Chair of the Department for Education‘s Curriculum and Assessment Review Professor Becky Francis witnessed what can be achieved with a UTC education when she spent three hours at London Design and Engineering UTC on 19 May.

This visit was vital for explaining the UTC model and its successes to the review panel, who have been tasked by the DfE with delivering a broader curriculum, with improved access to music, art, sport and drama, as well as vocational subjects. However, UTCs will be exempted from the new national curriculum.

While at LDE, Francis and her team met Baker Dearing CEO Kate Ambrosi and were given a detailed presentation on the UTC by Principal Geoffrey Fowler, before having the opportunity to spend time with students, discussing their experience and why they had chosen the UTC.

One student told Francis that she had decided to stay on at the UTC rather than go to another, highly selective sixth-form, because she believed she would have been disadvantaged due to that school’s lack of employer engagement.

Francis also toured the UTC’s impressive technical facilities, including the Festo suite and VR Lab. Here, T Level engineering students showed Professor Francis their entries to the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA)‘s TDI Challenge, which Baker Dearing is supporting.

Posting on LinkedIn, Francis commented: “I thoroughly enjoyed this visit! It was wonderful to talk to your amazing students and hear about their work, as well as to see the impressive facilities and practice. Thanks very much again to Geoffrey and staff at the UTC for hosting me.”

Commenting afterwards, Fowler said: “Our learners and staff took great pride in showcasing the incredible work they do in partnership with our outstanding employers. I was especially pleased to hear Becky’s enthusiasm and praise for our embedded employer engagement model, and how clearly she recognised its impact.”