MP hopes “lessons have been learned” over student recruitment

WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones hopes that “lessons have been learned” over the way students are recruited at the town’s University Technical College (UTC).
The MP was speaking after putting down written questions to the Department for Education (DfE) following the alleged unauthorised recruitment of Year 9 pupils to the UTC.
She asked that compensation for schools that would lose out financially as a result of the UTC’s actions – and got the following response from a government minister: “No schools will lose funding in the current academic year for those Year 9 pupils who have made an early transfer to Warrington University Technical College.
Ms Jones said: “This is all very well for this year but the loss of these pupils will have a detrimental effect on schools in future years. It is wrong that other schools should lose out because of a breach of the admissions code by the UTC.”!
Answering another question from Ms Jones about what steps were being taken by the DfE “following breaches of the admissions code in recruiting students” by the UTC, the minister responded by saying: “The department is aware that concerns have been raised about whether Warrington University Technical College’s (UTC) recent actions are in breach of the Admissions Code. We are taking this seriously and are in discussions with the UTC, the local authority and representatives from local schools.”
Ms Jones said: “I understand that the DfE has spoken to the UTC about their actions in the strongest terms and no similar recruitment of Year 9 pupils will be allowed in the future. I believe that the UTC had no curriculum for 13 year olds when they took their action.
“The UTC needs to work together with our schools to produce the best possible education provision for our children.
“I hope lessons have been learned from this incident and that the government are taking this matter as seriously as they claim to be doing.”