New Salisbury college run for private arms firms

[TonyGosling]

Kids learn how to kill... and make new killing machines... at new Wiltshire arms-dealer-sponsored state school focused on 'defence science'.
http://www.wiltshire-utc.co.uk/what-is-a-utc/
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South Wiltshire UTC, c/o Wiltshire College, Southampton Road, Salisbury, SP1 2LW



£40m school plans given green light
http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/10317541.__40m_school_plans_giv en_green_light/
5:00am Thursday 28th March 2013 in News By Hannah White

A NEW £40million science and engineering school for central Salisbury has been given the go-ahead by the Government.

School pupils in south Wiltshire, Hampshire and north Dorset will have a new option from September 2014 after the Government approved an application to set up a University Technical College (UTC) in Salisbury.

The South Wiltshire UTC will be a state school sponsored by the University of Southampton, open to 14- to 18-year-olds.

A search is now under way to find a suitable site for the school, which it is hoped will be as close to Salisbury railway station as possible.

Students at UTCs work “business hours”, attending from 8.30am to 5pm for 40 weeks per year, the equivalent of around half a year of extra teaching each year compared to most schools.

The extra teaching time allows students to gain industry-recognised engineering and science qualifications alongside more traditional academic qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels.

Carolyn Godfrey, director of children’s services at Wiltshire Council, said: “The UTC will provide an exciting and very different option for young people and their parents in south Wiltshire.

“The defence industries are crucial to the Wiltshire economy and there are tremendous job opportunities in science and engineering for young people with the right skills.”

The successful partnership behind the UTC includes the University of Southampton, 43 (Wessex) Brigade, Wiltshire College, Wiltshire Council and major employers including QinetiQ, the Health Protection Agency, Tetricus Science Park, the Defence Scientific and Technology Laboratory, Wallop Defence Systems and Chemring Countermeasures.

Local employers from the defence and protective science industries will provide guest lecturers and work placements to ensure that students have the skills and attitudes which employers value. The Army will also provide support in areas such as leadership and team-building.

Professor Don Nutbeam, the vice chancellor of the University of Southampton, said: “The UTC will offer an exciting new option for young people, giving them the skills and understanding to progress to science and engineering courses at top universities and to take advantage of the huge job opportunities in the region. We will work closely with the UTC to ensure that it offers a relevant and stretching curriculum.”

The school will open for the first time in September 2014 with an initial intake of 14 and 16-year-olds and will be fully open for all 14 to 18-year-olds the following year.

The UTC will not accept applications until early 2014 but parents and potential students can register to be kept in touch with developments at wiltshire-utc.co.uk.




Q1: What is a UTC?
http://www.wiltshire-utc.co.uk/what-is-a-utc/
A1: A new type of school for young people aged 14-18 that specialises in Science and Engineering. It is driven by the University of Southampton and leading local employers and students will combine high quality academic studies with learning in technical subjects that are valued by employers.

Q2: Where will it be?

A2: Subject to planning permission and written agreements, it will be on the Wilton Road in Salisbury just a few hundred metres from Salisbury railway station and served by local bus routes. This is the current Salisbury Police Station, which is being vacated by the Police during 2014. The building will be fully modernised and refurbished for the UTC.

Q3: When will it open and when can we apply?

A3: We open in September 2015 with Year 10s and Year 12s. From 2016/17 we will have students in all four years. Students will be able to apply from September 2014 with a closing date of the end of October 2014 for Year 10 applicants and the end of January 2015 for Year 12 applicants. However you can express interest now from the “contact us” section at www.wiltshire-utc.co.uk.

Q4: I thought it was opening in 2014?

A4: We tried very hard to get all the arrangements in place to open in 2014 but Wiltshire Police recently informed us that they could not vacate the Wilton Road site in time for us to open with a refurbished site in 2014. A UTC needs specialist equipment and a unique learning environment and we need to delay until 2015 to guarantee that we can offer that special experience. We won’t invite anyone to join to the UTC until we know it can deliver the stimulating and professional learning that we have promised.

Q5: Is there any doubt that the UTC will be funded by the Government?

A5: The Department for Education has confirmed that it is very happy with all the plans it has seen from South Wiltshire UTC so far and that it is fully confident that we can open in 2015. We will have a formal Funding Agreement (final approval to open) from the Government before any students have to commit to joining us.

Q6: Do the students formally change schools and what links are there with other schools?

A6: Students leave their current schools and join the UTC either in Year 10 (age 14) or Year 12 (age 16). We are working with local authorities to make sure the process of changing schools is as smooth as possible. We have also written to all the schools in the area to tell them about our plans and to invite them to talk about how we can work together.

Q7: I live outside Wiltshire, would this prevent my children from applying to attend?

A7: Definitely not; applicants living within a 20-mile radius of Salisbury will have priority and there will be no preferences in the application process for Wiltshire residents (the rules prevent that). Students living further away can still apply.

Q8: Aren’t there already some excellent schools in the area?

A8: Certainly, but South Wiltshire has a growing number of young people and there is a new requirement for students to stay in learning until they are 18. This means we need new choices for young people not just more of the same.

Q9: What is the link between South Wiltshire UTC and Salisbury Sixth Form College?

A9: South Wiltshire UTC and Salisbury Sixth Form College are two separate initiatives opening soon in Salisbury and both will provide new options for young people in this area. The two institutions are committed to working together to help contribute to a comprehensive choice for young people. You can find out about the Sixth Form College at www.s6c.org.uk.

Q10: What is different about a UTC?

A10: The UTC’s curriculum will be shaped by the University of Southampton and by some world class Science and Engineering employers, who will also provide guest lecturers and set real-world “challenges” for the students.

The UTC will be open from 8.45am to 5.10pm and 40 weeks a year. This gives a large amount of extra time to allow students to study technical subjects as well as mainstream GCSEs and A Levels. These opening hours have been shaped around train and bus connections from the whole area.

Q11: What about pastoral support?

A11: This will be a special feature of the UTC. All students will have personal tutors whose job it will be to monitor their academic progress, ensure good quality careers advice and organise the development of students’ “employability”. This means all the knowledge, experience and personal characteristics that will make UTC students highly valued by future employers. The University of Southampton, 43 Wessex Brigade and our supporting employers will also play a big part in this. Students will have access to advice from older students, University mentors and experts from local employers.

Q12: In which subjects will the UTC specialise and what qualifications will it offer?

A12: The main difference in a UTC is the way our subjects will be taught, not just the range of subjects. All the learning will be linked to the real world, through stretching challenges set by leading employers. Our specialism will be Science and Engineering in the context of the Defence Industries and this context will help make the learning real.

In Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16) most students will choose GCSEs from English, Maths, three Sciences, Engineering, Computing, a foreign language and History or Geography. They will also take specialist technical qualifications and some students will take additional “stretch” subjects at GCSE or AS. Students considering going on to Apprenticeships will be able to take a pre-Apprenticeship course.

In Key Stage 5 (“sixth form”) most students will study A Levels (or equivalents) such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Computing, English Language & Literature, Electronics and Engineering. Some students will be stretched by undertaking University-level studies. Some post-16 students will combine BTEC Diplomas with more GCSE-level subjects where they need to build up their portfolio of GCSE-level qualifications.

Q13: I see the Army is involved – is the UTC just for students that want to join the Army?

A13: No, although some students may well decide to progress into the Army. 43 (Wessex) Brigade will be supporting the UTC by providing access to specialist training skills and equipment, leading on team-building and leadership skills and supporting a cadet force.

Q14: Will there be any fees?

A14: No, this is a state school.

Q15: Is anyone making profit out of this?

A15: No, the UTC will be a not-for-profit organisation run as an independent charitable trust. The employers that support the UTC with equipment, ideas and specialist staff will do so voluntarily.

Q16: How do the employers fit in?

A16: Employers help us decide what subjects we should teach by showing us the skills they want young people to have. They also set major “challenges” that we can organise our teaching around, provide guest lecturers and mentors for the students and come in to assess the work students have done. Our employers include Dstl, QinetiQ, Public Health England, Chemring and Tetricus.

Q17: How will the UTC be governed and managed?

A17: The UTC will be operated by an independent charitable trust. The Trustees will nominate a Board of Governors to oversee the running of the school and this will include nominees from the University of Southampton, Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire College, local employers, community groups, staff and parents. A Principal Designate and curriculum heads for Science and Engineering will be appointed well in advance of the UTC’s opening.

Q18: Will the UTC have an overtly military atmosphere? That would put my child off.

A18: No, the UTC will have a professional and business-like atmosphere that will reflect the wide range of employers who are supporting us. The aim is to produce young people who will be comfortable and effective in a wide range of Science and Engineering workplaces.

Q19: How will the students be selected?

A19: The UTC will not have any academic selection, in the way that Grammar Schools do. We will welcome applicants of all abilities. Our Admissions Policy, which explains exactly what we will do if we are over-subscribed, is on our website www.wiltshire-utc.co.uk. Local people (living within 20 miles of the UTC) will have priority as will children from Army families and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Q20: Will there be sports and PE?

A20: All students in Years 10 and 11 will have PE, which we will organise in partnership with local leisure centres. There will also be the opportunity to take part in sports and outdoor activities as part of a wide-ranging “extension activities” programme.