Flagship UTC still leaves a school places gap
Published 14 Oct 2011 09:00
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IT IS hard not to be disappointed with this week's news that a flagship Reading school given the go ahead by the Government will only take pupils from 14 upwards - and not from the age of 11 as parents hoped.
The Conservative-led Coalition appears more concerned about its legacy and nurturing the University Technical College brainchild of Lord Baker than helping struggling towns like Reading address the urgent shortage of secondary places for primary school leavers.
It should be stressed that any new education provision is a plus, and such schools will go a long way to equipping less academic youngsters with the technical skills to become assets on the increasingly tough job market.
But at an already confusing time in a young person's life it will be highly disconcerting to be moving schools after two years and just before GCSE courses begin, and schools face having their year nine stripped of pupils heading for a UCT.
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 13 Oct 11
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