Engineering Technology

Department Staff

Mr David Gant (Head of Department)
Mr John Southworth
Miss Elizabeth Bellamy
Mrs Clare Bigg
Mr Chris Brickel
Mr Richard Crabtree
Mr Stuart Graveston
Ms Nina Pickett
Mr Charles Proud
Mr Martin Thurston
Mr John Langfield (Technician - shared with Physics)

What we are

Engineering Technology Although still lacking the cachet of Science and Mathematics, Technology is the more creative activity - not just discovering what was already there, but inventing what never existed before! Technology literally delivers the goods. See further thoughts on "The story of the Little Red Hen".

Our ethical emphasis is on Appropriate Technology - the Department itself exemplifying re-use in its buildings, equipment and staff. We are well-equipped, with 26 computers and world class 3D software, generously provided by SolidWorks.

The subject areas we cover are:

Materials
Structures
Mechanisms
Electronics
Computer Control
Pneumatics

Lower and Middle school

Engineering Technology All pupils in the First and Second Year have a 2-hour session of Technology per fortnight, and from Third to Fifth year 11/4 hours . All practical work is taught in groups of 12. Most of the time is spent on designing and making, with a smaller amount on 'reverse engineering'. We do not offer GCSE, preferring the unique course we have devised here. Lower and Middle school buildings were refurbished in the 1990s in a vintage 1960s shell, with plenty of computing kit and excellent storage space for pupils' work. Examples of class activities are:

1/2 metre aluminium bridge
Electronic light gate
Microcontroller programming and robot control
Infrared remote control vehicle
Binary systems, data storage and transfer
Petrol engine strip down

Sixth Form

Engineering Technology We teach Systems and Control to AS and A2, the only school in the region to do so. For examination we follow the AQA specifications 5556 for AS and 6556 for A2. In most years we have had 15 or so pupils in the Lower Sixth Form, in 2 teaching groups; about 12 of these continuing to A2. In each of the last 6 years at least one of our pupils has been in the top 5 of the AQA cohort. In 2006, 5 pupils went on to read Engineering at Oxbridge, and 7 pupils did so in 2007. We operate in a new (2003) purpose built Sixth Form room - made possible by a generous grant from the Wolfson Foundation. We have just opened (2007) a large, newly refurbished workshop, which we are in the process of fitting out to offer woodwork as an extra-curricular craft activity.