Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic with other local schools

Ipswich School joined forces with Northgate High School, Westbourne Academy and Ipswich Makerspace over the school Easter holidays in March 2020 to produce much needed protective visors for local essential workers.

Background

The DT team approached Ivry Street Medical Practice, which is opposite the school, to find out what could be done to help in the Covid-19 crisis. The medical practice said there was a need for PPE and agreed to test prototypes made by
the school.

The team found a CAD design online (designed by Kitronik) that would work with the school’s laser cutter. Staff scoured the whole school for unused
acetates which could be remodelled into PPE visors, once inserted into polypropylene frames cut on the laser cutter.

Following social media posts, the school was inundated with requests for PPE particularly from care homes, pharmacies and community support
groups. Thanks to the link with staff at two state
schools in Ipswich - Northgate High School and Westbourne Academy – we were able to make visors and coordinate materials, requests and deliveries to help as many groups as possible with donated
visors.

Resources

School families helped with the construction and a team of volunteer drivers took them to their destinations, while the Old Ipswichian Club provided financial support for the production costs and to assist with the smooth running of the laser cutter.

The OI and Friends of Ipswich School networks were also instrumental in connecting the school to less obvious essential worker organisations that would benefit - pharmacies, Peabody Group and indeed individuals in specific need.