Why are technical colleges so short of pupils?

Analysis: Three in five of the specialist free schools have fewer than half their places filled – despite £800m of investment, finds Eleanor Busby

The schools have great resources but aren’t being used to their advantage (Getty)

Hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent on specialist free schools that prioritise technical education since 2010, and yet the majority of them are still struggling to attract enough students.

The latest report from the National Audit Office reveals that nearly three in five of the University Technical Colleges (UTCs) that are still open are operating at less than half of their capacity.

The Department for Education has invested £792m into the programme over the past nine years and has repeatedly tried to raise their profile – so why are they still facing challenges?

UTCs were launched by the government to improve the quality of vocational education in England. Typically students join at age 14, at the start of Year 10, to begin GCSEs or alternative technical qualifications.

However, many parents have been reluctant to enrol their child at a UTC.

Moving from primary to secondary school can be a stressful experience for pupils and families alike, so the prospect of moving again just three years after starting a new secondary is likely to deter parents.

The school application process is centred around three points of entry – age four to primary, age 11 to secondary and age 16 to sixth form – so many families may simply not be aware of the UTC option.

This is likely to have been exacerbated by secondary schools who have little interest in promoting an alternative route as they can lose a large number of pupils and the funding that goes with them.

In May, then education secretary Damian Hinds told schools to stop blocking providers, like UTCs, that want to promote apprenticeships and vocational courses from speaking to students.

It is also likely that a series of damning reports on UTCs, which highlight poor Ofsted inspection ratings and lower than average GCSE outcomes for students, have also had a negative effect.

Policy experts have recommended altering the entry age to UTCs to attract more students, improve their financial viability and prevent any more closures.

The Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which promotes UTCs, had opposed a change amid concerns it would dilute the UTC brand. But it has now relaxed its requirements in a bid to boost numbers.

One UTC has begun taking students from age 11 and two more are set to change from 2020-21.

Altering the entry age is likely to help recruitment but it is unclear at this stage whether it will be enough to keep many struggling UTCs afloat.

Ultimately, parents and students need to believe that technical education will be regarded as being on par with academic education before they take the gamble and opt for a more specialist route.

The government is hoping to beat Germany in technical education provision in just 10 years but the NAO findings on UTCs show just how far they still have to go.