Silverstone UTC

Silverstone UTC is currently deemed to require improvement in its overall effectiveness, primarily due to inconsistencies in the quality of education provided. While the school's leadership and management are rated as good and there are notable strengths in the behavior and attitudes of the students, the quality of education and personal development aspects are under scrutiny. The inspection highlighted that some pupils struggle academically, especially in key subjects like science and mathematics, which affects their confidence and readiness for post-school opportunities. The school has gone through significant changes, including leadership transitions, and aims to improve its educational outcomes amidst these developments.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Good behavior and attitudes towards learning.
• High-quality career advice and successful placements for students.
• Effective curriculum design in some subjects, notably the sixth form.
• Dedicated and enthusiastic sixth form students.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent clarity of curriculum expectations across subjects.
• Ineffective use of assessment by some teachers, leading to gaps in knowledge.
• Lack of timely support for reluctant readers.
• Varied support for pupils with SEND, impacting their success.
• Underdeveloped personal development curriculum with limited cultural awareness.

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 Silverstone UTC attended 87.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 36.4% 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, 7.7% of pupils at Silverstone UTC were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were 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 Silverstone UTC had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.8% 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, 11.9% of pupils at Silverstone UTC were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.9% 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 Silverstone UTC received £7,985 and spent £8,417 for each of its 480 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £83,000 (-£173 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.

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What is Silverstone UTC's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Silverstone UTC last inspected by Ofsted?

Silverstone UTC was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Silverstone UTC have?

Silverstone UTC has 463 pupils on roll.

What age range does Silverstone UTC cover?

Silverstone UTC for pupils aged 14 to 19.

Where is Silverstone UTC?

Silverstone UTC is at Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TL.