Specialism key for new wave of studio schools

Bradford College and Goole High School were among the education providers who submitted plans to create new state-funded schools to the Department for Education (DfE) last week, based on the needs of their local economies.

Studio schools are a new style of education provider that will deliver specialised education to no more than 300 pupils between the ages of 14 to 19.

The idea is to combine traditional classroom learning with working for local employers.

In Bradford, the college plans to run three separate small schools with specialisms in international food and travel, film, theatre and costume, and health occupations.

The international food and travel school is one of 12 across the country which the DfE has already approved to open later this year and last week Bradford submitted the two new bids.

Goole High and Selby College want to create a studio school focused on ports and logistics, renewable energy and business and enterprise.

Its focus is designed to educate children in Humber industry areas hoping for major future investment.

A number of vast wind farms are planned off the coast of Yorkshire over the coming years, and the Yorkshire Post is campaigning for the Humber to become a hub of turbine manufacturing.

Siemens is planning to develop a £210m turbine factory at the Green Port Hull facility at the city’s Alexandra Dock.

Goole High’s head teacher Danuta Tomasz said Siemens was expected to work with the studio school once its site was in operation in Hull. She said the new studio school would serve pupils in the Goole area “first and foremost” but could also attract students from the wider region.

“This is not a plan for disaffected students,” she added. “It is a way of delivering more applied learning.

“Over the years there has been a dislocation between education and work.

“What employers tell us is that pupils are leaving school with great qualifications but that they are not employable. They lack communication skills, time management skills, the ability to handle project briefs or do research.”

Bradford College’s plans are being developed by its McMillan Education Trust which also sponsors academies in the city.

College principal and chief executive Michele Sutton said: “We are very excited by our applications to pursue the development of two new studio schools in Bradford specialising in film, theatre and costume, and health occupations.

“We are currently working with a number of businesses throughout the region to develop these innovative projects. Each studio will provide the area’s young people not only with academic and vocational qualifications but also real work experience and the personal development skills to succeed”.

The plan is for all three schools to be opened in Bradford’s “learning quarter” an area on the edge of the city centre which includes both the college and university campus.

The college’s international food and travel studio schools is one of two which will open in the region this year, along with one specialising in business and enterprise being run by Hull College.

It will eventually welcome a total of 300 students aged between 14 and 19. This year there will be 60 students entering at year 10 – aged 14 and 15 and a further 60 entering at year 12 in their first year of post GCSE study.

There are currently six studio schools running across the country.

The Creative and Media School at the Netherhall Learning Campus – a secondary school in Huddersfield, was one of the first two to open as pilot projects in 2010. It ran with a group of pupils from Netherhall in 2010/11 and started its first full year last September with students from across Kirklees.

Director Sarah Huntington said: “Students carry out project based learning alongside traditional subjects such as English, maths and science GCSEs and a B-tec diploma in their creative subject.”

The school specialises in areas including media, film, graphics and textiles.

Comment: Page 12.