University technical college

Type of secondary school in England

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.

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Name  | Location  | Opened

|
|

Aston University Engineering Academy | Birmingham  | 2012
BMAT STEM Academy | Harlow, Essex  | 2014
Aylesbury UTC | Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire  | 2013
Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology | Cambridge  | 2014
Crewe Engineering and Design UTC | Crewe, Cheshire  | 2016
UTC Derby Pride Park | Derby  | 2015
Doncaster UTC | Doncaster  | 2020
Elstree Screen Arts Academy | Borehamwood, Hertfordshire  | 2013
Brook Sixth Form and Academy | Dagenham, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham  | 2014
Energy Coast UTC | Workington, Cumbria  | 2014
Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire | Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire  | 2015
Global Academy | Hayes, London Borough of Hillingdon  | 2016
Greater Peterborough UTC | Peterborough, Cambridgeshire  | 2016
Shireland Biomedical UTC  | West Bromwich, Sandwell, West Midlands  | 2015[11]
UTC Heathrow | Northwood, London Borough of Hillingdon  | 2014 (as Heathrow Aviation Engineering UTC)[12]
JCB Academy | Rocester, Staffordshire  | 2010
The Leigh UTC | Dartford, Kent  | 2014
Lincoln UTC | Lincoln  | 2014
Liverpool Life Sciences UTC | Liverpool  | 2013
London Design and Engineering UTC | Royal Docks, London Borough of Newham  | 2016[13]
Mulberry UTC | Bow, London Borough of Tower Hamlets  | 2017
North East Futures UTC | Newcastle upon Tyne  | 2018[14]
Ron Dearing UTC | Hull  | 2017
Scarborough UTC | Scarborough, North Yorkshire  | 2016
SGS Berkeley Green UTC | Berkeley, South Gloucestershire  | 2017[15]
Silverstone UTC | Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire  | 2013
South Devon UTC | Newton Abbot, Devon  | 2015
South Wiltshire UTC | Salisbury, Wiltshire  | 2015[16]
Thomas Telford UTC | Wolverhampton  | 2015 (as West Midlands Construction UTC)
University Collegiate School | Bolton, Greater Manchester  | 2015
University Technical College Norfolk | Norwich  | 2014
UTC Leeds | Hunslet, Leeds  | 2016
UTC Oxfordshire | Didcot, Oxfordshire  | 2015[17]
UTC Plymouth | Plymouth, Devon  | 2013
UTC Portsmouth | Portsmouth  | 2017[18][19]
UTC Reading | Reading, Berkshire  | 2013
UTC Sheffield City Centre | Sheffield, South Yorkshire  | 2013
UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park | Sheffield, South Yorkshire  | 2016
UTC South Durham | Newton Aycliffe, County Durham  | 2016[20]
UTC Swindon | Swindon  | 2014
UTC Warrington | Warrington, Cheshire  | 2016[21]
UTC@MediaCityUK | Salford, Greater Manchester  | 2015[22]
Waterfront UTC | Chatham, Kent  | 2015 (as Medway UTC)[23]
WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Coventry | Coventry  | 2014
WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Solihull | Solihull  | 2016

### Closed UTCs

[edit]

Name  | Location  | Opened  | Closed

|
|
|

Black Country UTC | Walsall, West Midlands  | 2011  | 2015[24]
UTC Central Bedfordshire | Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire  | 2012  | 2016[25]
Daventry University Technical College | Daventry, Northamptonshire  | 2013  | 2017[26]
Greater Manchester University Technical College | Oldham, Greater Manchester  | 2014  | 2017[27]
Hackney University Technical College | London Borough of Hackney  | 2012  | 2015[28]
UTC@Harbourside | Newhaven, East Sussex  | 2015[29] | 2019[30]
UTC Lancashire | Burnley, Lancashire  | 2013  | 2017[28]
Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC | City of Westminster, London  | 2017  | 2022
South Wiltshire UTC | Salisbury  | 2015  | 2020[31]
Watford UTC | Watford, Hertfordshire  | 2014  | 2023[32]
University Technical College Wigan | Wigan, Greater Manchester  | 2013  | 2019[33][34]

### Converted away from traditional UTC model

[edit]

Name  | Location  | Opened  | Converted  | New status

|
|
|
|

Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy | Stoke Gifford, South Gloucestershire  | 2013  | 2022  | UTC Sleeve[35]
Royal Greenwich UTC | Royal Borough of Greenwich  | 2013  | 2016[36] | 11–19 free school
South Bank Engineering UTC | London Borough of Lambeth  | 2016  | 2023  | 16-19 Academy
Tottenham University Technical College | London Borough of Haringey  | 2014  | 2017[37] | 16-19 free school[38]

## See also

[edit]

* Academy school
* City Technology College
* Free school
* Studio school
* TVEI
* Maths school

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Pupils in disadvantaged areas to benefit from new free schools". GOV.UK. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
2. ^ a b "Thesaurus Term - University technical colleges". Department for Education. January 2013. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
3. ^ a b c "Plans for specialist school UTC Reading unveiled". BBC News. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
4. ^ "What are university technical colleges". Utcolleges.org. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
5. ^ "BBC News - Q&A: University technical colleges". BBC News. 7 October 2011. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
6. ^ "University technical colleges how to apply" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
7. ^ "University Technical Colleges" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
8. ^ Camden, Billy (16 August 2019). "Licence fees to almost double for cash-strapped UTCs". Schools Week. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
9. ^ "Sponsors". www.utcolleges.org. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
10. ^ Burns, Judith (29 May 2012). "BBC News - Jaguar Land Rover and British Airways back new colleges". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
11. ^ "University technical colleges are transforming pupils' lives". The Independent. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
12. ^ McInerney, Laura (30 September 2016). "Heathrow UTC hit with financial notice to improve after 'loss of control'". Schools Week. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
13. ^ "London Design and Engineering UTC | London Design and Engineering University Technical College". Ldeutc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
14. ^ Ford, Coreena (27 September 2017). "City centre Newcastle school invites in parents as it prepares for 2018 opening". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
15. ^ "College opens at former power station in Gloucestershire". BBC News. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
16. ^ "Work begins on South Wiltshire UTC college". BBC News. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
17. ^ "University Technical College Oxfordshire plans approved". BBC News. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
18. ^ "Views wanted on bid to set up new technical school". Portsmouth News. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
19. ^ "UTC Portsmouth breaks ground and announces Principal". Portsmouth City Council. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
20. ^ Richardson, Andy (31 October 2014). "Train factory is the catalyst for jobs revival (From The Northern Echo)". Thenorthernecho.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
21. ^ Place North West http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/archive/18167-warrington-utc-set-to-go-on-site.html
22. ^ "MediaCityUK UTC". The Aldridge Foundation. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
23. ^ "University Technical College". Medway Council. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015.
24. ^ "Doomed Black Country UTC failed to promote vocational options, inspectors find". FE Week. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
25. ^ Whittaker, Freddie (10 March 2016). "Struggling Central Bedfordshire UTC to close despite FE college's intervention". FE Week.
26. ^ "Daventry UTC To Close In 2017". www.daventryutc.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
27. ^ "Brand new £9m school to close after all of its pupils fail GCSEs". The Independent. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
28. ^ a b "UTC Lancashire to shut up shop after just three years". FE Week. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
29. ^ "Utc@Harbourside Principal Appointed". Haven News. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
30. ^ "University Technical College in Newhaven to close next year". BBC News. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
31. ^ "Salisbury UTC to Close". South Wilts UTC. 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019.
32. ^ Flanagan, Chris (3 February 2023). "Watford technical college to close this summer". Watford Observer. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
33. ^ "Wigan UTC will close as low student numbers are unviable". Wigan Today. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
34. ^ Adams, Richard (13 July 2019). "'Vanity project': debts pile up for English free schools scheme". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
35. ^ "Bristol MP and major local employers visit Stoke Gifford school's Engineering Centre to see how it champions technical education". 7 July 2023.
36. ^ Camden, Billy (7 October 2016). "Fresh concerns over failing UTC model as one in 10 now shut". FE Week. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
37. ^ Mansell, Warwick (10 January 2017). "Failing Spurs-sponsored school costs taxpayer £500,000 rent a year | Warwick Mansell". The Guardian.
38. ^ "London Academy of Excellence Tottenham - GOV.UK".

## External links

[edit]

* University technical colleges (2015) How to apply
* University Technical Colleges

* v
* t
* e

The DfE Academies Programme

Executive agencies|

Education Funding Agency (merged Young People's Learning Agency and Partnerships for Schools)

Legislation|

* Learning and Skills Act 2000
* Education Act 2002
* Academies Act 2010
* Education Act 2011
* Education and Adoption Act 2016

Types|

* Sponsored academy
* Converter academy
* Free schools
* Maths schools
* Studio schools
* University Technical Colleges

Lists|

* Academy chains
* List of academies

Support networks|

* Baker Dearing Educational Trust
* New Schools Network
* SSAT (The Schools Network)

* v
* t
* e

Specialist schools in the United Kingdom

Legislation|

* Education Reform Act 1988
* Education Act 1993
* School Standards and Framework Act 1998
* Learning and Skills Act 2000
* Education Act 2002
* Academies Act 2010
* Education Act 2011

Types|

| Specialist schools programme|

* Applied Learning College
* Arts College
* Media Arts
* Performing Arts
* Visual Arts
* Business and Enterprise College
* Engineering College
* Humanities College
* Language College
* Mathematics and Computing College
* Music College
* Rural dimension
* Science College
* SEN College
* Sports College
* Technology College

|

Academies programme|

* Studio school
* Maths school
* University technical college

Other|

* City Technology College
* Schools of Ambition
* Training school
* Music and Dance Scheme
* Music school
* Dance school
* Football school
* STEM school
* Special school

Support networks|

* Baker Dearing Educational Trust
* New Schools Network
* SSAT (The Schools Network)
* Studio Schools Network

* v
* t
* e

Education in England

Key Stages|

| Foundation Stage|

* Nursery/Preschool
* Playgroup
* Reception

|

Key Stage 1|

* Year 1
* Year 2

Key Stage 2|

* Year 3
* Year 4
* Year 5
* Year 6

Key Stage 3|

* Year 7
* Year 8
* Year 9

Key Stage 4|

* Year 10
* Year 11

Key Stage 5|

* Year 12
* Year 13

Schooling|

* State-funded schools
* Private schools
* Primary school
* Infant school
* history
* Junior school
* Secondary school
* Sixth form college
* Raising of school leaving age

Exams and qualifications|

* SATs
* 11-plus
* GCSE
* A-Level
* English Baccalaureate
* BTEC

Regulation|

* Department for Education
* Ofqual
* Ofsted
* Special measures

Other|

* Common Entrance Examination
* Schools (category)
* Special education in the United Kingdom

Former|

* O-Level
* CSE
* School Certificate
* Higher School Certificate
* GNVQ

* v
* t
* e

School types

By educational stage|

| Early childhood|

* Preschool
* Pre-kindergarten
* Kindergarten

|

Primary|

* First school
* Infant school
* Junior school
* Primary school / Elementary school

Secondary|

* Adult high school
* Cadet college
* College-preparatory school
* Collegiate institute
* Comprehensive school
* Comprehensive high school
* Continuation high school
* Grammar school
* Lyceum
* Maths school
* Minor seminary
* Secondary school / High school
* Selective school
* Gymnasium
* Hauptschule
* Sixth form college
* Studio school
* University technical college
* Upper school

Tertiary|

* Professional school
* Technical school
* Vocational school

Higher|

* Academy
* College
* Community college
* Graduate school
* Institute of technology
* Junior college
* Liberal arts college
* Research university
* Residential college
* Seminary
* University
* Collegiate
* Upper division college
* Vocational university

Combined|

* All-through school
* Middle school
* One-room school
* Ranch school

By funding / eligibility|

* Academy (England)
* Charter school
* Community day school
* Comprehensive school
* For-profit education
* Free education
* Free school (England)
* Institute
* Private school
* UK private school
* preparatory
* public
* University
* private
* public
* international
* Selective school
* Separate school
* Sink school
* Specialist school (United Kingdom)
* State or public school
* State-integrated school (New Zealand)

By style / purpose|

* Alternative school
* Democratic education
* Anarchistic free school
* Sudbury school
* International school
* Magnet school
* Music school
* Single-sex education
* Specialist school
* Vocal school

Progressive|

* Free school movement
* Folk high school
* Laboratory school
* Montessori school
* Waldorf school

Religious|

* Bible college
* Catholic school
* Christian school
* Female seminary
* Gurukula
* Parochial school
* Madrasa
* Yeshiva

By location|

* Boarding school
* Day school
* Distance education
* Homeschooling
* Prison education
* Virtual school

By scope|

* College preparatory
* Compensatory education
* Compulsory education
* Continuing education
* Further education
* Gifted education
* Inclusive education
* Remedial education
* Special education

Historical|

* Ancient higher-learning institutions
* Platonic Academy
* Lyceum
* Monastic school
* Cathedral school
* Medieval university
* Historical infant schools
* Great Britain
* Ireland
* Global

Schools imposed on
indigenous peoples

* in Canada
* in New Zealand
* in South Africa
* in the United States

Informal or illegal|

* in Ireland
* in Greece
* in South Tyrol

Related topics|

* K–12
* Educational institution

* Schools portal
* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Education in the United Kingdom

Modern systems|

* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales

History|

* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Higher education|

* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* UK
* International students

Topics|

* Academies
* Comprehensives
* Free school (England)
* Grade inflation
* Grammar schools
* Languages of instruction
* English
* Gaelic
* Irish
* Welsh
* Mathematics education
* Maths schools
* Specialist schools
* Studio schools
* UTCs

* v
* t
* e

University technical colleges

Existing|

* Aston University Engineering Academy
* BMAT STEM Academy
* Brook Sixth Form and Academy
* Buckinghamshire University Technical College
* Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology
* Crewe Engineering and Design UTC
* Derby Manufacturing UTC
* Doncaster UTC
* Elstree Screen Arts Academy
* Energy Coast UTC
* Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire
* Global Academy
* Greater Peterborough UTC
* Health Futures UTC
* Heathrow Aviation Engineering UTC
* JCB Academy
* The Leigh UTC
* Lincoln UTC
* Liverpool Life Sciences UTC
* London Design and Engineering UTC
* Mulberry UTC
* North East Futures UTC
* Ron Dearing UTC
* Scarborough University Technical College
* SGS Berkeley Green UTC
* Silverstone University Technical College
* South Devon UTC
* South Wiltshire UTC
* University Technical College Norfolk
* University Technical College Leeds
* UTC Oxfordshire
* UTC Plymouth
* UTC Portsmouth
* UTC Reading
* UTC Sheffield City Centre
* UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park
* UTC South Durham
* UTC Swindon
* UTC Warrington
* UTC@MediaCityUK
* Waterfront UTC
* West Midlands Construction UTC
* WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Coventry
* WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Solihull

Rebrokered|

* Heathrow UTC
* Sir Charles Kao UTC
* Medway UTC
* Tottenham UTC
* UTC Media City
* UTC Plymouth
* UTC Swindon

Closed|

* Black Country UTC
* Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy
* Central Bedfordshire UTC
* Daventry University Technical College
* Greater Manchester University Technical College
* Hackney University Technical College
* University Technical College Lancashire
* University Technical College Wigan
* UTC@harbourside
* UTC Central Bedfordshire
* Royal Greenwich UTC
* Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC
* South Bank UTC
* South Wiltshire UTC
* Tottenham University Technical College
* The Watford UTC

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template