A new offering has been unfolding at Dilworth over the past few years - one that champions students’ curiosity, creativity, and individuality.
While officially launched as part of the wider curriculum this year, ‘Passion Projects’ have been evolving since 2021 as an outlet for students to engage with interests that sit outside the day-to-day curriculum.
It all began with a simple question posed by the Dilworth Careers team: What are you really interested in?
Sensing an obvious spark around entrepreneurship, the team – consisting of Gemma Halford, Susanna Pattison and Michelle Lean – initially partnered with The Mind Lab in 2022 to run an optional 10-week Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme for students who wanted to take part.
Guided by then Dilworth trustee, entrepreneur Frances Valentine, 25 students travelled every week to The Mind Lab, where they attended entrepreneurship workshops, fireside chats, and eventually pitched their own business ideas.
From there, Passion Projects expanded organically, with over 100 students from Years 9-13 now involved in various projects within the school.
A hip hop club emerged in 2022, complete with itinerant hip hop instructor. Fashion and design - not formally taught within the curriculum - blossomed under Art teacher Jenny Song and Dilworth’s school psychologist Jaimi Flood. This now includes everything from T-shirt branding to creating tote bags and shoe making, with guidance and tutoring from Chloe Win, fashion designer and Dilworth’s Art Technician Assistant.
Other projects include the Science Badges Club, run by Chemistry teacher Lisa Fortes, which allows students to delve deeply into scientific experiments and challenges. Robotics, supervised by Head of Science Gavin Milne, attracts STEM-focused students seeking hands-on, tech-based learning. Speed Cubing began when a Year 11 student expressed interest and, with support and resources from the school, has now developed into a thriving lunchtime club with close to 20 members, some of whom now compete in Speed Cubing competitions.
Under the guidance of teachers Zenobia Groenewegen and Susanna Pattison, Dilworth’s Snapper Club is teaching students to create delicious dishes and plate them beautifully, and they are even learning food photography. Additionally, our trainee baristas are honing their skills (and coffee-making!) at the Brew Brothers coffee cart, gaining valuable experience and knowledge in coffee preparation, teamwork, and customer service.
Many of the projects feed into the Duke of Edinburgh Award skills component and provide valuable employability skills that can also be added to a student’s CV.
But what makes a project a Passion Project?
They’re more than hobbies, explains Gemma, Head of Careers and Pathways, which now oversees Passion Projects at the school. They’re practised regularly. They’re safe spaces for students to connect with like-minded peers, explore new interests, and gain real-world skills. They’re not already on offer at school, but they may intersect with a subject on offer, like entrepreneurship complementing Business Studies. And they give students a chance to shine outside of the traditional classroom.
“Dilworth is mainly a boarding school and students aren’t necessarily heading off to clubs after school every day, offering these experiences on-site is crucial,” she explains.
“We have a lot of students who access sports and performing arts, for example, through the curriculum, but we also want to cater for other interests. We're always open to student suggestions for new offerings. Ultimately our aim is to offer diverse options, empowering students to pursue their interests and really find their place of belonging here at the school."