Case Study: Thomas Deacon Academy achieves higher student engagement and attainment with SMART Technologies

Putting SMART at the heart of teaching and learning

Thomas Deacon Academy is a large 11–19 secondary school in Peterborough formed in 2007 by merging three schools, with specialisms in mathematics and science and an open-plan, collaborative building design. The school’s core challenge was to raise attainment by improving student engagement and ensuring consistent, easy-to-use technology across every classroom so no pupil got left behind.

The academy deployed SMART Boards, Notebook software, 400 student devices, a virtual learning environment and complementary SMART peripherals, supported by staged training and subject lead coaches. As a result teachers report higher participation, better classroom management and increased confidence; students show more sustained attention, improved learning retention and rising attainment, and staff cite more interactive, real‑world lessons across subjects.

Thomas Deacon Academy