Royal Alexandra and Albert School, Reigate – visors for the NHS

Staff from the Design Technology Department at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School (R A & A) in Reigate have switched their skills during the Lockdown to work with laser cutters and 3D printers to produce clear plastic visors for NHS frontline staff. Having donated its unused stocks of vinyl gloves and safety spectacles early on in the PPE shortage crisis, the R A & A is funding the purchase of materials to make the full-face visors.

This is very much a team effort, spearheaded by inspiring Design Technology Technician (and Leader with the 30th Reigate Scouts) Alan Reed, supported by his teaching colleagues in the department. Alan Reed volunteered countless hours to researching the construction method and the materials needed. The design for the visors needed to be simple, effective and ideally incorporate materials that the school had to hand or could acquire easily, both to ensure reliability and to allow the manufacture to get going without delay. In reality, the actual clear plastic visor was the most difficult item, but luckily the school managed to source the materials and could get started.

As important, they needed to discover whether there was a hospital that would be willing to take a donation of visors made by the R A & A. Fortuitously, a fellow Reigate Scout Leader is a Consultant at St. George’s Hospital, Tooting, so Alan Reed and the team had a direct ‘route to market’! By 24th April they had made nearly 500 visors, which have been distributed to the St. George’s, Royal Surrey County Hospital and Epsom and St. Helier Hospitals, with a smaller number sent to other local speech therapists and care workers. The team is planning to continue until there is no longer a demand for its products – and the R A & A is proud to have such great people in our school community!

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