Design Technology
The Department has ten well equipped workshops and provides an exciting, enjoyable and challenging atmosphere for both staff and students. It caters for a wide range of technology disciplines including resistant materials, systems and control, graphics, food studies and electronics. The use of ICT plays an integral part in the design and make process, utilising the department's extensive range of CAD/CAM equipment including a new laser cutter and an ICT room complete with twenty two computers.
Staff come from a wide range of backgrounds many from industry and are encouraged to use this experience to add other dimensions to project work. They actively encourage students to enter technology competitions through the Academy Enrichment Programme. Recent successes have been in the Cleveland Fire Brigade Corus Steel Fire and Safety Competition, Manufacturing Challenge and Young Enterprise Scheme.
Department Staff
| Name | Position |
| Mr W O'Connell | Head of Department |
| Mr D Stothard | 14-19 Vocational Co-ordinator |
| Mr A Badger | Health & Safety Rep |
| Mr S Bell | KS3 Co-ordinator |
| Mrs J Braithwaite | SEN Co-ordinator |
| Mr M Cole | KS4 Co-ordinator |
| Miss J Mallaby | Food Technology |
| Miss G McGrory | Design & Technology Teacher |
| Mr D Mogie | Engineering Teacher |
| Ms L Thomson | Engineering Teacher |
| Miss S Thompson | Design & Technology Teacher |
| Mr B Gray | Technician/First Aider |
| Mrs M Gray | Classroom Assistant |
| Mr D Hill | Technician |
Syllabus
In Engineering you will complete projects which will encourage you to problem solve through design and make tasks.
You will use Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) to add further quality to your work.
You will be involved in designing and making many projects such as a child's educational toy or a storage system for items such as CDs or jewellery.
You might also use gears, cams, pneumatics or computers to solve control problems. You will find the engineering courses stimulating, challenging and going a long way to prepare you for the world of work.
The Department works very closely with a wide variety of Teesside firms including Corus, Enron Power Station and SITA.
In the Sixth Form you can choose between “A” level Technology and AVCE Engineering, regardless of which Engineering or Electronics course you took previously.
Examination Results
Year |
GCSE A* - C |
GNVQ |
2006 |
84% |
100% |
2005 |
83% |
100% |
2004 |
81% |
100% |
2003 |
62% |
100% |
2002 |
58% |
93% |
Equal Opportunities
The Department provides an atmosphere of equal opportunity for all and is successful in creating an environment where all can succeed. Students from different ethnic backgrounds work harmoniously together and mixed gender working groups are actively encouraged.
Although an equal opportunities policy is supported in all aspects by the Department it also recognises the National shortfall of females entering the engineering profession and the gender imbalance in the Department. To this extent we are actively encouraging female students who express an interest in engineering and to support this philosophy three female members of staff have been appointed.
Projects are designed to encourage all students to take part in the learning process and gender/culture issues are deliberately avoided. To reflect the technology status of the Academy and to avoid the stereo-type images of engineering, the accent is being placed on hi-tech rather than heavy engineering. The Department now includes an emphasis on the systems and control approach to the subject and has introduced much more CAD/CAM.
The Department feels that it is successful in providing equal opportunities for all. Both National and internal exams show that female students are consistently more successful than boys. Recruitment of girls onto the vocational courses (KS4 and Post 16) as well as A-level has been a feature of the department's successful philosophy. Students from ethnic minorities are also well represented on all courses.
