Top marks for UTC Sheffield after first Ofsted inspection

Ofsted visited UTC Sheffield’s city centre campus On Matlida Street for the first time last month.

The college – which has 489 students – opened in September 2013.

Inspectors gave an overall good rating, saying the college leaders had established a ‘business-like culture’ and a vocational curriculum ‘closely aligned to the needs of employers and universities’.

Teaching resources were described as ‘high quality’ and respect for teachers was found to be good.

Inspectors said pupils’ understanding of the world of work ‘strengthens their commitment to learning and develops their sense of direction’.

They found achievement and progress at GCSE and post-16 level was strong, with a quarter of students moving on to an apprenticeship.

One negative was that Key Stage 4 attendance was not as high as it could have been.

The college’s executive principal Nick Crew said: “Leading the establishment of Yorkshire’s first university technical college in Sheffield City Region has been a real privilege.

“Ofsted’s validation of the strength of our provision after only two years of operation clearly shows that we are one of the best UTCs in the country.”

The college works with further and higher education across Sheffield to offer as many opportunities to its students as possible. The Sheffield College is its lead sponsor, while Sheffield Hallam University and the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce act as co-sponsors.

Mr Crew said: “Young people develop high level skills that equip them for careers in two sectors of regional growth.

“All of this could not have been achieved without the special partnership between employers, Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Sheffield and The Sheffield College. I want to thank them for their support.”

Chairman of Sheffield UTC Academy Trust Richard Wright added: “Across further education in Sheffield we are trying to prioritise the needs of the employers and students over everything else so we make a real contribution to the future growth plans.

UTCs are a very important part of that in their specific sectors and this result shows how well the UTC Sheffield city centre campus is doing.”