South Bank Engineering UTC

Sponsorship and specialisms

The UTC is sponsored by London South Bank University, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Skanska, and Purico. UTCs are specialist 14-19 state-funded schools led by universities and industry sponsors. In line with other UTCs across the country, South Bank has a specialism aligned to a skills gap in the local economy. In this case, the engineering specialism generally is focused on building engineering and medical engineering, sectors struggling to recruit sufficient staff in London with the required skills and experience. Building engineering, aligned most closely to Skanska as a sponsor, concerns the systems used in building including ventilation, energy, ICT and lighting for example, and makes extensive use of digital technologies including BIM (Building Information Modelling) and CAD (Computer Aided Design). With a huge construction boom in London and rapidly accelerating technologies incorporated into building design, building engineering is a growth sector. Medical engineering is more aligned to the two NHS Trusts which sponsor the UTC: with a very large cluster of health facilities in London and again with rapidly advancing medical technology, there is an acute shortage of suitable entrants into medical engineering as a sector.

The UTC aims to operate a highly academic curriculum with high standards, such that students are able to access a wide range of higher education opportunities. This curriculum will be delivered in a technical context, with deep industry links, regular exposure to technical and digital technologies and through practical projects.

Intake

As a University Technical College, South Bank Engineering UTC will be open to students from 14–19 years of age, with admissions into Years 10 and 12 each academic year. As a sub-regional school, rather than a local authority provision, the UTC is likely to draw its applicants from a wide catchment ranging across London borough boundaries.

The UTC will have a maximum capacity of 150 students in each year group, growing to a full capacity of 600. There are no entry requirements for admission into Year 10: the UTC is non-selective and aims to be fully inclusive while recognising its status as a non-traditional, small school. For the 6th form, applicants must secure at least 5 GCSEs at A*-C grade including both English and maths to gain entry to level 3 courses.

Governance

South Bank Engineering UTC is an academy, and is part of the South Bank Academies Trust. It has a sister school in Walworth, University Academy of Engineering South Bank. The UTC has a local governing body reporting in to a central board of trustees.

Location

South Bank Engineering UTC will be based in Brixton at 52 Brixton Hill, London SW2 1QS. This site is currently under construction with Bowmer and Kirkland as main contractor, with three institutions sharing the main new build, funded by the Educational Funding Agency. Each institution will have their own entrance:

In the 2016-17 academic year, the UTC will operate from temporary buildings on site while the construction of the final build is completed. A ceiling on numbers of 150 students in total has been imposed due to the capacity of the temporary accommodation.

Years 10 and 11

Year 10 students will study a technical curriculum based around a core of GCSEs. Unconventionally, there are no optional subjects, with students all following the same curriculum pathway:

To supplement the core curriculum, all students will work through projects, co-designed and co-delivered with university and employer partners. The projects are all designed to give students experience of authentic challenges faced in engineering, with outputs in the form of designs, products, presentations or videos rather than traditional written work. Some projects announced to date include

Years 12 and 13

The Year 12 curriculum is built around A levels and BTEC engineering qualifications, with the following subjects on offer initially:

This taught curriculum is supplemented by university and employer projects, including masterclasses, 'expert witness' sessions, site visits, work experience and internships.

Professional Qualifications

In line with its focus on preparing students for careers in the engineering sector, South Bank Engineering UTC will offer a suite of professional qualifications. These give students, along with parents and local partners, the opportunity to learn and gain accreditation in Microsoft Office, Adobe and Autodesk products initially, thereby developing their employability.

Specialist equipment

Unusually for a state-funded school. South Bank Engineering UTC will have access to industry-standard equipment. This will include

Employability focus

In line with its vision of developing the employability of its students, the UTC operates differently to many mainstream secondary schools. The rationale behind these UTC-unique features are to give students experience of a work-like environment in partnership with their potential employers:

Partners

Pathways

Students will have a number of pathways open to them on leaving the UTC. These include progression to university, into employment or into higher level apprenticeships, often with sponsors and partner organisations.