Baker Dearing Educational Trust

Last updated
Baker Dearing Educational Trust
AbbreviationBaker Dearing Trust (BDT)
Formation2009;14 years ago (2009)
Founders Kenneth Baker and Ronald Dearing
TypeEducation charity
Legal status
  • Registered Charity
  • Company Limited by Guarantee
Headquarters1 The Sanctuary, London, SW1P 3JT
Location
Chairman
Kenneth Baker
Chief Executive
Simon Connell
Staff
<10
Website https://bakerdearing.org
[1] [2]

The Baker Dearing Educational Trust (abbreviated as the Baker Dearing Trust or BDT) is a UK-based registered charity established to support, advocate and develop university technical colleges (UTCs) in England. [2] An official partnership with the Department for Education has been made for this purpose. All schools with UTC status must have a licence agreement with the BDT as it is the creator and owner of the UTC model, trademarks and brand. [3] This agreement is fulfilled via a license fee. [4]

Contents

History

BDT co-founder and chair Kenneth Baker in 2015 Kenneth Baker.jpg
BDT co-founder and chair Kenneth Baker in 2015

Lords Kenneth Baker and Ronald Dearing conceptualised the UTC in 2009 and established the trust in the same year. [2] Baker had previously served as Secretary of State for Education from 1986 to 1989, during which time he introduced the National Curriculum and City Technology College through the Education Reform Act 1988. [5] Dearing died in February 2009 but he and Baker's ideas were approved by education minister Andrew Adonis of the Labour Party and the incoming Conservative-Lib Dem coalition. [5] The first UTC opened in 2010 and further expansion soon followed. [6]

Since then, the trust has been tasked by the Department for Education to oversee the UTC programme. It aids UTCs in deciding their curricular provision and technical qualifications [7] (of which they specialise) and also helps open more UTCs. This is provided through a partnership with the department which is reviewed per annum. [8] Baker has used this to promote the programme and influence the government's education policy, introducing the Baker Clause to the Technical and Further Education Act 2017. This clause requires schools to provide all pupils in years Year 8 to Year 13 access to a non-academic careers adviser. These advisers are expected to discuss UTCs with pupils, promoting them whilst doing so. Many schools have failed to follow the clause, resulting in threats of legal action from Baker. [9] [10] The trust has also attempted to introduce a technical baccalaureate with Andrew Adonis. [11] From 2012 to 2019 the trust's chief executive was Charles Parker. Upon his resignation he was replaced by Simon Connell. Parker has remained in the trust as an adviser to its senior management. [12]

Support

The trust has seen continued political and academic support, with the board of trustees having included Labour's Kumar Bhattacharyya and Andrew Adonis and educators such as Kevin Satchwell, Edwina Dunn and Mike Tomlinson. [13] Other supporters include Conservative education secretary Gavin Williamson, astronaut Tim Peake, physicist Brian Cox, Rear Admiral John Clink [14] and lords Peter Mandelson and David Puttnam. [15] An eight-member independent policy group of MPs co-chaired by Kenneth Baker and Robert Halfon has been established to aid the trust and enforce the Baker Clause. [16]

Research

The trust conducts research into UTCs, often comparing them to mainstream schools. This research appears to typically favour UTCs and often clashes with the Department for Education's official data. BDT chair Kenneth Baker claims that this is because the official data is outdated by two years and disregards exam results from students taking a level 2 qualification or lower. [17] [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Technology College</span>

In England, a City Technology College (CTC) is an urban all-ability specialist school for students aged 11 to 18 specialising in science, technology and mathematics. They charge no fees and are independent of local authority control, being overseen directly by the Department for Education. One fifth of the capital costs are met by private business sponsors, who also own or lease the buildings. The rest of the capital costs, and all running costs, are met by the Department.

Education in England is overseen by the United Kingdom's Department for Education. Local government authorities are responsible for implementing policy for public education and state-funded schools at a local level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking</span> British politician

Kenneth Wilfred Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking, is a former British politician, Conservative Member of Parliament from 1968 to 1997, and a cabinet minister, including holding the offices of Home Secretary, Education Secretary and Conservative Party Chairman. He is a life member of the Tory Reform Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy (English school)</span> English school funded by the central government and independent of local authority control

An academy school in England is a state-funded school which is directly funded by the Department for Education and independent of local authority control. The terms of the arrangements are set out in individual Academy Funding Agreements. 80% of secondary schools, 39% of primary schools and 43% of special schools are academies.

SSAT Limited is a UK-based, independent educational membership organisation working with primary, secondary, special and free schools, academies and UTCs. It provides support and training in four main areas: teaching and learning, curriculum, networking, and leadership development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis</span> British Labour politician and journalist

Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, is a British Labour Party politician and journalist who served in HM Government for five years in the Blair ministry and the Brown ministry. He served as Secretary of State for Transport from 2009 to 2010, and as Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission from 2015 to 2017. He was Chair of the European Movement, from March 2021 until December 2022 having previously served as Vice-Chairman from 2019 to 2021. He is currently a columnist for The New European.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford College, Bedford</span> Further education school in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England

Bedford College is a further education college located in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It is the principal further education provider in the Borough of Bedford, and is a member of the Collab Group of high performing schools.

The JCB Academy is a non-selective co-educational secondary school within the English University Technical College programme, in Rocester, Staffordshire, England. It specialises in engineering and business qualifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University technical college</span> Type of secondary school in England

A university technical college (UTC) is a type of secondary school in England that is sponsored by a university and has close ties to local business and industry.

Hackney University Technical College was a university technical college (UTC) that opened in September 2012 in the Shoreditch area of the London Borough of Hackney in Greater London, England. The University of East London and Hackney College were the lead academic sponsors of the UTC, and BT Group and Homerton University Hospital NHS Trust were the lead business sponsors. The college closed in August 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Specialist schools in the United Kingdom</span>

Specialist schools in the United Kingdom are schools with an emphasis or focus in a specific specialised subject area, which is called a specialism, or alternatively in the case of some special schools in England, in a specific area of special educational need. They intend to act as centres of excellence in their specialism and, in some circumstances, may select pupils for their aptitude in it. Though they focus on their specialism, specialist schools still teach the full curriculum. Therefore, as opposed to being a significant move away from it, the specialism is viewed as enriching the original curricular offer of the school.

UTC Sheffield City Centre is a University Technical College (UTC) that opened in Sheffield City Centre, South Yorkshire, England in September 2013. The site for the UTC was purchased by Sheffield City Council, with capital funding of £9.9 million awarded by the Department for Education for new buildings. The sponsors of the UTC include Sheffield Hallam University and The Sheffield College in Sheffield.

Tottenham University Technical College, in Haringey, London, was a secondary educational institution focusing on education in the sciences, health and sports. It opened in September 2014 and closed in July 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comprehensive school (England and Wales)</span> Term for a non-selective secondary school in England and Wales

A comprehensive school, or simply a comprehensive, typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11-16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis of selection criteria, usually academic performance. In England and Wales comprehensive schools were introduced as state schools on an experimental basis in the 1940s and became more widespread from 1965. They may be part of a local education authority or be a self governing academy or part of a multi-academy trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln UTC</span> Technical college for ages 14-19 in Lincoln, England

Lincoln UTC is a small University Technical College in Lincoln, England which opened in 2014 and specialises in science and engineering. The school is sponsored by the Baker Dearing Educational Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterfront UTC</span> University technical college in Chatham, Kent, England

Waterfront UTC is a University Technical College in Chatham, Kent, England, which opened in September 2015 as Medway UTC on a site between Pier Road and South Side Three Road. After receiving an "inadequate" rating in every category in an Ofsted inspection in March 2018, the college joined The Howard Academy Trust in November 2018 and its name was changed.

The Aldridge Foundation is a British educational charity which focusses on creating social change and community regeneration opportunities through enterprise and entrepreneurship, to help young people to reach their potential and improve their communities. It is based in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Collegiate School</span> Free school in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England

University Collegiate School is a mixed secondary school in central Bolton, England, now classed as a free school. It opened in 2015 on a new site on the University of Bolton campus as Bolton UTC, a university technical college for students aged 14–19; in September 2020 it was renamed and began accepting students at age 11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park</span> University technical college in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

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Conor Ryan is an Irish-born UK-based independent writer and consultant, a former senior civil servant, and adviser who has been until June 2023 the Director of External Relations at the Office for Students, a non-departmental public body of the British Department for Education. He served as a special adviser and the senior education adviser to British Secretary of State for Education and Employment David Blunkett from 1997 to 2001 and then to British Prime Minister Tony Blair from 2005 to 2007.

References

  1. ↑ "Our team". Baker Dearing. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  2. 1 2 3 "About Us". University Technical Colleges. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  3. ↑ "Memorandum of understanding: Baker Dearing Educational Trust and DfE". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  4. ↑ Downs, Janet (2020-06-09). "PAC questions £3m spent on UTC body Baker Dearing". schoolsweek.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  5. 1 2 "Kenneth Baker: 'People told me to abandon Thatcher but I stood by her'". the Guardian. 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  6. ↑ "More UTCs backed by government". BBC News. 2013-03-28. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  7. ↑ "London Design & Engineering UTC". www.ldeutc.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  8. ↑ "Memorandum of Understanding between Baker Dearing Educational Trust and the Department for Education" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  9. ↑ "SCHOOL LEADERS - meet the requirements of the Baker Clause..." www.letmeplay.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  10. ↑ "Baker's back: Could schools be sued for careers advice?". feweek.co.uk. 2021-06-17. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  11. ↑ "Vocational qualifications get a new champion". the Guardian. 2011-06-20. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  12. ↑ "Chief executive of Baker-Dearing Trust stepping down". feweek.co.uk. 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  13. ↑ Trust, Baker Dearing Educational (2017-01-31). "Baker Dearing Educational Trust appoints new trustee". University Technical Colleges. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  14. ↑ "SUPPORTERS". Baker Dearing. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  15. ↑ Garner, Richard (2009-12-05). "Tories bring back Baker to start new tech colleges". The Independent. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  16. ↑ Kipps, Rosalind (2021-09-14). "Lord Baker forms MP group on UTCs and technical skills". University Technical Colleges. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  17. ↑ "Apprenticeship rules cost UK £1.5bn and female pupils reject Stem careers". the Guardian. 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  18. ↑ "Written evidence submitted by Baker Dearing Educational Trust". committees.parliament.uk.
  19. ↑ Baker, Kenneth (2019-02-03). "The official UTC figures don't tell the full story". feweek.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
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