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| The £9m GM UTC building |
Greater Manchester university technical college (GM UTC) in Oldham was set up to provide an innovative technical education for 14- to 19-year-olds. It confirmed on Tuesday that it is to close at the end of the academic year.
It becomes the seventh UTC to announce its closure, at a time when the government is seeking to boost pupil numbers by making it obligatory for councils to inform parents of the option of children leaving secondary school at 14 to join a UTC for a more vocational education.
The announcement comes just weeks after it was revealed in December that Daventry UTC, a new technologies specialist institution in Northamptonshire, would be also be closing in 2017 because of low pupil numbers and subsequent financial difficulties. Labour MP for Oldham West and Royton, Jim McMahon, described it as a “failed experiment”.
A statement on the GM UTC website announced the college would close at the end of August. “Resources made available to schools and colleges are irretrievably linked to the number of students on roll and, unfortunately, the fact that the UTC has been unable to recruit enough students within the Oldham district and further afield has meant that it is not financially viable into the future,” it said.
The college said this outcome had only been reached after extensive discussion with the Department for Education, the Education Funding Agency and the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which promotes UTCs.
The college was opened with the promise that it would be “a centre of excellence for sustainable engineering and science for the region”, but as well as poor pupil recruitment it has also suffered poor GCSE results and has been branded “a wholesale failure” by local politicians.
Not a single pupil achieved a grade A*-C in both maths and English GCSE last summer.
The closure will be seen as another blow for the government’s UTC policy, which was among the reforms introduced by Michael Gove as education secretary having been championed by the Conservative peer Kenneth Baker.
More than 40 UTCs have opened since the policy was launched but some of the new-style technical schools have found it difficult to lure pupils away from secondary schools at the age of 14.
Last year Sir Michael Wilshaw, then head of the schools watchdog Ofsted, described their record as patchy. He said: “If the UTC movement is to survive and prosper, then radical improvement is necessary.
“If this doesn’t happen, politicians will come to the conclusion that the model is flawed and not worthy of further political or financial support.”
McMahon said he regretted seeing the UTC in Oldham closing and expressed deep concern for the students and parents who had been let down.
“It’s a failed experiment that has not only backfired in this instance, but has underlined the need to tackle head on schools that are not performing to the required standard.
“There’s a strong lesson here about schools and colleges receiving strong leadership and assistance with providing the correct standards. It’s been a difficult process, but I am glad that action has now been taken.”
Announcing the closure, GM UTC’s principal, Lee Kilgour, said existing students in years 11 and 13 would be allowed to complete their courses in the summer. He added: “I also wish to assure you that we will endeavour to ensure that teaching and learning within the college will continue with the present teaching staff and therefore ensure that students are well prepared for examinations this summer.
“We will be working closely with Oldham local authority and other local education providers to bring about a smooth transition for existing students in years 10 and 12.
“We will do everything in our power to ensure this process is both detailed and thorough.”
Gordon Main, chair of the college’s trust, said: “Closing the GM UTC is hugely disappointing for all those who have worked so hard to give students the opportunity to pursue a technical education.
“The wellbeing and success of all our students remains our highest priority. Every effort will be made to ensure students get the support they need to complete their studies successfully and receive appropriate guidance for transition to their new place of learning.”
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