Discovery’s mistakes must not be repeated
The Labour leader said: “The Discovery School was a catastrophic example of what happens when the government experiments with children’s education and it goes wrong.
“Some of us worried that if it was set up without being embedded in the wider family of schools in Newcastle and if it became a dash for numbers at the expense of the quality of education, then it would not work. Sadly, that is what happened.
“It really angers me that more was spent on capital moneys there than was spend on all of the other schools in Newcastle in that time.
“Just think what we could have done with £9million in schools across the city. Those opportunities were denied to us because of the government’s skewed priorities.”
The UTC, praised in a Government document this year as an “example of regional co-operation between the creative industries and academia”, has said it offers pupils a “competitive edge” through its connections with industry - working closely with the University of Sunderland and businesses such as Ubisoft.
College principal Daniel Sydes said that the college has a “strong” relationship with the local authority, and a nationwide network of other UTCs.
He added: “There are 50 UTCs across the country, so we are part of a wider network there. We have learned from other people - there are some UTCs that have struggled and others that have been the best school in the area.
“It is different to a normal school but it is a nice place to come and study, and like all schools we have a duty of care and a responsibility.”
Mr Sydes said: “A lot of it is down to how you recruit students. We meet with every single family that applies here, so they know what the expectations are.
“We have a very clear code of conduct and make sure that all staff and students know about that before they start.
“We are a school for young people who want to get their careers on track. They come here because they want a career in health or technology and to get away from a normal school environment.”