This is an excellent opportunity to join one of Oxfordshire’s largest and most successful schools. Effective administrative systems support the two sites.  Students are well-behaved and motivated, and there is a strong sense of community in Thame, with a committed parent support base.

We are exceptionally strong in terms of pastoral support for all students and have the highest expectations for individual achievement whatever the starting points. Outside the classroom there are wonderful extra-curricular activities for all.  Students leave the school successful and well-rounded individuals. There is a ‘buzz’ about learning in the school and our students are fortunate to be supported in their learning by dedicated teachers and support staff. Staff training and professional development are always a developmental priority and many of our staff move on to promotions in other schools.

The School

The school is the only school serving the market town of Thame and surrounding villages. It is a popular school and always oversubscribed. It is a split site school – Years 7-9 on our Lower School site and Years 10 -13 on our Upper School site. There are around 540 students in our Sixth Form and we attract many students from other schools, post-16. Teamwork is a key feature of school life and so is partnership with our feeder primary schools. There is a strong drive to establish powerful curriculum links cross phase with teachers collaborating on a range of projects.

The Design & Technology Faculty

The Design and Technology Faculty offers a range of very successful courses, where students make excellent progress in their learning and produce very strong results. It has very supportive and friendly staff who, between them, have a lot of experience and a diverse range of specialisms. Staff have well-resourced, purpose-built workshops, classrooms and preparation/resource areas, where the teaching, administration and technical staff are able to provide excellent support to one another. There are also extensive schemes of work, lesson plans, and resources to support teaching and learning.

Key Stage 3

The current course, studied by all students, seeks to provide students with a sound foundation to understanding our modern technological world and to the values, knowledge, skills and understanding needed when designing and making products and systems. It also provides a great foundation for studying Design and Technology based subjects on offer at GCSE and beyond. 

The teaching modules cover Food, Textiles, Design Skills, Materials, Structures, Electrical and Mechanical Systems, Graphical Skills, and CAD/CAM. 

Key Stage 4

Year 10 and 11 students follow AQA GCSE courses with up to 20 students to a class.  A wide range of options are available to students allowing them to specialise in areas that they are interested in. These include Food Preparation & Nutrition; Textiles; Electrical and Mechanical Systems; Materials; Engineering Materials, and Child Development. In addition, students have access to a range of vocational courses, such as Construction Level 1, which is delivered in our purpose-built skill centre.

Results each year are very good with high numbers of students achieving GCSEs at grades 9-4 (A* - C).  

Key Stage 5

The Advanced Level Design Technology (AQA) courses are very popular, producing excellent results and the majority of our students go on to pursue related subjects at degree level. As well as Product Design, the Faculty also offers very successful course in Textiles with up to 15 students to a class. 

Resources

The Lower School has a purpose-built Technology Centre, comprising a suite of six very well-equipped and networked rooms supported by preparation areas and designed around a central ICT room, a team room and an inspirational display area. Extensive teaching resources are available alongside excellent technical and administrative support.

The Upper School courses are also taught in well-resourced areas with adjacent computer suites, these have all either been recently built or modernised. There has been significant investment in computer networking and equipment in all classrooms; this includes a full suite of CNC lasers, routers, lathes and 3D printers.