Pimlico students at Sir Simon Milton University Technical College make PPE for NHS and other schools

By Julia Gregory, Local Democracy Reporter

Enterprising Westminster pupils made PPE for other schools and the NHS during lockdown.

Not all schools have laser cutting equipment, but the team at Sir Simon Milton University Technical College in Sutherland Street, Pimlico, put theirs to good use.

The college opened in 2017 to educate the next generation of engineers, technicians and innovators.

It teaches students aged 14 to 19, and last year all of them got places in further education, apprenticeships or employment.

It attracts pupils who are keen on maths, science and engineering, along with getting to grips with problem solving and technical skills.

So when lockdown meant pupils and staff got used to online learning, they realised they could also make some visors to help protect medical staff and supply local schools.

Head teacher Dan Chandrakumar said engineering specialist Jayesh Mehta – who is a former navy engineer – got to work.

He modified University of Portsmouth designs to make face shields for hospitals and GP surgeries and other schools in Westminster.

The places they supplied included the Royal Brompton Hospital and Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, along with a health centre in Leeds and Wokingham.

And the school teamed up with the Dare to Care Packages charity. They made up to 1,000 sets of PPE a day.

And they also made equipment for a range of primary and secondary schools including Soho Parish School, St Clement Danes CE School in Holborn, Marylebone Boys School and Westminster City School. In all they supplied 24 schools with kit.

Mr Chandrakumar said: “Staff and students at Westminster UTC have volunteered to produce face shields for the NHS, local schools and the local community using our laser cutters.

“Kind donations from the school and business community covered the costs of materials through a GoFundMe campaign.

“Thousands of masks were produced and distributed for free to those that needed them.

“I’m very proud. We had donations from students and ex-students and parents.

“We had residents walk past saying ‘could I get some PPE’. It’s really nice building the school with the community.”

And as for the lockdown challenges  – Mr Chandrakumar explained that pupils had regular assemblies, along with four hours of classes with their regular tutors and weekly phone calls to check on their  progress and well-being during lockdown.

It also ran a live learning programme so students could submit work over the week.

And as lockdown began to ease 10 to 15 pupils came back onto the campus in Sutherland Street – it normally has space for 400.

“It felt surreal,” said Mr Chandrakumar. But he praised staff and pupils for adapting to extraordinary times.

Pictured top: Students making the PPE