UTC Reading

UTC Reading is a STEM-focused university technical college for pupils aged 14 to 19 and is part of the Activate Learning Education Trust. Inspectors judged the school to be good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision, with effective safeguarding. This represents substantial improvement since its previous inspection, when it was graded inadequate. Pupils enjoy the school’s professional environment and benefit from a broad, ambitious curriculum closely linked to work and employers. Behaviour has improved, pupils feel safe, and bullying is dealt with promptly. The careers programme is a notable strength, vocational outcomes are excellent, attendance has improved, and pupils joining partway through secondary education are well supported, including those with SEND and those needing reading interventions. Sixth-form students also benefit from a relevant PSHE curriculum. The main area for improvement is that teachers do not consistently use assessment information to adapt the curriculum. Sometimes work is too difficult or not challenging enough, which means some pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders should ensure all teachers have the expertise to adapt curriculum delivery so that all pupils can achieve to the best of their ability.

Strengths

• Specialist STEM curriculum closely linked to the world of work
• Strong careers programme, including for sixth-form students
• Excellent outcomes in vocational qualifications
• Pupils behave well and treat each other with respect
• Bullying is rare and dealt with promptly and effectively
• Pupils feel safe and trust staff
• Effective support for pupils joining mid-secondary education
• Reading interventions help remove barriers to learning
• Attendance has improved to close to the national average
• Suspensions have reduced through effective behaviour support
• Broad PSHE curriculum prepares pupils for life in modern Britain
• Strong leadership, governance and trust oversight
• Staff well-being and professional development are carefully considered
• Good sixth-form provision with highly relevant PSHE

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not consistently use assessment information to adapt the curriculum
• Lesson tasks and resources are sometimes too difficult or not challenging enough
• Some pupils do not learn as well as they could because work is not well matched to their needs
• The school should ensure all teachers have the expertise to adapt curriculum delivery for all pupils

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at UTC Reading attended 86.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 39.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 4.2% of pupils at UTC Reading were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 UTC Reading had 15.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.0% of pupils at UTC Reading were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 UTC Reading received £12,706 and spent £10,165 for each of its 286 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,615,000 (£9,143 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Activate Learning Education Trust, income was £8,774 and spending £8,593 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Reading · Reading local authority: places and applications

UTC Reading is part of Activate Learning Education Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Theale Green School Reading
• UTC Oxfordshire Didcot
• UTC Heathrow Northwood
• The Bicester School Bicester
• UTC Swindon Swindon

What is UTC Reading's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for UTC Reading is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was UTC Reading last inspected by Ofsted?

UTC Reading was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does UTC Reading have?

UTC Reading has 299 pupils on roll.

What age range does UTC Reading cover?

UTC Reading for pupils aged 14 to 19.

Where is UTC Reading?

UTC Reading is at Crescent Road, East Reading, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5RQ.