102-472: Thomas Telford School is a City Technology College in Telford , Shropshire and is sponsored by The Mercers Company and Tarmac Holdings Limited. The school was founded in 1991 as the eighth of fifteen specialist CTCs set up to raise educational standards in inner-city areas. The catchment area includes Telford , Wolverhampton and the villages and suburbs in between. One of the school's initial main aims
204-402: A CAD/CAM suite; which provides access to Roland CAM CNC milling and machining equipment and a set of 3D printers. The CAD/CAM suite also consists of an HP A1 Pantone printer, HP A3 colour laser printer and HP A3 inkjet laser printer as well as the school's network of other laser printers. The CAD/CAM suite also houses around fifty computers for students to produce work on the various CAD packages
306-771: A comprehensive system has been retained, with no specialist schools in Wales and few specialist schools in Scotland. There were 12 specialist schools in Northern Ireland as of 2015. From 1993 (2006 in Northern Ireland) to 2011, specialist schools in England and Northern Ireland were granted additional government funding through the specialist schools programme . This programme limited the specialisms available to schools unless they had academy status , which
408-464: A means-test and were on low-income . Families with a higher income still had to pay fees, although the government would pay toward some of the costs. The scheme was renamed the Music and Dance scheme (MDS) in 2002. Eight independent schools, including four music schools and four dance schools, along with 12 music centres and ten dance centres were participating in the scheme as of September 2022. In
510-416: A "more Treasury -friendly" concept for specialist schools. The cost of each CTC in public money was unexpectedly high; their buildings had to be built from the ground up as LEAs refused to provide disused school buildings, which had significantly increased the cost of the programme. The government looked for an alternative way to create more specialist schools for technology and science. Its first solution
612-507: A "special" basis. Unlike other state-funded schools at this time, these institutions would not be run by their local education authority (LEA or simply local authority). These plans were the brainchild of Schools Minister Bob Dunn , who had been pushing the Secretary of State for Education and Science Keith Joseph to introduce British magnet schools , with the ultimate aim of encouraging specialisation and increased parental choice in
714-506: A curricular emphasis on science and technology. They would be funded jointly by the central government and industrial sponsors, who would have significant influence in the management of the schools, and controlled by educational trusts instead of the local education authorities (LEAs) which had funded and controlled all state schools up to this point. In 1987 the City Technology Colleges Trust , made to oversee
816-510: A greater contribution from the government, and the resulting schools tended to be on the outskirts of cities. After the programme was abandoned, the government embarked on the more modest aim of designating some existing schools as Technology Colleges , the first non-CTC specialist schools. The Learning and Skills Act 2000 introduced a similar type of school, the City Academy, later renamed Academy . Differences from CTCs include halving
918-614: A health worker later on!" From 2020, some free schools have been opened with specialist Maths or Science College status under education secretary Gavin Williamson 's COVID-19 recovery plan. From 2022, specialist sixth form free schools are set to open in 55 locations designated by the government as " Education Investment Areas ". They will primarily serve disadvantaged children. The precursor to academies, City Technology Colleges, specialised in technology-based subjects, mostly science and technology. City Technology Colleges were
1020-435: A life size model of a World War II Spitfire on the first episode of the series James May's Toy Stories . The school has used IT for education, making use of electronic whiteboards provided by Smart Technologies in all classrooms, learning bases and study rooms. The school provides an extranet, which is run using Virtual Office, allowing students and staff to access their files and e-mail from home. The school has
1122-493: A local authority competition called the free school presumption. Free schools can be established on the basis of providing a location with a new subject specialism. In 2019, 3,000 English secondary schools, or 90% of all the secondary schools in England, were specialising in one or more subjects. It was also found that community schools maintained by their local authority were just as likely as academies and other schools run by trusts to specialise. The number of specialist schools
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#17327764345021224-543: A number of additional proposed CTCs that never opened: Development Corporation Francis' All-girls Secondary School Specialist school (United Kingdom) Specialist schools in the United Kingdom (sometimes branded as specialist colleges in England and Northern Ireland ) are schools with an emphasis or focus in a specific specialised subject area, which is called a specialism , or alternatively in
1326-453: A scheme that introduced a means-test for parents similar to the one seen in the scheme for direct grant grammar schools . A second report entitled Training Musicians was commissioned by the foundation in 1978. This report evaluated the state of specialist music education and recommended "that exceptionally talented young musicians and dancers should have access to elite education, regardless of their financial circumstances". This led to
1428-434: A similar definition to Smith's in 2010. The 2015 UK-based Oxford Dictionary of Education defines a specialist school as "[a] secondary school which specializes in the teaching of a particular area of the curriculum", while the sixth edition of Essential Public Affairs for Journalists , an Oxford University publication from 2019, concludes that specialist school is "a catch-all term embracing each and every school with
1530-429: A specialism" and not a particular category of school. A specialism is a specialist school's chosen subject area of focus. Schools that gained specialist school status in the specialist schools programme could accordingly rebrand themselves as specialist schools or, alternatively, as specialist colleges. The specialist college branding was seen as a label of prestige. There were 2,000 of these specialist colleges in
1632-482: A technological education. Despite this, the schools would not use an eleven-plus exam as was customary in other selective schools, and would be classified as comprehensive schools . They would specialise in science, technology and mathematics and have a strong provision for information technology and vocational education . The first CTCs opened under the terms of the Education Reform Act 1988 in
1734-696: A three-year (later four-year) curricular development plan. If approved, the schools were then designated with technology college status and rewarded with a £100,000 capital grant to be spent towards the technology specialism over a three-year (later four-year) period to match the development plan, re-designating after this period expired. This provided the basic framework for specialist schools in England under which 90% of its secondary schools would later specialise. The required money in sponsorship would be lowered to £50,000 in 1999 and removed entirely in 2010, though designated specialist schools would not receive any additional funding after designation if they did not raise
1836-408: Is a type of academy. Studio schools typically serve around 300 14 to 19-year-old students regardless of academic aptitude and operate with a unique year-round 9 to 5 school day, meant to emulate work . Furthermore, studio schools combine academic studies and vocational education, specialising in a multitude of subject fields including gaming and marine industries . Studio schools appear to inherit
1938-507: Is connected to a "local industry partner". UTCs focus on a mixed technical and academic curriculum and are meant to progress their students into the technical work sector . There are seven main UTC specialisms; engineering, digital technology, design, creative media, science, health and construction. Maths schools, as the name suggests, specialise in mathematics. They are the first exclusively sixth form specialist schools, serving students between
2040-490: Is employed in schools, they decide on new schools and closing old schools. This is like a bunch of Soviet republics; we have in Britain effectively a bunch of Soviet republics, and the whole thing needs to be opened up." In July 1991, the new Prime Minister John Major praised CTCs for "meeting head-on a demand for technical education, which as a country we have neglected for a century past." He also announced plans to "remove
2142-480: Is exclusive to England, and required them to raise money in private sector sponsorship before specialising. Since its discontinuation in 2011, the requirement of sponsorship and limitations on specialism have been lifted, but schools no longer gain extra funding for being a specialist school in those countries. In Scotland, specialist schools are directly funded by the government, unlike other schools which are funded by their local authority . In 1998, Tony Edwards of
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#17327764345022244-462: Is extended to free schools, with many being opened with the purpose of offering a location another subject specialism. This includes primary free schools, such as Ramsgate Arts Primary School, which has specialist status in the arts. Unique academy specialisms were dismissed by Cyril Taylor as "just weird". Taylor instead preferred "mainstream specialisations", further adding that academies should "Teach kids some basic hard academic subjects, learn to be
2346-533: Is now instead granted based on meeting benchmarks set by the DfE. This effectively rendered the specialist schools programme defunct. The requirement for academies to have specialisms, of which all 203 open academies had at the time, were abolished. Despite this, academies are still able to freely select and fund specialisms. The Specialist Schools Trust (now called the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust)
2448-517: Is viewed as enriching the original curricular offer of the school. Devolution has led to different policies and concepts around specialist schools in each of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom . In England, a near-universal specialist system of secondary education has been established, with the majority of secondary schools (3,000 or 90%) specialising in one or more subjects as of 2019, while in Wales and Scotland
2550-525: The Department for Education and Science , Keith Joseph. The schools' independence from local authority control attracted Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her policy adviser Brian Griffiths , both of whom wanted local authorities phased out of the education system. Thatcher supported the policy on these grounds, alongside the belief that it would improve education and give schools increased autonomy from their local authorities. Finally, Baker announced
2652-566: The North East and South West of England, so most pupils had to relocate if they wished to attend one. There are also specialist preparatory schools in England. In 1965, a report called Making Musicians was commissioned by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation . The report, which was chaired by Gilmour Jenkins , recommended the creation of new "special music schools at primary and secondary level". Following
2754-445: The sixth form and provide a unique curriculum throughout the school day, offering subjects such as coding and robotics . Although there are many different types of specialist school, most share some common features. Specialist schools share a common purpose of acting as centres of excellence . For example, maths schools are expected to be centres of excellence in teaching A-Level mathematics and specialist schools introduced by
2856-539: The "community dimension", forming connections with nearby local schools and the community. The programme was introduced to Scotland in 2005 and Northern Ireland in 2006, discontinuing in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Some Northern Irish schools have since retained specialist status. High performing specialist status Some schools that demonstrated that they were achieving significantly higher results than other schools were invited to apply to be designated as high performing specialist schools . This typically allowed
2958-626: The 2000s, and many of them took an interest in possibly rebranding themselves as specialist colleges through the specialist schools programme. Some special schools in England are now specialist schools for a specific area of special educational need. There are four possible areas to specialise in: communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, and sensory and physical needs. To specialise in one of these areas, special schools must have pupils aged 11 and above. They cannot specialise in more than one of these areas, but can further specialise within an area to reflect
3060-724: The 2009-10 academic year the school won two national football finals and were finalists and semi-finalists in a further 3. Also, the Synchronised Swimming Teams are currently national champions and a former student won a gold medal in the European School Games in 2006. In recent years, the school choir has been invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, which is an honour for any choir The school's current headmaster, Kevin Satchwell ,
3162-521: The Cameron-Clegg coalition, being introduced in 2014. Although there are plans for more to be introduced from 2022, there are currently only three maths schools; King's College London Mathematics School , University of Liverpool Maths School and Exeter Mathematics School . Normal academies are free to choose their specialisms, with some selecting unique specialisms such as Wren Academy 's design and built environment specialism. This privilege
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3264-678: The City Technology Colleges programme at the 1986 Conservative Party Conference , which had a goal of creating a national network of new CTCs that would boost educational diversity and parental choice in the school system, while also improving educational standards in their local areas. As expected, around twenty of these new schools were planned for creation in urban inner cities next to secondary schools already in operation, and all of them would have total independence from their LEA. They would serve pupils aged from eleven to eighteen, selecting them based on their "attitudes" towards
3366-593: The Education Reform Act 1988. Taylor argued that this would allow the government to gradually pay for the subject over a long period of time, and that it would also salvage the failures of the CTC programme. Nevertheless, the programme had to be discontinued in 1993 because of the increasing economic pressures caused by the 1992 sterling crisis . Overall, fifteen CTCs were established in England while none were established in Wales. Three of these remain open in
3468-515: The Music and Dance Scheme. The CTC programme was supported and announced by education secretary Kenneth Baker. Although most major companies and businessmen saw no reason to support the programme, sponsors were found in people like Lord Harris (later the sponsor of the Harris Federation ), Harry Djanogly , Stanley Kalms and Michael Ashcroft . The City Technology Colleges Trust led by Cyril Taylor also sponsored, oversaw and delivered
3570-493: The RISE Trust said that, in the United Kingdom, a specialist school could "simply be the neighbourhood school which has decided to emphasise a curriculum strength". In 2007, Sean Coughlan of BBC News defined specialist schools as state schools which "specialise in one or more subject areas", while Alexandra Smith of The Guardian defined them as "[s]chools that focus on a particular subject area". Channel 4 News used
3672-536: The Specialist Schools Trust (SST). This was done to reflect the rising popularity of specialist status and to represent the increased specialisms available (there were now eight). By January 2004, 54% of English secondaries were specialists, rising to 75% by the 2005/2006 academic year . The programme was introduced to Scotland and Northern Ireland in both of these years and, by 2011, there were 44 specialist schools in Northern Ireland. In 2007,
3774-568: The Technology Colleges Trust (it oversaw and delivered the programme). Cyril Taylor, chairman of the trust and successive adviser to multiple education secretaries, convinced leader of the opposition Tony Blair to support specialist schools. Following the 1997 general election , the Conservative government stepped down and was replaced by a Labour one . The new education secretary was David Blunkett . Blunkett
3876-400: The Technology Colleges Trust's affiliation scheme. That same year new education secretary, Estelle Morris , published the education white paper Schools Achieving Success. This white paper outlined plans to introduce more specialisms and to expand the number of specialist schools to 50% of English secondaries by 2005. In 2002 the Technology Colleges Trust was renamed yet again, this time to
3978-807: The United Kingdom in 2005. In the context of education after the age of 16, the term specialist college refers to institutions of further education that focus on one course or subject rather than the usual wide selection of courses. Unlike sixth form colleges with specialist school status, which still teach their specialised subject within a broader curriculum, these specialist colleges are completely based around their specialism, and their facilities and staff's specialist subject knowledge challenge those of normal schools. Although they may be confused with each other, specialist schools have no relation to special schools. Special schools specialise in teaching special needs children rather than specific subject areas, but have been allowed to gain specialist school status since
4080-564: The Youth Sport Trust (YST). It took on the City Technology Colleges Trust's task of helping schools raise the required sponsorship for specialist designation in sport and, like it, was funded by the DfE to do so. By the end of 1996, 182 schools had been designated with specialist school status, with the majority being Technology Colleges. In light of this, the City Technology Colleges Trust was renamed to
4182-525: The act came into force, schools in England and Wales could already specialise in the core subjects. Despite being covered by the act, no more specialist schools were established in Wales, and the schools participating in the TSI would lose their specialist school status when it ended in 1994. The act was repealed by the Education Act 1996 , which retained its provisions without modifying them. At first,
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4284-451: The ages of 16 and 19. They, like UTCs, are sponsored by universities. These universities are those that are noted for being "selective mathematics universities". Maths schools admit students on a selective basis, with an 8 grade in GCSE maths being the minimum requirement. They are meant to prepare students for entry into their corresponding sponsor universities. They were announced in 2011 by
4386-511: The approval of government policy to expand them. Jesson would be employed by the Specialist Schools Trust in 2003, continuing research and releasing reports on specialist schools annually until 2013. Jesson's reports often concluded that specialist schools resulted in better student outcomes. It was found that non-selective specialist schools achieved significantly higher results at GCSE results than non-specialist comprehensive schools , that they achieved higher "added value" when prior achievement
4488-814: The buildings. More government funding is granted to be spent towards the school's pupils. This funding fluctuates on a per capita basis and depends on the size of the total pupil population. CTCs teach the National Curriculum , but specialise in mainly technology-based subjects such as technology , science and mathematics . Like maintained schools, they are regularly inspected by the Office for Standards in Education . CTCs also forge close links with businesses and industry (mainly through their sponsors), and often their governors are directors of local or national businesses that are supporting or have supported
4590-467: The buildings. The rest of the capital costs, and all running costs, are met by the Department. CTCs operate as limited companies with articles of association and a board of governors . A CTC is governed through an operating agreement made between the Secretary of State for Education and whoever is responsible for establishing and running the school. This agreement includes the regulations for
4692-409: The case of some special schools in England, in a specific area of special educational need . They intend to act as centres of excellence in their specialism and, in some circumstances, may select pupils for their aptitude in it. Though they focus on their specialism, specialist schools still teach the full curriculum. Therefore, as opposed to being a significant move away from it, the specialism
4794-411: The central government via direct grant legislation and independent of local authority control, instead being partially controlled by private sector sponsors investing into them. Taylor thought that these schools could meet the growing demands for business qualifications in the workforce and also proposed a new provision for teacher training in these schools to combat the ongoing teacher shortage at
4896-512: The coalition in 2011, and the first of these were established from 2014. They are selective schools for 16–19 year olds with mathematical aptitude and they offer a specialist curriculum in mathematics. UTCs, studio schools and maths schools fall under the free school category. Introduced by the coalition, free schools are a type of academy which are established by trusts, charities, religious groups, voluntary groups, parents and teachers. The term also covers new academies which are set up through
4998-637: The colleges. The programme has been successful in the long term with all the CTCs being considered strong establishments with consistently high academic results. Plans to establish schools or colleges for technology in major urban areas were first reported in an article from The Sunday Times in December 1985. There would be between sixteen and twenty of these institutions serving 1000 pupils each. They would charge no fees and would be publicly funded through an educational trust , but would select their pupils on
5100-473: The creation of the Education Act 2011 , which removed the legal requirement for academies to specialise from November 2011. In line with new proposals from Kenneth Baker, new university technical colleges (UTCs) were established from 2011. These are technical and vocational specialist schools for 14–18 year olds. Studio schools , which are also specialist schools for 14–18 year olds, were established from 2010. Specialist maths schools were announced by
5202-528: The creation of the government's Music and Ballet Schools scheme (MBS) in 1982. The scheme designated five independent schools across England and Scotland with specialist school status in music, and gave them and the Royal Ballet School assisted places . This meant that children who passed one of their entrance examinations (the schools are selective in music) could be enrolled to them without needing to pay fees, provided that their parents passed
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#17327764345025304-562: The education system. These schools, if introduced, would be known as technology-plus schools, specialist schools for technology with extra funding from private sector sponsors. In January 1986, a Centre for Policy Studies meeting was held in the House of Lords . The meeting was organised by Cyril Taylor and focused on the growing issue of unemployment amongst the youth. Among the attendees were Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , Secretary of State for Employment David Young , who chaired
5406-471: The establishment of CTCs, was established. It was chaired by Cyril Taylor , a businessman and philanthropist whose proposal for the creation of 100 technical and technological schools to reduce rising levels of youth unemployment in January 1986 led to the creation of the CTC programme. Baker and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher tasked Taylor with overseeing the establishment of the CTCs and he had founded
5508-480: The financial commitment of the sponsor, and being bound by the Schools Admissions Code. The Labour government encouraged CTCs to convert into academies. In all, 15 City Technology Colleges were created, of which all but three have converted to academies: Philip and Pauline Harris Charitable Trust Although there were only 15 City Technology Colleges by the end of the programme, there were
5610-683: The first decade of the 21st century was the best-performing comprehensive school in England. In 2004, Thomas Telford School partnered with a local school, Madeley Academy , placing members of its own senior leadership in charge. The academy was graded Outstanding by Ofsted in 2009. The school has helped set up two other schools. These are in Walsall and Sandwell ; both are now fully built and operational. These are headed by former Deputy Headteachers at Thomas Telford School. All four current academies compete in Inter-Academy competitions throughout
5712-840: The first specialist schools and were introduced in 1988. The government's Music and Dance Scheme designates nine independent boarding schools throughout England and Scotland as specialist music and dance schools. These schools provide A-Levels and Highers and also offer day places. The nine specialist schools are: The UK Football Schools initiative provides specialist football education. The initiative consists of football boarding schools, football academies and football universities. Some specialist football boarding schools are private and some specialist football universities are international, with additional provision in Europe . The boarding schools offer free five day trials known as "football trial camps". All schools and universities within
5814-423: The following year through the Education Reform Act 1988 . These were the first specialist schools in the state sector. Their establishment marked the first phase of the specialist schools policy in England, with the government intending to introduce "relevant" subjects, primarily technology, to the general curriculum. From 1990, the new prime minister John Major was under increasing pressure to come up with
5916-465: The government as Education Investment Areas through its levelling-up policy . They will mainly serve disadvantaged children identified as being "talented" so that they have the highest standard of education available in England. The specialist schools programme introduced 12 types of specialist schools, with an additional curricular " rural dimension " option. They were categorised between "academic specialisms" and "practical specialisms". Although
6018-613: The initiative are funded by and partnered with UK Football Schools Limited, a private limited company headquartered in Redruth , Cornwall . Since 2008 multiple English schools have adopted a specialism in the four STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). A rarer specialism in the five STEAM subjects has also been adopted by schools. A new specialism called STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and mathematics) has recently been introduced. These specialist schools offer these subjects into
6120-403: The initiative separately. Overall, 222 schools in England and 27 schools in Wales benefited from the extra funding. The idea of turning existing secondary schools into specialist schools for technology came from Cyril Taylor, who had proposed it in response to the government's inability to pay for the implementation of technology as a compulsory subject in all schools, which had been enforced by
6222-456: The introduction of specialist Sports Colleges two years later, citing them as a solution to the lack of weekly two hour PE provision in half of schools. By 1997, when Labour entered government, new education secretary David Blunkett and Prime Minister Tony Blair both supported school specialisation. In a July 2000 session of parliament, Maidenhead MP Theresa May enquired Blunkett on whether he accepted specialist school statistics, noting that
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#17327764345026324-425: The late 1980s and early 1990s. The first City Technology College opened was The City Technology College, Kingshurst in 1988, which was later converted to an academy in 2008. The original intention was to improve education inside cities, but the programme was hampered by the refusal of local authorities in the targeted areas to provide suitable school sites. Building entirely new schools was much more expensive, requiring
6426-509: The meeting, and sixty other business leaders and politicians, twenty of whom were invited by Taylor. The twenty business leaders explained to Thatcher that the cause of youth unemployment was schools teaching the wrong skills to their pupils. They recommended, with Taylor, the creation of a hundred secondary schools similar to Bob Dunn's proposed technology-plus schools to deal with this issue. They would be urban inner city specialist schools for technological and technical education , funded by
6528-638: The new funding arrangements for specialist schools. In 2010 Labour left government and were replaced by the Cameron-Clegg coalition . The new education secretary, Michael Gove , announced that specialist school funding from the specialist schools programme would be mainstreamed from April 2011. This meant that schools would now have to receive funds for specialisms through the Dedicated Schools Grant and no longer had to designate or re-designate for specialist status. Specialist status
6630-481: The new programme, with the intention of building on the fifteen CTCs which by now had become the "pilot network" for the technology colleges. The Education Act 1993, which only applied to England and Wales , let grant-maintained and voluntary aided schools install sponsor governors and become technology colleges, subject to the consent of the Secretary of State for Education and Science . It also gave all state secondary schools, including those maintained by their LEA,
6732-440: The next few years. New language colleges were also announced as part of the programme, and it became the specialist schools programme (SSP). The first language colleges were designated in 1995. In 1996, arts colleges and sports colleges were also announced as part of the programme, and the first designations in these statuses were granted in 1997. Unlike the programme's other specialisms, sports colleges were supported by
6834-400: The number of student A to C grade GCSE results improved by only two thirds of that in non-specialists. Blunkett accepted the negative statistics, using them as a reason why more specialist schools needed to be designated. A year later, the new education secretary Estelle Morris published the education paper Schools Achieving Success . The expansion of the specialist schools programme was one of
6936-473: The present day, with the rest becoming academy schools in the 2000s. As the TSI came to an end in 1993 and 1994, the government moved toward establishing new technology colleges . Also proposed by Taylor, these schools would be created from existing secondary schools and would specialise in technology, maths and science. They differed from the technology schools in that they had to raise £100,000 in private sector sponsorship to match their capital grant, which
7038-630: The primary agendas of the white paper. At around the same time, Tony Blair's spokesman Alastair Campbell proclaimed that the "days of the bog-standard comprehensive" were over. Blair wanted the comprehensive system in England to be replaced by a "diversified" specialist school system and it was found in September of that year that specialist schools performed 10% higher than non-specialists in exam results. In 2002, Professor David Jesson began researching specialist schools. His research concluded with an emphasis of achievement brought by specialists and
7140-462: The programme was introduced to primary schools, with 34 schools receiving specialist status. "It is because specialism is now so firmly rooted in our schools that we’ve decided that it’s the right time to give schools greater freedom to make use of the opportunities offered by specialism and the associated funding. And just so that we’re all clear, we’ve not removed the funding – all of that money will continue to go to schools – but we have removed all
7242-431: The programme. Taylor was the main supporter of specialist schools, often being regarded as their pioneer. The supporters within the government were Chris Patten , Tony Kerpel , Alistair Burt , George Walden , Bob Dunn and Virginia Bottomley . Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her chief policy adviser, Brian Griffiths , also offered their guidance and feedback on the programme. Thatcher's main motivation for this
7344-408: The recommendations made some months prior by Cyril Taylor and his business leaders. The policy for the schools proposed in January's meeting, dubbed City Technology Colleges or simply CTCs, was developed in the five months following Baker's appointment. This was influenced from talks surrounding other proposed technical schools, namely the technology-plus schools proposed by Bob Dunn, which occurred at
7446-561: The report, four specialist independent schools for music were established, in addition to the one that was already open. In 1973 two of the five specialist schools, the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal Ballet Lower School , were designated as centres of excellence for the performing arts . Designation brought with it a direct grant from the Department of Education and Science and admittance into
7548-487: The right to specialise in one or more subject areas, with specialisms in art, drama, music, sport, foreign languages and technology also giving them the right to select 10% of their pupils on aptitude or ability in one of these five areas. Specialist schools still had to teach the National Curriculum and its "core" subjects, which were maths, science, English, and until September 1993 also technology. Before
7650-499: The same time. Like CTCs, Dunn's technology-plus schools would be inner city specialist schools for technology with independence from their local authorities with some involvement from industry sponsors. Baker and Dunn worked together to develop the CTC policy, with the help of six other main individuals. They were Chris Patten , Cyril Taylor, George Walden , Virginia Bottomley , Alistair Burt and Tony Kerpel , all of whom served as ministers or advisers to Baker and his predecessor at
7752-585: The school has which includes the latest version of AutoDesk Inventor. The school hosts its online curriculum in-house, with a web server and Real Streaming Media Server housed in the computer services department of the school. The school caters for students from the age of 11 through to 18. This is in a system of national year groups from Year 7 to 6.2 (year 13). GCSE and A-level results have also improved year on year and now results are consistently around 100% pass rates. Most students leave Thomas Telford with 12 or more pass GCSEs of which most are A or A* grades. In
7854-434: The school to apply for a further specialism, which brought with it additional funding so that the school could develop that further specialism. Some 900 schools (30% of specialist schools) have achieved this status. The English academies programme introduced three new specialist schools; the studio school, the maths school and the university technical college (UTC). All three schools are a type of free school, which in itself
7956-459: The school's educational provision (e.g. its curriculum and admissions policy). These are negotiated between the two parties and must be enforced by the school should it wish to receive government funding from the Secretary of State. This funding covers most capital costs and all running costs, although one fifth of capital costs are instead met by private business sponsors , who also own or lease
8058-530: The special needs they help with, for example in autistic spectrum disorders or in visual impairment . In the private sector of education, there are specialist schools for the performing arts such as theatre and stage schools . There were 11 specialist theatre schools in the United Kingdom in 2014, with most of these being in London or its surrounding areas. In 2015, none of these schools were in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and neither were there any in
8160-443: The specialist schools programme and Music and Dance Scheme are centres of excellence in their designated specialisms. Specialist schools may also receive additional funding in order to facilitate their status or specialism, with maths schools receiving £350,000 every year, specialist schools from the specialist schools programme formerly receiving £100,000 every four years and music and dance schools receiving additional funds through
8262-475: The specialist schools programme is now defunct, English schools can still become one of these specialist colleges through either academisation or the Dedicated Schools Grant. Some of these specialist schools were granted the ability by the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to admit 10% of their intake by academic aptitude, making them partially selective . Schools in the programme took part in
8364-501: The specialist schools programme's extended provision, with studio schools' specialisms usually coinciding with industries of significance in their local areas. Studio schools are usually sponsored by a diverse range of companies such as Disney , Sony , Hilton Hotels , Amazon and National Express . UTCs also serve students from the age of 14, albeit rarely enrolling from Key Stage 3 . All UTCs are controlled by university sponsors and specialise in at least one technical field that
8466-510: The state sector of education, specialist schools have their origin in the city technology college programme of the late 1980s, which was used by the Conservative government of the time to reduce the power of local authorities . The programme was announced at the 1986 Conservative Party Conference by Education Secretary Kenneth Baker , with plans for the creation of a pilot network of 20 new city technology colleges (CTCs) by 1990 being revealed. These new schools would be secondary schools with
8568-593: The strings attached to it so that schools have the freedom to spend it on, and buy in, the services they want and need without central prescription. And while this will naturally also remove the need for schools to re-designate, I hope that the SSAT , and in particular the National Head Teacher Steering Group , will continue to provide a loud and influential voice on behalf of all of its membership." —Minister for Schools, Nick Gibb , on
8670-441: The technical and legal obstacles that stand in the way of those voluntary-aided schools that wish to become City Technology Colleges." Major further praised CTCs for their claimed parental accountability, saying they offered "high standards of work, attendance and aspiration." In 1994, following the Education Act 1993 , widespread school specialisation was introduced, beginning the specialist schools programme. John Major announced
8772-444: The technology colleges programme retained the CTC programme's element of autonomy from the local authorities; only voluntary aided and grant-maintained schools could participate in it. This element of the programme was short-lived and LEA-maintained schools could participate from 1994. To join the programme and become a specialist technology college, schools had to put forward a bid that included £100,000 in private sector sponsorship and
8874-448: The time, so Baker set up an initiative to introduce a computer to every school in the country. Now in his position as Education Secretary, Baker wished to further improve digital learning and computing in the education system, and wanted to introduce schools for computing and information technology as a way to do so. In addition, schools for general technology were expected to give pupils the correct skills for employment, which supported
8976-469: The time. A new Secretary of State for Education and Science, Kenneth Baker , was appointed on 21 May 1986. An advocate of technical education and technology in general, Baker was drawn towards the concept of schools for information technology , having formed this interest during his tenure as the Minister for Industry and Information Technology in the early 1980s. Computers were a rarity in schools at
9078-409: The trust at their request. It was responsible for finding the sites for the new schools and raising industrial money for their buildings, and all CTCs would become members of it. Taylor was also recruited by Baker as his special adviser on CTCs and specialist schools, a role he would maintain under ten consecutive education secretaries from both major political parties until 2007. The first CTCs opened
9180-472: The year in a variety of sports. City Technology College In England , a City Technology College ( CTC ) is an urban all-ability specialist school for students aged 11 to 18 specialising in science, technology and mathematics. They charge no fees and are independent of local authority control, being overseen directly by the Department for Education . One fifth of the capital costs are met by private business sponsors , who also own or lease
9282-421: The £50,000 in sponsorship which was required for designation previously. The first technology colleges were designated in 1994. With the first designations, Education Secretary John Patten announced plans to introduce more specialist schools in art, sport, music, language and business over the next five years. The technology colleges were a trial of these plans and Patten expected to see 160 more designated over
9384-547: Was knighted in 2001 for services to education and the community, and from 1998 to the present day, TTS has been named 'the most successful Comprehensive school in the UK', after 100% of its pupils gained 5 or more GCSEs at A*-C, being the first and only comprehensive school ever to do so in 1998. The school no longer uses the traditional yardstick of five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C since all students achieved at least 12 GCSE passes at grades A* to C. The school at one time in
9486-406: Was a supporter of the specialist schools programme and brought it to the mainstream. In 2000, Blunkett announced the launch of the city academies programme (later the academies programme). Academies were required to specialise and re-designate through free government funding, choosing whatever subject specialism they desired. By 2001, 700 schools had specialist status and a further 1300 were part of
9588-529: Was also stripped of government support and no longer had control over specialist designations, therefore rendering it obsolete. At around the same time, the Scottish and Northern Irish variants of the programme were discontinued. By this time, around 96.6% of secondary schools in England were specialists, with exactly 80 remaining unspecialised. In February 2011 the Minister for Schools, Nick Gibb , said this
9690-441: Was also worth £100,000, before specialising. The technology colleges programme was developed by Education Secretary John Patten in 1992. It was launched in 1993 under the terms of the Education Act 1993 as a much more affordable replacement of the CTC programme. The Department for Education designated the City Technology Colleges Trust as the main non-departmental body responsible for overseeing, promoting and delivering
9792-652: Was attributed to the prevalence of state school specialisation during the second and third ministries of the Labour government that governed the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2010. The Conservative Party's manifesto for the 2019 general election included commitments to introduce new "innovative" specialist schools. From 2020, some free schools were opened with specialist Maths or Science College status under Education Secretary Gavin Williamson 's COVID-19 recovery plan. Since 2022, specialist sixth form free schools have been set to open in 55 locations in England designated by
9894-460: Was her opposition to the LEAs and her vision to move schools out of their control. Griffiths often compared them to Soviet republics , bringing this comparison to anti-communist Thatcher: "Prime Minister, we have a system of local authorities in Britain. They own the schools, they plan for the schools, they control everything that happens within the schools, they fix the compensation of everyone who
9996-432: Was only required, and it instead favoured the involvement of market forces and stakeholders such as community groups and private sector organisations. In the education white paper The Importance of Teaching , it stated that it "want[ed] every school to be able to shape its own character, frame its own ethos and develop its own specialisms, free of either central or local bureaucratic constraint". This white paper led to
10098-435: Was taken into account, and that the gains had increased with the length of time the school had been specialist. Other studies found that specialist schools performed slightly better at GCSE, particularly benefitting more able pupils and narrowing the gap between boys and girls. In 2004, education secretary Charles Clarke stated that the government wanted all schools to be specialist. He also praised specialist schools as
10200-503: Was the creation of the technology schools initiative (TSI) in 1991. Through this initiative, the government would reward secondary schools with a one-time capital grant for specialising in technology, though these schools still had to follow the National Curriculum . LEAs in England and later Wales could nominate one or two of their schools for the grant while grant-maintained schools and voluntary aided schools , which were largely independent of local authority control, could apply to
10302-460: Was to help relieve the under-performing schools in the urban areas of Wolverhampton. Thomas Telford School previously generated significant funds through the sale of its online curriculum content and qualifications sold through a subsidiary company TTSOnline Limited (Thomas Telford School Online Limited). In 2009, pupils from the school were chosen to construct Airfix models of planes and tanks, and to assist Top Gear co-host James May construct
10404-424: Was why the funding was mainstreamed, alongside a government venture for more school autonomy. From 2011, the specialist schools policy in England continued with a new goal of turning every school into an academy or free school so that schools could be improved across the board. However, the coalition claimed to prefer a decentralised approach where it would merely influence the policy, opting to intervene when it
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