Isabel P was delighted to learn that she was the overall national winner in the PlaySafe competition.

Annually all Year 9 Design and Technology students submit exciting toy designs to this competition aimed at raising awareness of product safety and consumer protection.  Her toy design was one over four hundred entries from the Kent area alone. Prizes were awarded at the time, but in May, just as the nexct year’s entry deadline approached, Isabel received an invitation from the Trading Standards Institute, the competition organisers, to a posh lunch and presentation in London including a ride on the London Eye.

Isabel, her parents and the Head of Design & Technology, were entertained at a restaurant overlooking the Thames by representatives from both TSI and the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA). The event included a speech from Ronald Earl, the Director General of the BTHA,  who praised the quality of Isabel’s design and shared some amusing stories about some of the other entries. He also emphasised how important the TSI’s role is in protecting the public from faulty goods and rogue traders, as well as educating future consumers through competitions like Playsafe.

After lunch the party were given VIP treatment on the London Eye, with a personal guide and refreshments. During the ride Leon Livermore, Chief Executive of the TSI, presented Isabel with the winner’s certificate.

Well done to Isabel who proved a very worthy winner and ambassador for the school, as have other Highsted girls who have won other prizes in the competition over the years.