In the coming months, a number of pupils from Thomasson Memorial, a local school for deaf children aged 4 to 16, will benefit from Design and Technology lessons at Bolton School’s Junior Boys’ School. Two groups of pupils from Years 7 to 9 will visit Park Road for lessons with Mr Winstanley, the Junior Boys’ Design and Technology Coordinator.
The blocks of lessons will last for 12 weeks, with one group attending in the Autumn Term and the other at the start of the Spring Term. All of the Thomasson Memorial pupils will work towards the same project: a moving CAM toy.
Mr Winstanley said: ‘Whilst Thomasson Memorial pupils are coming to Park Road for their Design and Technology lessons, they will be working on creating a moving toy that incorporates woodwork elements (using machines and hand tools) and 3D printing. Pupils will study a range of practical skills in the workshop, looking at marking, cutting, drilling and finishing sections of timber before assembling them to create the frame for their toy. Pupils will then 3D print a CAM and follower system to add moving elements to the toy.
This all-encompassing project is a perfect starting point for pupils, making the best use of modern technology and more traditional techniques. Pupils will pick up a range of theoretical and practical skills and at the same time teach me some sign language!
The lessons have already begun for one of the groups, and pupils were delighted to get hands-on in their very first lesson at the Junior Boys’ School.
The weekly Design and Technology session are a continuation of the ongoing partnership between Bolton School and Thomasson Memorial School.
