University technical college

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UTC Portsmouth in 2020 DJI 0934-72dpi2000pxWEB.jpg
UTC Portsmouth in 2020

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.

Contents

University technical colleges specialise in subjects like engineering and construction, taught alongside business skills and the use of IT. Pupils study academic subjects as well as practical subjects leading to technical qualifications. The curriculum is designed by the university and employers, who also provide work experience for students.

The university and industry partners support the curriculum development of the UTC, can provide professional development opportunities for teachers, and guide suitably qualified students on to industrial apprenticeships or tertiary education. The UTC's governors include representatives from the sponsor university and partner employers. Pupils traditionally transfer to a UTC at the age of 14, part-way through their secondary education, though many UTCs now accept pupils at a younger age. The first UTCs were established in 2010, and there are 44 of them in 2023.

It was announced in August 2023 that two more UTCs would be established in Doncaster and Southampton. [1]

Description

A university technical college is a non-selective free school funded directly by the Department for Education, [2] free to attend, and outside the control of the local education authority.

University technical colleges specialise in subjects like engineering and construction, and teach these subjects along with employability and IT skills. [3] Pupils study core academic subjects, as well as practical subjects which lead to technical qualifications. [3] The curriculum is designed by the university and employers, who also provide work experience for students. [3]

UTCs were introduced in 2010 by the coalition government under the free schools programme. [2] UTCs are collectively distinctive in that they offer technically oriented courses of study, combining National Curriculum requirements with technical and vocational elements. UTCs must specialise in subjects that require technical and modern equipment, but they also all teach business skills and the use of information and communications technology (ICT). [4] UTCs are also supposed to offer clear routes into higher education or further learning in work. [5]

When operating, UTCs receive the same per capita funding as other schools in the local authority, calculated by the same formula, and £87 extra to cover UTC-specific administration. [6]

The university technical college programme as a whole is sponsored by the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, [7] which promotes the setting up of UTCs. The trust was co-founded by Kenneth Baker, a Conservative politician and former Secretary of State for Education and Ron Dearing. Each UTC pays an annual licence fee (£10,000 in 2019) [8] to the trust. Baker Dearing's promotion of UTCs is supported by a range of organisations, including the Edge Foundation, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation. [9] Many large companies have pledged to co-sponsor UTCs including Arup, British Airways, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and Sony. [10]

List of UTCs

NameLocationOpened
Aston University Engineering Academy Birmingham2012
BMAT STEM Academy Harlow, Essex2014
Buckinghamshire University Technical College Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire2013
Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology Cambridge2014
Crewe Engineering and Design UTC Crewe, Cheshire2016
UTC Derby Pride Park Derby2015
Doncaster UTC Doncaster2020
Elstree Screen Arts Academy Borehamwood, Hertfordshire2013
Brook Sixth Form and AcademyDagenham, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham2014
Energy Coast UTC Workington, Cumbria2014
Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire2015
Global Academy Hayes, London Borough of Hillingdon2016
Greater Peterborough UTC Peterborough, Cambridgeshire2016
Shireland Biomedical UTCWest Bromwich, Sandwell, West Midlands2015 [11]
UTC Heathrow Northwood, London Borough of Hillingdon2014 (as Heathrow Aviation Engineering UTC) [12]
JCB Academy Rocester, Staffordshire2010
The Leigh UTC Dartford, Kent2014
Lincoln UTC Lincoln2014
Liverpool Life Sciences UTC Liverpool2013
London Design and Engineering UTC Royal Docks, London Borough of Newham2016 [13]
Mulberry UTC Bow, London Borough of Tower Hamlets2017
North East Futures UTC Newcastle upon Tyne2018 [14]
Ron Dearing UTC Hull2017
Scarborough UTC Scarborough, North Yorkshire2016
SGS Berkeley Green UTC Berkeley, South Gloucestershire2017 [15]
Silverstone UTC Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire2013
South Devon UTC Newton Abbot, Devon2015
South Wiltshire UTC Salisbury, Wiltshire2015 [16]
Thomas Telford UTC Wolverhampton2015 (as West Midlands Construction UTC)
University Collegiate School Bolton, Greater Manchester2015
University Technical College Norfolk Norwich2014
UTC Leeds Hunslet, Leeds2017
UTC Oxfordshire Didcot, Oxfordshire2015 [17]
UTC Plymouth Plymouth, Devon2013
UTC Portsmouth Portsmouth2017 [18] [19]
UTC Reading Reading, Berkshire2013
UTC Sheffield City Centre Sheffield, South Yorkshire2013
UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park Sheffield, South Yorkshire2016
UTC South Durham Newton Aycliffe, County Durham2016 [20]
UTC Swindon Swindon2014
UTC Warrington Warrington, Cheshire2016 [21]
UTC@MediaCityUK Salford, Greater Manchester2015 [22]
Waterfront UTC Chatham, Kent2015 (as Medway UTC) [23]
WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Coventry Coventry2014
WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Solihull Solihull2016

Closed UTCs

NameLocationOpenedClosed
Black Country UTC Walsall, West Midlands20112015 [24]
UTC Central Bedfordshire Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire20122016 [25]
Daventry University Technical College Daventry, Northamptonshire20132017 [26]
Greater Manchester University Technical College Oldham, Greater Manchester20142017 [27]
Hackney University Technical College London Borough of Hackney20122015 [28]
UTC@Harbourside Newhaven, East Sussex2015 [29] 2019 [30]
UTC Lancashire Burnley, Lancashire20132017 [28]
Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC City of Westminster, London20172022
South Wiltshire UTC Salisbury20152020 [31]
Watford UTC Watford, Hertfordshire20142023 [32]
University Technical College Wigan Wigan, Greater Manchester20132019 [33] [34]

Converted away from traditional UTC model

NameLocationOpenedConvertedNew status
Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy Stoke Gifford, South Gloucestershire20132022UTC Sleeve [35]
Royal Greenwich UTC Royal Borough of Greenwich20132016 [36] 11–19 free school
South Bank Engineering UTC London Borough of Lambeth2016202316-19 Academy
Tottenham University Technical College London Borough of Haringey20142017 [37] 16-19 free school [38]

See also

Related Research Articles

Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education. Local government authorities are responsible for implementing policy for public education and state-funded schools at a local level. State-funded schools may be selective grammar schools or non-selective comprehensive schools. All state schools are subject to assessment and inspection by the government department Ofsted. England also has private schools and home education; legally, parents may choose to educate their children by any suitable means.

Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments. The UK Government is responsible for England, whilst the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are responsible for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy (English school)</span> Type of independent state school in England

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, 40% of primary schools and 44% of special schools are academies.

<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.

Black Country UTC was a university technical college (UTC) located in the Bloxwich area of Walsall, West Midlands, England. The University of Wolverhampton and Walsall College were the lead academic sponsors of the UTC, and Siemens acted as the lead business partner for the UTC. The UTC closed at the end of August 2015.

UTC Central Bedfordshire was a University Technical College (UTC) in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, England. The college opened in September 2012 and specialised in education for future engineers, product and games designers. It closed in August 2016.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Technical College Lancashire</span> University technical college in Burnley, Lancashire, England

University Technical College Lancashire was a university technical college (UTC) that opened in Burnley, Lancashire, England in August 2013. It was located on Trafalgar Street in Burnley, in the historic Victoria Mill which was extensively redeveloped and converted for use by the UTC. The college closed in August 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Greenwich Trust School</span> Free school in Charlton Riverside, London, England

Royal Greenwich Trust School is a free school created out of a former University Technical College which opened in the Charlton Riverside area of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London, England in September 2013. The campus is located along the A206 near the banks of the River Thames, close to the Thames Barrier. It is adjacent to Windrush Primary School and Maryon Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC Plymouth</span> University technical college in Plymouth, Devon, England

UTC Plymouth is a university technical college (UTC) that opened in the Devonport area of Plymouth, Devon, England in September 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC Reading</span> University technical college in Reading, Berkshire, England

UTC Reading is a university technical college (UTC) that opened in Reading, Berkshire, England in September 2013. The University of Reading, Reading College and Oxford and Cherwell Valley College are the lead education sponsors of the UTC, while business partners include Agilent Technologies, CGI Group, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Peter Brett Associates LLP and Network Rail. In 2023, Ofsted marked the college as "Inadequate".

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy Coast UTC</span> University technical college in Workington, Cumbria

Energy Coast is a University Technical College (UTC) on the outskirts of Workington, Cumbria that opened in September 2014 for students of ages 14–19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Technical College Norfolk</span> University technical college in Norwich, Norfolk, England

University Technical College Norfolk is a University Technical College in Old Hall Road, Norwich, with a focus on the engineering and health sectors.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC@harbourside</span> University technical college in Newhaven, East Sussex, United Kingdom

UTC@harbourside was a University Technical College for students aged 14–18 located in Newhaven, East Sussex, England which opened in September 2015. It specialised in science, technology, engineering and maths, leading to academic and vocational qualifications. The college closed in July 2019 due to financial issues and a lack of students.

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

UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is a University Technical College which opened in September 2016 on the Olympic Legacy Park site in north-east Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC South Durham</span> University technical college in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, England

UTC South Durham is a University Technical College located in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. It opened in 2016 and caters for 14–19 year olds with an interest in science, technology, engineering, and maths. It is located on the Aycliffe Business Park site, in a purpose-built new building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC</span> University technical college in London

Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC, simply referred to as Westminster UTC, was a 14–19 university technical college (UTC) in the Pimlico area of Westminster in London. As a UTC, it specialised in STEM subjects, particularly transport engineering, construction, and the built environment.

References

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