Big things are happening at Teesdale

Since joining the North East Learning Trust in September 2016, Teesdale School has been on a 'journey to outstanding' with big changes happening across all parts of the school.

Our ambition is very simple - to be the best school in the area - and we are on our way to achieving this with the latest league tables placing us in the top 5 in the county for most key measures.

However exam success is only part of our story. We do not deliver a 'one size fits all' education and we pride ourselves on the support and encouragement we offer our students in whatever it is that sparks their imagination. Being the best to us means excelling in the arts, music, sport and the thousand other things that our children are passionate about.

To realise our ambition, our school has been making some big changes that we want to tell you about:

New times of the school day and improved timetabling	By adjusting the times of the school day and restructuring lessons with improved timetabling, we have been able to drive big improvements with children able to access a more balanced curriculum.
Reintroducing subjects	We have appointed a new Head of Technology and reintroduced Design Technology and Food Technology into the curriculum. We have also introduced Photography and invested in professional level dark room equipment to enable our students to learn the traditional skills and techniques of this valuable subject. We have also re-introduced Drama across the curriculum so that all children can access this formative subject.
£150,000 makeover	In summer 2017, the school was treated to both and internal and external makeover. Classrooms were completely re-decorated, ceilings replaced and exterior landscaping work carried out. Thousands was spent on new furniture and some of the internal spaces and classrooms were treated to vibrant graphic installations. The sixth form common are was given a bright new yellow look and there was even a science wall installed which asks the universe's biggest questions.
New school uniform	Our smart new uniform is symbolic of our high ambitions for our school. Students feel proud of their new look which has brought with it an even greater sense of pride within school.
A wonderful new piano!	And last by no means least we invested over £1000 in a brand new state-of-the-art digital piano. Our shiny new Yamaha Clavinova (affectionately known as Frans) will ensure that our talented students can perform to and delight audiences as they have done for years, bringing much happiness to our community through music.

We have already seen lots of positive changes at Teesdale School and Sixth Form since joining the North East Learning Trust and we look forward to introducing more improvements in the coming years.

Mrs Gorlach, Executive Headteacher