Warwick School shortlisted for outstanding new initiative
The Independent School Parent Independent Schools of the Year Awards have just announced their shortlist and Warwick School has once again been recognised for the incredible developments and achievements of our pupils and staff.
Following Warwick School being awarded Independent Boys' School of the Year at the 2022 awards, we are so pleased to have been shortlisted again.
The judges had the below to say:
It has been truly wonderful to receive nominations which showcase transformative and innovative projects that are underway across the country, and it is with great pleasure that I am able to tell you that Warwick School has been shortlisted for an award in the Independent School of the Year for Outstanding New Initiative category.
Read our shortlisted nomination below:
Warwick School has over 1,000 years’ experience educating young men. Despite many years of heritage, Warwick is at the cutting edge of educational innovation. We embody innovation in a number of ways, the most recent being in 2023 with all Year 8 pupils will be studying for the Warwick Design Thinking Award.
This is a course that is certified by EduQual and has been designed with the support of Warwick University Business School’s Dr Bo Kelestyn. We are the first school in the country to be offering an award of this type. Despite its popularity in America, specifically in the work pioneered by Stanford University, it is thus far only offered at university level in the UK.
We have developed a course that will allow the pupils to learn the skills of design, both as a supplement to their Design Technology course, and as part of our work in developing a future-ready curriculum. Workplaces increasingly require the skills of empathy, collaboration, creativity and the ability to prototype and respond to feedback.
This award allows students to demonstrate these skills which can be applied beyond the physical design process to all types of design thinking. This approach has been successfully used in organising campaigns, marketing and charitable projects. McKinsey’s 2018 report suggests that Design Thinking is one of the most requested skills from new employees and next year’s Year 8 will be the pioneers of the first school’s accredited course in this subject.
Using the principles of define, empathise, ideate, prototype and test, pupils will have the opportunity to design for a specific user, learning to interview, refine and test their products. After working on their own design in groups, they will take part in a group presentation to the school's Senior Management Team and a representative from their specific area. In order to pass the award, they will need to reflect on their role in the group and demonstrate their understanding of Design Thinking.
