Enthusiastic UTC students impress Aylesbury MP on school visit

Laura Kyrke-Smith MP was given a tour of Aylesbury UTC, including its health and social care suite and digital design facilities, by principal Joe Dunckley and representatives of the UTC’s support body, the Baker Dearing Educational Trust.

The suite is brand-new and was opened last year by former Ofsted chief inspector Sir Mike Tomlinson and former Aylesbury MP Rob Butler. The facility includes a practical health suite with a two bed hospital ward and an assessment/triage room, as well as an authentic social care environment with a mock home and kitchen.

Students have made use of the facility to study new T Level qualifications, which include a mandatory 315-hour placement with an employer.

Aylesbury UTC recently received £120,000 to upgrade its digital facilities with new computers, virtual reality headsets, and industry-standard Adobe software, in addition to other equipment.

During the visit, Kyrke-Smith met with students and discussed education issues with staff and Baker Dearing. This included teacher recruitment and retention, as Aylesbury UTC has been at the forefront of offering flexible working for staff.

This approach, where teachers can spend one day a week planning lessons, marking, and completing other administrative tasks at home, has “demonstrably” aided recruitment and retention, according to Dunckley.

Aylesbury UTC is one of England’s 44 University Technical Colleges, which are secondary schools delivering specialist technical education to students normally aged between 14 and 19.

The delivery of technical education incurs great costs, so Kyrke-Smith also heard how Baker Dearing is lobbying the government to increase the funding for technical subjects such as health or design and technology.

This will help UTCs prepare students for careers in key sectors such as healthcare and digital. Last year, students leaving a UTC at age 18 were five times more likely to progress onto an apprenticeship than the national average.

The constituency’s new MP also discussed the government's ongoing curriculum and assessment review and Baker Dearing’s plans to expand the benefits of a UTC education to more schools through its UTC Sleeve initiative.

Laura Kyrke-Smith MP said: “I was delighted to visit Aylesbury UTC and see the facilities it has to provide young people in our area with a fantastic technical education.

“I was really impressed by the students’ enthusiasm, skills and knowledge. It was also great to learn more about how Aylesbury UTC is working with local employers to prepare students for the jobs of the future here in Aylesbury constituency.

“I am committed to ensuring all young people across Aylesbury and the villages have access to the skills and high-quality training opportunities they need to enable them to succeed in the workplace.”

Aylesbury UTC principal Joe Dunckley commented: “It was a pleasure to showcase our UTC and students to Laura Kyrke-Smith. She has an obvious passion for education and for the welfare of young people.

“Our students were excellent ambassadors during her visit and were vital for demonstrating how a UTC prepares young people for careers in key sectors such as health and digital.

“That has only been possible due to our cutting-edge facilities and expert staff. To remain possible, we will need greater funding to deliver technical subjects.”

Baker Dearing Educational Trust chief executive Simon Connell commented: “It is fantastic to be able to show members of parliament around UTCs and for them to see how these schools open up career and life opportunities for so many young people.

“The UTC network has had a tremendously successful start to the year, with high student enrolment across the network. Many UTC students who left at the end of last year will also have progressed onto apprenticeships and degrees in science and technology disciplines.

"This shows why UTCs like Aylesbury are the best means of delivering high-quality, employer-led technical education for school students.”