Background
Takapuna Grammar School, on Auckland's north shore, is a decile 10 school with a 2008 roll of about 1,633 students. The Technology department is based in a new Technology and Art Centre, which was designed so that rooms could easily be adapted for future developments – thus fitting in well with the philosophy behind Technology.
All Year 9 students take Technology as a compulsory subject and in 2008 rotated through four different domains in a new Technology programme – Food, Soft Materials, Hard Materials and Product Design which incorporated Graphics and ICT Technology. At Year 10 they choose one of these Technology options for the full year.
Lesley Pearce trained as an Art teacher in the UK and took on Technology when a new curriculum was introduced there. After arriving in New Zealand in 1994 she taught Art and Technology at Diocesan School for Girls, teaching more Technology each year and becoming HOD. In 2002 Lesley took up the HOD Technology role at Takapuna Grammar School, commissioned with reorganising the department in line with the new curriculum.
