The Oxford and Cherwell Valley College (OCVC) Group, lead
sponsors of the new University Technical College that will be based in
Reading, today announced the official name and other important
developments, including the project receiving formal approval from the
government and the procurement of a site.
Reading’s University Technical College will be called UTC Reading and
the site has been secured on Crescent Road in East Reading which will
accommodate 600 students when at full capacity. This location is in a
central position to serve the proposed wide catchment area, which
includes young people within a 15 mile radius of postcode RG1 5RQ in
East Reading, extending to Newbury, Slough, Basingstoke and Farnborough.
UTC Reading’s site offers extensive playing fields for sport and
recreational activities, to ensure that the 14 to 19 year olds starting
in September 2013 have all of the facilities for the planned programme
of extra-curricular activities.
The recruitment drive to appoint a new principal for UTC Reading is also
underway and the sponsors plan to have the chosen candidate in post by
January 2013, to be in place to spearhead the launch. Other teaching and
support staff will be recruited soon after. Another key development has
been an agreement between Schools Minister Lord Hill and the sponsors.
The signing of a ‘funding agreement’ is a key milestone in the process
of developing the UTC to open in September 2013, as Chief Executive of
OCVC, Sally Dicketts, comments:
“The funding agreement being signed means that this project is really
happening. Now that we have a name, location and this funding secured we
are on the right path in seeing the dream of UTC Reading become a
reality. By 2013 I am confident we will have a leading-edge facility
that Reading and the region will be proud of, that can inspire the next
generation of computer science and IT specialists through education.”
UTC Reading will specialise in computer science and software
engineering, taught alongside the national curriculum. This means that
students get the benefit of practical study of the specialist subjects
whilst still taking the GCSE’s and A-levels that they would take at a
regular school; getting the best of both worlds. The specialist
curriculum proposed by the UTC will appeal to secondary school-aged
pupils interested in computer science and/or engineering who are keen on
pursuing and developing their talents.
Making all of this happen is a committed partnership made up of sponsors
and partners. These include Reading College, Reading School, the
University of Reading, Microsoft, Cisco, Network Rail and Peter Brett
Associates. Together the sponsor and partners believe they can help
create a new kind of facility for 14 to 19 year olds, that brings
together the combination of education and industry to give them the best
possible start in their professional life.
Steve Beswick, Director of Education for Microsoft and a key Industry Partner for UTC Reading, comments: “Microsoft has a long and proud history supporting education in the UK.
One area of focus for us is the promotion of computer science in schools
for young people. This promotion is essential so that we can develop
talent and ensure the UK continues to produce world class computer
science and programming graduates. The Memorandum of Understanding we
have signed with the new UTC Reading represents a further deepening of
our commitment to this cause and underlines Microsoft’s strategy of
transforming the way technology is used and taught in schools.”
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