A SENIOR teacher has left a permanent legacy to his 30-year career after officially opening a hi-tech sports hall.
A polished plaque will become a permanent feature of the new £700,000 facility – the biggest in Darlington – as assistant head teacher Dave Tucker leaves Darlington School of Mathematics for the last time.
Mr Tucker, of Hurworth, performed the honours during the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
DSMS has been completely transformed over the past three years since it became an academy with £3m being spent on the learning environment and a radical overhaul of the curriculum and teaching methods.
The unique sports hall structure uses a hi-tech fabric stretched over a steel frame to provide staff, students and athletes in the Cockerton area with an ultra-modern sporting facility.
The eco-building allows natural light to penetrate the interior for a host of events to take place without having to use the lights.
Home to four courts, the hall also features modern changing facilities and classrooms.
Full-height curtains allow the structure to be divided into sections allowing sports such as badminton, basketball, netball, football and volleyball to be played at the same time.
The facility will be used to hone the skills of DSMS athletes and will also be available for clubs in the area.
Mr Tucker joined in 1984, 20 years after the school opened as the 650-pupil Branskome Community School.
Joining the staff at Branksome, which became DSMS in 2011, he has worked under five head teachers.
“It is a tremendous honour being asked to open the sports hall and it means my name will continue to be associated with the school for years to come,” he said.
Head teacher Calvin Kipling said: “The decision to ask Mr Tucker to officiate was unanimous. He has been a stalwart of the school for decades and it is only right and proper that we should honour him this way.”
