Hull’s new employer-led school has seen another flood of student applications, meaning it is over-subscribed eight months before the start of the next academic year.
The pioneering Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC), which is backed by several of the city’s leading businesses, including RB, Siemens Gamesa and Smith & Nephew, has received 325 applications – well in excess of the 230 places available for the next intake of students in September.
Demand has intensified following the successful opening in September of one of the UK’s most technologically advanced schools and indicates the strong support among students and parents for the UTC’s business-like approach to learning.
Principal Sarah Pashley said: “We’re delighted interest in the school and enthusiasm for our employer-led education model continue to grow.
“We’re even more over-subscribed than we were at this stage last year and a key factor is that the school is now open and prospective students and their parents can see the state-of-the-art facilities and meet our excellent staff and students.
“It has also been great to have our current students share their positive experiences of learning at Ron Dearing UTC and talk about the exceptional opportunities we offer them to develop skills and experience for great careers with some of the region’s biggest and best employers.”
Ron Dearing UTC’s Founding Partners are the University of Hull and some of the region’s leading employers – KCOM, RB, Siemens Gamesa, Smith & Nephew and Spencer Group. It is also supported by a host of other business partners.
Ron Dearing UTC students apply their academic learning to real-life projects set by the employer sponsors, study for professional qualifications in high demand by industry, and are supported by business mentors from the partner companies.
The exceptionally high level of applications follows a phenomenal response to a series of three open events held at the new school in Hull city centre.
A total of 1,600 prospective students, parents or guardians and family members attended the events, staged to give them a chance to find out how an education at Ron Dearing UTC gives young people the edge in the competitive jobs market. That’s almost 600 more than came to the corresponding events the year before.
Visitors to the open events heard about the school’s unique, employer-driven education model and curriculum, which combines academic excellence in the core subjects of English, maths and sciences with the opportunity to specialise in digital technology and/or mechatronics – a combination of computing and engineering.
Parent Toni Longley, from west Hull, attended with her 14-year-old son Declan and said she had applied for him to join the school.
“It’s very impressive,” she said. “I like that the school is focused on guiding young people into the workplace. That’s what I think traditional schools are missing out on – it’s all education focused, rather than developing the skills that employers need.”
Students or their parents/guardians can apply to join Ron Dearing UTC in September in Year 10 (age 14) and Year 12 (age 16) by going to www.rondearingutc.com/apply
Pictured: Lily-Mai Round, 13, experiences Ron Dearing UTC’s state-of-the-art virtual reality facilities, watched by parents Danny Round and Natasha Dalee. Lily-Mai hopes to join the employer-led school with her brother Harley 15.
