Aylesbury UTC

Aylesbury UTC is currently underperforming, receiving an overall rating of requires improvement. While there are notable strengths, particularly in work-related learning and technical pathways, the school faces significant challenges in various areas including curriculum development, attendance, and personal development. The leadership has recently undergone change with a new principal, who is actively working to address these issues, but it will take time for these strategies to have a tangible impact on overall performance. Previous staffing issues have also contributed to the current state of the school's effectiveness.

Strengths

• Pupils appreciate the focused careers provision and work-related learning opportunities.
• Industry-quality resources support learning in the digital and health pathways.
• The school has a strong ambition to improve the curriculum with plans in place.
• Local employers contribute to curriculum development, enhancing workplace skills.
• The UTC has effective systems in place for safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not attend regularly enough, impacting their education.
• Curriculum checks on pupils' understanding are ineffective in many subjects.
• Support for pupils with SEND lacks regular reviews and precision.
• Behaviour management processes are inconsistently applied.
• Personal development curriculum is underdeveloped for some year groups.

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 Aylesbury UTC attended 73.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 70.9% 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, 30.3% of pupils at Aylesbury UTC 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 Aylesbury UTC had 13.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 44.4% 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, 25.0% of pupils at Aylesbury UTC were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.2% 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 2023–24 Aylesbury UTC received £9,168 and spent £9,144 for each of its 155 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £784,000 (-£5,057 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of The Merchant Taylors' Oxfordshire Academy Trust Ltd, income was £7,367 and spending £7,444 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 Aylesbury · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

Aylesbury UTC is part of The Merchant Taylors' Oxfordshire Academy Trust Ltd, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Wallingford School Wallingford
• Brightwell-Cum-Sotwell Church of England Primary School Wallingford

What is Aylesbury UTC's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Aylesbury UTC is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Aylesbury UTC last inspected by Ofsted?

Aylesbury UTC was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Aylesbury UTC have?

Aylesbury UTC has 128 pupils on roll.

What age range does Aylesbury UTC cover?

Aylesbury UTC for pupils aged 14 to 19.

Where is Aylesbury UTC?

Aylesbury UTC is at Oxford Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 8PB.