress seeds and a mini-compost pack, designed to appeal to the 5 to 11-year-old age group.

The product aims to encapsulate well-being and will help youngsters develop their problem-solving skills, practical motor skills in building the kit, and promote an interest in healthy eating. Its packaging is plastic-free and bio-degradable.

Rachel and Livia, of Year 10E, both want to do DT A Level and are considering a career in design. Haliyah, of Y10D, brought her Business Studies skills to the project, and Rebekah, of Y10E, designed the logo and on-screen presentation.

Mrs Rawlins, Business Studies Teacher, said: “The girls would love to try and get the lucrative top prize next year and are waiting for the brief to be released.

“Hopefully we will also have more groups across the school who participate in this fantastic enrichment opportunity that has been support by DT & Business throughout the year during break, lunch and after school.

“Mr Ainsworth, Miss Hayes and I are so very proud of Livia, Rachel, Rebekah and Haliyah. They all worked so very hard and spent numerous hours working on this not just at lunch, break and after school but also at home. They are a credit to the school.”