One in Five UTCs in UK Were Marked by Ofsted Inspectors as “Inadequate”

As reported by The Guardian, the free schools changes initiated by Michael Gove in the UK turned out ineffective. More than a half of students dropped out from university technical colleges (UTCs). At that, even students who used to be high-achieving, had a much poorer performance in exams! The Typical Student team learned more of the situation.   

Ever since the UTC initiative started in 2011, about 60 UTCs have appeared in the UK. These institutions enrolled students aged 14 - 18 and aimed to boost the study of science, technology and engineering. However, the initiative failed despite getting generous financial support from the British government.

UTCs Failure: Facts & Figures

As reported by The Guardian, 10 UTCs have been eventually closed or converted into conventional schools. The Education Policy Institute has discovered that the majority of UTCs had problems with student recruitment and retention of those enrolled.

• Over 50% of all UTC students dropped out between the ages of 16 and 17 after taking GCSEs. Even more dropped out before finishing key stage five at the age of 18.

Ofsted inspectors rated:

• One in five UTCs as “inadequate”
• 40% of UTCs were rated as “requiring improvement.”

How Much Did UTCs Cost the Government?

The cost of establishing and running UTCs turned out to be pretty expensive. According to the National Education Union report:

• Black Country UTC in Walsall cost more than £11M over the time of its existence (2011-2015) with only 158 students enrolled out of a planned 480.
• Burnley UTC cost £10M over the time of its existence (2011-2013) with only 113 students enrolled out of planned 800.