UTC Swindon celebrates 10th birthday

STEM-focused school and sixth form UTC Swindon marked its 10 years anniversary alongside other pioneering university technical colleges.

UTC Swindon representatives Sam Knowlton, Hollie Danby, Clair Dallamore and Paul Holmes attended the Baker Dearing Educational Trust’s annual dinner and summer conference, where they celebrated 10 years of UTC Swindon being open with a special award.

The Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which supports university technical colleges (UTCs) across England, held the celebration as part of its annual conference, where a number of UTCs were marking 10-year anniversaries, including Swindon’s sister school, UTC Heathrow, also part of the Activate Learning Education Trust.

Chairs, governors, principals and staff networked at the Baker Dearing event and heard from a number of guest speakers, including UTC alumni and Baker Dearing chairman Lord Baker, who has recently been promoting UTCs at the House of Lords. 

Lord Baker said he was working to ‘expose the success of UTCs’ to the new Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP.

Like many of the new wave of STEM focused schools, UTC Swindon opened in September 2014 with a new approach to educating 14-19-year olds, through a focus on technical subjects that bridge the gap between the world of education and the world of work.

All UTCs have STEM specialisms, in Swindon’s case it is Engineering, Digital or Cyber Security. Students study these alongside core GCSE subjects; post 16 the curriculum becomes more specialist.

The campus is on the north-western edge of Swindon Railway Village, built in the 1840s for workers at the Great Western Railway’s Swindon Works.

Activate Learning Education Trust CEO Jo Harper said: “Marking a decade of dedication and success, we reflect on the incredible accomplishments of our students, the commitment of our staff, and the vital support from our community. Watching our students achieve their goals and pursue their passions has been immensely rewarding. 

"Thank you to everyone who has been part of this extraordinary journey. Here’s to many more years of inspiring young minds and transforming lives through learning.”