Harton Technology College (formerly Harton Comprehensive School) is a mixed secondary school

Secondary school

Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

 in South Shields

South Shields

South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...

, Tyne and Wear

Tyne and Wear

Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, with pupils aged from 11-16. In 2006, Ofsted rated the school as outstanding and it has received three Government Achievement awards, as well as bring named in the 'top 50 most improved specialist schools' throughout the UK.

As part of the BSF (Building Schools for the Future) iniutive, the school has recently completed construction on a new sixth form

Sixth form

In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...

 building - holding specially designed DT, Maths and Science blocks - which will initially house existing pupils while refurbishment of the main building is underway. This has been supplemented by temporary portakabin-style classrooms. As the project draws to an end, the final stages of construction work are scheduled to be completed during early days of November, when the original building will be reopened once again - in it's new refurbished form.

Notable alumni

• Joe McElderry
  Joe McElderry
  Joseph "Joe" McElderry is an English singer and model. He won the sixth series of the ITV show The X Factor in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Charts. He was also crowned the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar, two...
  
  , X Factor
  The X Factor (UK)
  The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
  
   2009 winner.
• David Wilson, rugby union player.
• Martyn Waghorn
  Martyn Waghorn
  Martyn Thomas Waghorn is an English footballer who plays for Hull City as a striker, on loan from Leicester City. Waghorn had been with Sunderland since the age of eight and made his first team debut for the club in December 2007 against Manchester United at the age of 17...
  
  Professional footballer