Teachers at a secondary school have been creating personal protective equipment (PPE) to help NHS staff treating coronavirus patients.

Queens' School in Bushey has made more than 100 face shields which have been donated to those working on the frontline of the pandemic.

After schools were told to close last month, the design and technology department (D&T) at Queens' were asked by head teacher Jonathan Morrell if they could make equipment to support key workers.

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The head of the department, Sue Taplin, set to work with two other teachers, Sarah Forrester and Nichola O’Brian, to make face visors.

The department technician, Martin Lewis, took home the school's 3D printer and has been working day and night to make the shields, after a prototype was created by teacher Matt Padgham.

Watford Observer:

Design and technology department technician, Martin Lewis

Watford Observer:

Staff at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow wearing the PPE

Mr Lewis said he had to collect another printer to speed up production and the department is working together to make orders and keep stock in.

The shields take two hours and 45 minutes to make and staff have been using bio-plastic to make sure the equipment has minimum impact on the environment.

Pete and Kristina Davis, who live on site, have been tasked with sending the equipment out.

Hedi Thomas, a teacher in the D&T department, said: "We now have our two 3D printers working flat-out and we can hardly keep up with the orders.

"We have now had requests for nearly 700 shields in total, a number we soon realised we would not be able to fulfil in the timescales.

"Any large orders are passed onto Stylo Graphics in Watford as they are set up to make larger quantities than we can keep up with and they kindly offered to help with the demand.

"In return (from those who have received equipment) we have had some wonderful messages and even a bunch of flowers. A big thank you to the Queens’ Parents Association who bought the 3D printers for the design and technology department."

Watford Observer:

A nurse from Luton & Dunstable hospital

So far, the first order was sent to Northwick Park Hospital and to a variety of people and places including maternity wards, chemists, physiotherapy wards, ICU wards, paramedics, youth workers and district nurses.

Mrs Forrester has now received material and specifications to be able to make scrubs from home.

If you can help supply Queens' with PLA filament, PVC sheets, elastic and sheets of plastic (Polypropylene), so they can continue creating the PPE, please email thomashe@queens.herts.sch.uk