The Education Skills and Funding Agency are currently in discussions with UTC Warrington about their plans for financial recovery. It would not be appropriate to make a statement at this time.

As for all academy trusts, any decision on the future of UTC Warrington would be subject to the Department’s standard protocols, which includes engaging with key stakeholders and other interested parties.

The most recent figures for pupils on roll are from the school census for January 2019 which was published in June 2019. There were 258 pupils on roll at UTC Warrington at that time. Figures relating to January 2020 will be published in June 2020.

Further information can be found in the annual 'School, pupils and their characteristics' statistical release at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.

Information can also be found on the 'Get Information About Schools' web page, which can be found at:

https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/142899.

The system for approving new free schools is underpinned by a rigorous application and evaluation process. Each application is considered against published criteria, focusing on the capacity and track record of proposers, with extensive due diligence and financial viability checks carried out on the applicant and affordability and value for money checks on the application and business case.

The Department is working with the contractor to finalise capital costs for UTC Warrington. The Department publishes capital costs for all free schools, university technical colleges (UTCs) and studio schools on GOV.UK once all works are completed and costs are finalised.

Given that these can be large and complex projects, this can take some time between first opening and publication. Additional finalised capital costs for individual free schools, UTCs and studio schools will be published in due course.

UTCs receive funding based on their local authority formulae, so are funded in the same way as their academy and maintained school counterparts in Warrington. The revenue funding received in each academic year by UTC Warrington is as follows:

In pre-opening, the Department gives free school projects and UTCs Project Development Grant (PDG) to cover essential non-capital costs up to the point at which the school opens.

The PDG rates that projects receive are determined by the type of school being opened. Once open, free schools and UTCs are funded on the same basis as other academies and maintained schools, although, as they grow, free schools and UTCs delivered through the government's central route also receive Post Opening Grant (POG). POG is given to reflect the additional costs in establishing a new publicly funded school which cannot be met through the General Annual Grant.

PDG and POG costs are published once free schools and UTCs are open, and POG costs are updated annually and can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-spending-on-free-schools-and-studio-schools.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-spending-on-university-technical-colleges.

The number of qualified teachers, teaching assistants, other educational support staff and auxiliary staff in UTC Warrington in November 2018 is provided in the attached table.

The information provided is published in the ‘School Workforce in England, November 2018’ publication, which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2018.

The department is aware that concerns have been raised about whether Warrington University Technical College’s (UTC) recent actions are in breach of the Admissions Code. We are taking this seriously and are in discussions with the UTC, the local authority and representatives from local schools.