School to be sited at motor racing circuit

Land at Silverstone motor racing circuit, on the Northants-Bucks border, will be used as the base for one of the first wave of university technical colleges (UTCs) that will train teenagers in highly specialised subjects from next year.

The school, backed by Northampton University and Tresham college, will allow pupils to study Formula One mechanics as well as attending more traditional lessons.

It is one of the 13 UTCs being announced today as part of a flagship Conservative policy drawn up by former Tory Education Secretary Lord Baker.

Critics claim the colleges will mean pupils specialise at too early a stage in their school career but Ministers believe it will give them the skills they need to compete in the modern workplace.

Each will be run like an academy, with colleges sponsored by a local university and employers, have more freedom over the curriculum, the length of the school day and teachers’ pay and conditions.

The colleges will focus on disciplines that require highly specialised equipment, such as engineering, manufacturing and construction, and will have between 500 to 800 students.

Ministers want to create more than 20 UTCs by 2014 to deliver practical work-based education to pupils between the ages of 14 and 19.

The first planned for Yorkshire has been developed in Bradford where education chiefs are hoping to work with local employers to bridge a skills gap in the city.

Education Secretary Michael Gove will also announce 55 new free schools, which can be set up by parents, community groups or other organisations.