Washwood Heath Technology College is a secondary school located in the Washwood Heath ward of Birmingham, England. Originally known as Washwood Heath Comprehensive School, it opened in September 1967. It was extended in 1996 to make way for the Post-16 centre. It has the first year group in the country to have a portable laptop for each child in year 8, as part of a national pilot. Although this scheme is free parents have been asked to give a voluntary contribution as is the case at all schools that run this scheme. The school uses the house system, there are five houses each containing students from all the school years. The school is one of the first to use the vertical tutoring system, this system places students in mixed age group forms, the intention of vertical tutoring is to create greater cohesion between the year groups and allow for peer mentoring. "The Independent (London)", May 14, 2000. Accessed November 19, 2007.