Good Practice - Case Study

Sandringham School

School No: 442

Designing an Olympic Medal - KS3

Sandringham School is an academy in St. Albans with specialisms in Art, Science and Leading Edge.

In the Spring term of 2012 and in the run up to the London Olympics all students at KS3 were asked to design and make an Olympic medal for a special home learning project.

To launch the project, all teachers presented students with a PowerPoint showing examples of medals and Olympic values. Students were encouraged to look at the history of Olympic medals and their cultural value. Students analysed the work of David Watkins who has designed the official medals for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

In addition, students learnt about the process of decorative arts and considered medals as an art form in themselves. Following this, students spent three weeks designing and making their medals. Students were provided with templates and instructions to complete the set task. Students produced a range of stunning outcomes and worked in relief, collage, painting, drawing and a variety of found media.

One student said about the project “It was a really fun project- you could be very creative with it. My medal included the Olympic rings but I tried to change the colours and on the back I wrote London 2012- I also included the slogan – Be Brave, Be Brilliant, Be Britain! that I invented myself to reflect the spirit of the games.”

Another student said- “ It was very fun and I liked experimenting with different media such as foil, paint, foam and wire. I loved researching the history of Olympic medals and getting inspiration from them.”

The project was an overwhelming success with all students taking part and exceeding expectations. The three winners were awarded with medals in their assemblies to celebrate their achievement.