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Design and Technology

Design and Technology (D&T) is an integral part of creative life at Clifton. The College has a long-standing tradition of pupils producing creative and high quality products in wood, metal and other materials; a tradition that has been augmented and brought up to date in recent times by the addition to the department of two suites of computers and related Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) equipment.

Head of D&T:
Mr Mark Barnacle MA BA
Assistant Teachers
Mr Bjorn Hoffman BA Ms Naomi Hall BA
Workshop Technician
Mr Peter Stanley B.Ed

Clifton has a large and well equipped workshop flanked by teaching rooms furnished with whole-class sets of computers. We mainly specialise in the production of designs using wood and metals; it is a feature of the products of the Clifton workshop that the designs, the production methods and the materials themselves (typically sustainably sourced, handsome hardwoods and precious metals), are all of the highest achievable quality.

Teaching

At all levels of the School, Design and Technology is taught as an integrated programme of work incorporating creative design, the study of background technical theory and the practical production of objects. As is appropriate for a creative subject, a high proportion of pupils’ time is devoted to individual project work, with the guidance and assistance of the teaching staff. Whole-class teaching is used as an effective method of communicating new material and theory topics.

The Staff

Mark Barnacle MA BA Head of Department. With a BA (Hons) in Three Dimensional Design and specialising in the design and production of furniture and silverware, Mark has experience of production of high quality products for private commission. Mark is a qualified teacher with over thirty years’ experience of design and technology teaching to GCSE and A level. His higher degree (MA) is in Visual Culture (the history and philosophy of the creative process in art and design).

Bjorn Hoffmann BA Assistant teacher. Bjorn initially trained as an architect but he has a post graduate teacher training qualification and more than fifteen years experience of teaching design and technology to GCSE and A Level.

Naomi Hall BA Assistant teacher. Naomi graduated in architecture from Cambridge University and she has two years teaching experience in design and technology.

Peter Stanley B.Ed Workshop technician. A trained and highly experienced teacher of Design and Technology, Peter is on hand to assist the pupils during all of our practical workshop classes.

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