Bromsgrove School pupils excel at innovation in isolation

Young designers from Bromsgrove School have come up with some ingenious ideas during their recent Innovation in Isolation virtual design seminar, part of the School’s The Bridge programme.

During their first session, the Upper Sixth pupils were asked to come up with ideas to solve problems that they themselves had encountered during self-isolation, or ideas that could help other people during their lockdown experience.

The ideas were incredibly imaginative and varied, ranging from an app to instantly connect those in need of assistance with people willing to help, to ways of adapting home furniture into exercise equipment. One idea suggested a device for rationing snack food and alcohol, another for a website that facilitated skill swapping, to enhance people’s learning. The design group met up two days after the challenge was set and pupils presented their ideas for discussion and feedback.

“We have seen some amazing creativity” said Owen Matthews, Head of Design Technology. “What was really apparent, however, was the shared experience of pupils from all over the world. We had pupils in England, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Sweden, Italy, China, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Spain and Hong Kong involved, all going through the same thing at the same time and all able to think creatively, in order to solve problems for themselves and others”.