红桃影视

Leaders of a university technical college in Hertfordshire have spoken of their 鈥渄isappointment鈥� after the government confirmed it will close due to low student demand.

The Watford UTC will see its current students in years 11 and 13 through to the end of the academic year before it closes. New starts for years 10 and 12 were suspended last year.

Its closure means an uncertain future for the college鈥檚 22 staff members.

Watford UTC will be the 13th UTC to cease operation since their inception in 2010. UTCs are academies which focus on technical education alongside core curriculum subjects, with most students joining at 14.

Insufficient pupil numbers send UTC into the red

Year-end accounts at Watford UTC for 2022 indicated its governing body had agreed 鈥渂y mutual consent鈥� with the Department for Education to close.

A 鈥渟olvent winding up鈥� of the organisation will be completed within 12 months of its accounts being filed.

The college has not attracted as many students as projected since it opened in 2014, receiving less funding than anticipated as a consequence.

Financial figures showed a net revenue deficit of 拢103,000 in 2021-22, with a net book value of fixed assets valued at 拢7.7 million.

The Baker Dearing Trust, which exists to support and licence UTCs, said efforts to stabilise the college had included bolstering numbers by applying to lower its entry age and a proposal to join a multi-academy trust.

A spokesperson said those efforts offered 鈥減romising results for the long-term sustainability,鈥� to both the school and education provision in Watford.

鈥淲e are disappointed in this outcome, especially considering the UTC鈥檚 鈥榞ood鈥� rating from Ofsted and the high-quality destinations the UTC students have been able to achieve with staff,鈥� they said.

Ash Patil, chair of governors at the UTC, said they were 鈥渄isappointed with this outcome, as staff, governors and stakeholders have been working hard on a solution to safeguard the future of the UTC鈥�.

鈥淓very effort will be made to ensure students are supported to complete their studies successfully.鈥�

University technical college has just 54 students

The UTC鈥檚 website said it offered full-time and technically orientated courses for up to 600 students aged 14 to 19, but actual numbers have been far lower in recent years.

At the time of its Ofsted inspection in March 2017 it had 169 students, about half of whom were on 16 to 19 programmes.

The college currently has 54 students 鈥� 39 in year 11 and 15 in year 13. New enrolments stopped last year while the DfE considered the college鈥檚 future.

In May 2018, the Education and Skills Funding Agency handed the college a financial notice to improve because of budget concerns.

Officials tasked the UTC鈥檚 governing board with securing a balanced budget and growing student numbers at a realistic rate.

Plans for new UTCs despite recruitment challenges

More than 50 UTCs have opened since they were launched in 2010 by former education secretary Lord Baker. Many of the colleges have, however, faced financial difficulties and struggled to attract students.

The Baker Dearing Trust shared figures last year that showed student recruitment was improving across most UTCs, but Schools Week analysis found that while five are oversubscribed, more than half are less than two-thirds full.

The BDT has said that UTCs must be two-thirds full to be financially viable.

In November, chief executive Simon Connell said there were plans for three new UTCs.

Two of those were submitted in the most recent round of free school bids 鈥� one for a new UTC in Southampton being led by UTC Portsmouth, while the existing Doncaster UTC has applied for a health sciences and green technologies school.

Work on a third bid for Suffolk is ongoing with the aim of being lodged in a future application window.

Conservative MP for Watford, Dean Russell, who is also a governor at the college, paid tribute to Watford鈥檚 staff and governors and said that UTCs 鈥渉ave an important role to play in the country鈥檚 education鈥�.

鈥淭hat being said, following exhaustive efforts to find a route to keep the UTC open with every option examined and explored, I accept the Department for Education has had to come to this decision.鈥�