Consultation Document
Consultation deadline is 17:00hrs
Friday 30th November 2014
www.wmgacademysolihull.org.uk
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Introduction
The WMG Academy for Young Engineers Solihull is
a new type of school that offers a radically different
approach to teaching and learning. The curriculum
will be designed by employers to reflect the world of
work while at the same time enabling students to
gain qualifications.
The WMG Academy (a University Technical College) will cater
for 640 14 to 19 year olds from East Birmingham and Solihull
and the wider region. The WMG Academy Solihull is due to
open in September 2016. It is planned that it will be located
in a new building on land to the north of Chelmsley Road and
to the south of Conway Road, Chelmsley Wood, Solihull
B37 5LH. The site is a convenient short walk from Chelmsley
Wood town centre with public transport links including the bus
interchange; it is also close to the Meridan Park and North
Solihull Sports Centre.
The WMG Academy Solihull will create a ground breaking and
creative “learning campus” with strong links to the University
of Warwick and with local employers such as Jaguar Land Rover.
As part of the statutory consultation that we must undertake
please let us have your views on the following information
which provides an insight into the plans for the WMG
Academy for Young Engineers Solihull including the
admissions policy.
Please answer the 13 questions that appear alongside the text
either via the website (www.wmgacademysolihull.org.uk)
or by answering the questions in the centre pages of this
document and sending your answers to the WMG Academy
Solihull, c/o the University of Warwick, the International
Manufacturing Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL.
In due course, our website will also contain details of our open
consultation events when you will have an opportunity to hear
more about our plans for the new Academy. Our website
(www.wmgacademysolihull.org.uk) also contains details
about our approach to ensuring high standards of professional
behaviour and learning in the Academy as well as our
approach to supporting all students including those with
special educational needs. The deadline for responding to
our consultation is 17.00hrs on Friday 30 November 2014.
Mission
The WMG Academy for Young Engineers Solihull
will support the development of well qualified and
industry trained students, who have the functional
skills, knowledge and personal qualities to make an
impact in the world of work, as apprentices and/or
in further/higher education.
2
We will ensure that our students have a thirst for learning with
raised aspirations that will provide the motivation and drive to
succeed. Strong employer and further and higher education
links (especially with WMG - a significant academic department
of the University of Warwick), as well as a professional ethos
and culture will ensure the students will be in demand from
employers. The WMG Academy Solihull will also work closely
with the WMG Academy for Young Engineers Coventry.
It is our intention that both Academies will be unincorporated
branches of the WMG Academy Trust (which will become a
Multi-Academy Trust) which will be the legal entity responsible
for both Academies.
Our students will have a curriculum that is based around
projects that have been designed by employers to reflect the
types of problems and challenges that employers have to deal
with on a day to day basis.
The projects will be designed to ensure students gain
qualifications as they work through the problems that have
been set by the employers. The projects will provide every
student with access to high value manufacturing, engineering
and design and academic experiences that will lead to a
diverse range of positive outcomes - either directly into
employment or via further or higher education.
Vision
Our vision is to deliver a very different way of learning.
We will make available to all our students a dynamic
curriculum that is underpinned by a radical learning and
teaching approach that will be designed around the
needs of each student and the needs of employers.
Our Academy will engage the next generation in an innovative
new learning environment. Our learning environment will be
designed to generate an excitement for the opportunities
afforded in engineering and the creation of the high value
products of tomorrow.
The WMG Academy will be integrated and embedded within
its local and regional industries and educational establishments.
We are committed to an inclusive, outward facing approach
and a culture that will ensure the engagement of employers
and students with an interest and involvement in engineering.
Question 1
Will the mission and vision that are described in
this consultation document meet the needs of
young people and businesses in East Birmingham
and Solihull?
What is an Academy
for Young Engineers?
The WMG Academy is one of 56 new University Technical
Colleges (UTCs) approved by the Government. The WMG
Academy Solihull will focus on engineering with science.
UTCs offer a new concept in education for 14-19 year olds.
UTCs give students the opportunity to study at a specialist
institution equipped to the highest standards and linked to
industry. They are sponsored by universities and local
employers and offer clear progression routes into employment,
either directly or via higher or further education. The Baker
Dearing Trust web site provides more information about
UTCs www.utcolleges.org/about/.
Why an Academy for Young
Engineers in this area?
We want to raise aspirations and performance to enable
more students in East Birmingham and Solihull to compete
with the best and aspire to better quality jobs and higher
education in internationally recognised institutions, such as
the University of Warwick.
The size and nature of demand for the WMG Academy
for Young Engineers Solihull has been established from
a number of perspectives:
There is an increasing demand from engineering and
n
manufacturing companies for skilled employees - these
companies are getting involved with the WMG Academy
to help ensure a better supply of skilled employees who
are ready for the workplace.
n
Current projections by Solihull Metropolitan Borough
Council show an increase in student numbers which
would denote the need for more education provision
and a survey earlier this year of parents and students
at school in Solihull showed a clear desire for an
engineering focused UTC in the area.
n
Discussions with local training providers and education institutions have indicated a clear willingness to collaborate on technical education in the area.
n
Local economic forecasts and growth plans anticipate
a skills shortage in the workforce in both key and niche areas of manufacturing and engineering in the Solihull
MBC and greater Birmingham area.
Initial consultations with key employers and other
stakeholders have enabled us to gather information about
the blend of qualifications that employers value, the types of
young people they employ, how the employers develop the
skills of their employees and what success would look like
from the employer perspective.
Local employers want more people who have workplace
skills such as the ability to solve problems and to work in
teams in addition to technical and in addition to technical
and academic qualifications.
Young people in East Birmingham and Solihull have a strong
interest in work-based learning with applications for engineering
apprenticeships currently vastly exceeding demand.
For example, Jaguar Land Rover had 6209 applications to
fill 193 vacancies for their apprentice programme this year.
Employers are pressing for the Academy to be bold,
imaginative, creative and radical.
Question 2
Is there is a need for this Academy in
East Birmingham and Solihull?
Who is involved?
The WMG Academy for Young Engineers Solihull will be
governed and run by ‘The WMG Academy Trust’. The Trust
has already established the WMG Academy for Young
Engineers Coventry which opened in September 2014.
The Trust has four Board members — the University
of Warwick, EEF, Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of
Commerce and West Midlands Manufacturing Consortium.
A large number of local employers including Jaguar Land
Rover, Control and Data Systems (previously Aero Engine
Controls), ARUP, Automotive Insulations, Prodrive, Dassault
Systemes and National Grid are supporting the development
of the WMG Academy Solihull.
Question 3
Have the right people been involved in the
development to date?
3
Studying at the WMG
Academy for Young
Engineers Solihull
At Post 16, learners studying at Advanced Level will take core
A Levels in mathematics, further mathematics and physics, the
study of which will be directly applied to the engineering based
employer projects together with a choice of an additional
A level and an appropriate engineering qualification.
The WMG Academy will focus on a broad base of engineering
with science, with specialist attention being given to the areas
which are applicable to local employers in the automotive,
aerospace and high value manufacturing sectors.
A key feature of the curriculum for all students, following
consultation with employers, will be the development of
employability skills:
Allied with this will be a focus on ICT and digital technology as
enablers to engineering, with supporting themes of enterprise
and sustainability. The curriculum will provide an enriched
programme which will mean more hours in the classroom
and extended study time for projects. The WMG Academy
admissions policy is to be non-selective.
Question 4
The WMG Academy Solihull will focus on a broad
base of engineering with science, with specialist
attention being given to the areas which are
applicable to local employers in the automotive,
aerospace and high value manufacturing sectors.
Are these the right areas in which to specialise?
In 2016 students will join the WMG Academy at the start of
Year 10 or Year 12. From 2018 priority will be given to the
Academy’s Year 11 students progressing to Year 12. The
Academy will not admit external applicants to its Sixth Form,
unless under-subscribed by its own students. The Admissions
Policy is at the back of this document and provides more details.
The curriculum will be based around employer led projects set
within the context of problems that employers face on a day to
day basis. The projects will involve subjects such as GCSE
English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, a modern foreign
language and geography, together with appropriate engineering
and digital qualifications, being studied within the context of
each project.
4
n
Teamwork;
n
Problem solving;
n
Creativity;
n
Leadership;
n
Communication Skills; and
n
Enterprise
Students will also take part in a wide range of sports and
enrichment activities, accessing facilities in the local area
in addition to what will be available on-site.
When students leave the WMG Academy they will have a
range of qualifications and a portfolio of evidence that they
can apply their knowledge to real business problems and
have a range of other employability skills that employers
value – as set out above.
If appropriate, individual students will be offered tailored
support as part of their learning programme including the
development of appropriate learning strategies.
Question 5
Will the proposed curriculum improve the level
of educational achievement and employment
prospects for students?
The WMG Academy Solihull approach is designed so that
students will develop the skills, knowledge and personal
qualities required to be:
n
Successful students who enjoy learning, who progress and achieve;
n
Confident individuals who are able to live a safe,
healthy and fulfilling life;
n
Responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to their communities and society; and
n
Sought-after employees who are self-motivated, persistent, technically confident and able to work
as part of a team as well as being effective
problem solvers.
All students will have an individualised curriculum and Individual
Learning Plan (ILP) providing an agreement of expectations
between the student and the WMG Academy, to include:
n
Agreed targets for improvement and a plan to achieve them;
n
Regular reviews with their personal tutor;
Learning with employers
Local employers have provided the impetus for the creation of
the WMG Academy Solihull together with WMG at the University
of Warwick. They are leading the development of the curriculum
and will be heavily involved in its project based delivery.
WMG Academy students will take part in high quality work
placements and will have the opportunity to be mentored by
professional engineers.
A work placement opportunity will be a core element of their
learning, where they will be able to translate learning activity
and core competencies and skills into work activity alongside
employees who will act as their mentors.
Question 6
Are these the right aims and objectives for
the curriculum?
n
Accredited community service opportunities;
n
Support and mentoring services;
n
Independent advice and guidance; and
n
Guidance and support on graduate pathways from
the WMG Academy into training, higher education
or employment.
Question 7
Are the work placements a good idea?
5
Catchment area map
Birmingham
Solihull
6
Coventry
You can complete all of
the questions online at
www.wmgacademysolihull.org.uk
@wmgacademysolihull
If you are unable to access the website,
simply tear out this section and post to:
The WMG Academy Solihull
c/o The University of Warwick
International Manufacturing Centre,
University of Warwick CV4 7AL
Question 1
Question 2
Will the mission and vision that are described
in this consultation document meet the needs
of young people and businesses in East
Birmingham and Solihull?
Is there is a need for this Academy in East
Birmingham and Solihull?
Yes
No
No
Don’t know
Don’t know
Comment
Yes
Comment
7
Question 3
Question 4
Have the right people been involved in the
development to date?
The WMG Academy Solihull will focus on a
broad base of engineering with science, with
specialist attention being given to the areas
which are applicable to local employers in the
automotive, aerospace and high value
manufacturing sectors. Are these the right
areas in which to specialise?
Yes
No
Don’t know
Yes
Comment
No
Don’t know
Comment
Question 5
Question 6
Will the proposed curriculum improve the level
of educational achievement and employment
prospects for students?
Are these the right aims and objectives for the
curriculum?
Yes
Yes
No
No
Don’t know
Don’t know
Comment
Comment
8
Question 7
Question 8
Are the work placements a good idea?
Yes
Will these arrangements support students
in successfully realising their aspirations in
relation to their potential?
No
Yes
Don’t know
No
Comment
Don’t know
Comment
Question 9
Question 10
Will this new approach to the timetable,
calendar and code of behavior support students
to achieve their full potential and gain an
understanding of working practices?
Should the WMG Academy Trust enter into a
funding agreement with the Secretary of State
for Education to open the WMG Academy for
Young Engineers Solihull?
Yes
Yes
No
No
Don’t know
Don’t know
Comment
Comment
Question 11
Question 12
If you are a student or parent(s)/carer(s), are
you interested in attending/sending your child
to attend the WMG Academy for Young
Engineers Solihull?
If you are an employer, can we contact you
to discuss your interest and how you might
work with the WMG Academy for Young
Engineers Solihull?
Yes
Yes
No
No
Don’t know
Don’t know
Comment
Comment
Question 13 relating to
admissions policy
Your details
Do you agree with the proposals for admitting
students if the number of applications exceeds
the numbers of places available?
Yes
No
Name
Your email
Your postcode
I am (please tick appropriate box)
A student A parent or carer
Don’t know
An employer Comment
An educational professional
Other (please specify)
Please select as appropriate
GenderM/F
Age (if a student)
Current school year
Do you consider yourself disabled?
10
Progression with
student development
WMG Academy
timetable
It is anticipated that WMG Academy Solihull students will
progress through a range of routes including:
It is proposed that:
n
Apprenticeships;
n
Further study at a local FE college;
n
Further study at university; and
n
Directly into employment.
Each student will work with their tutor to establish realistic
but challenging learning targets, directed towards academic
achievement and the development of the employability skills
defined by local employers. Targets will be based on past
performance and measures of potential. Targets will be subject
to regular review and will be shared with their parent(s)/carer(s).
A student’s progression will be linked to the achievement of
their learning targets and their Individual Learning Plan will
be developed to support progression. Professional Mentors
will work with Personal Tutors to support students in the key
decisions regarding their learning programmes. They will have
access to high quality information, advice and guidance.
Question 8
Will these arrangements support students in
successfully realising their aspirations in relation
to their potential?
n
The WMG Academy Solihull will be open for on-site learning activities between the hours of 7.30am and 6.30pm each day during term time, with access to a Learning Grid outside of term. All students will be expected to attend during the core period of 8.00am
to 4.30pm.
n
The academic year will run for 40 weeks. It will comprise six half terms planned to coincide broadly with local school term dates. The last half term includes a 2 week summer school and will offer enrichment activities, extended project work, work related learning and work experience and extended study visits;
n
Students will be expected to do at least 1,450 guided learning hours in each year of study. They will participate in a core learning period each day, with guided support time and extra-curricular activities
at the beginning and end of the day;
Because of the extended day there will generally be
n
no reliance of homework in Years 10 and 11. Post 16
students will have the opportunity to complete set work
in supported study time and it is envisaged that they
will also undertake some further study at home.
11
Behaviour and ethos
Students at the WMG Academy Solihull will learn and develop
in an environment which reflects the approaches and behaviours
expected in the workplace. They will be motivated to succeed
because they will have chosen the Academy as the place
where they and their parent(s)/carer(s) want them to study.
Our behaviour code will be based on agreed mutual respect,
rights and responsibilities for all members of the WMG
Academy Solihull. This will cover areas such as the work
ethic (including attendance and punctuality), behaviours
towards others (including tackling bullying) and contribution
to the life of the WMG Academy and its wider community.
Positive behaviours will be rewarded and we are working with
employers to explore how their involvement can contribute to
these rewards (for example through special experience days
and attendance at unique events such as the Formula Student
Race Car competition at Silverstone).
We expect that students will contribute positively to the
ethos of the WMG Academy (high expectation, aspiration
and participation). Any failure to do so will be followed up
quickly through the student and staff support system.
Question 9
Will this new approach to the timetable, calendar
and code of behaviour support students to achieve
their full potential and gain an understanding of
working practices?
12
Final key question
for consultation
To move ahead and start building the new school the WMG
Academy Trust must enter into a funding agreement (contract)
with the Secretary of State for Education. The following
question invites your views on this. Details about the funding
agreement are on the DfE website: www.education.gov.uk/
schools/leadership/ typesofschools/freeschools/
guidance/a0074737/funding-agreement.
Question 10
Should the WMG Academy Trust enter into a
funding agreement with the Secretary of State for
Education to open the WMG Academy for Young
Engineers Solihull?
How to apply for a place in Year 10
Now please tell
us a little about you
The following questions are optional but will help us to
understand your answers and how best to work with
you in the future.
Question 11
If you are a student or parent(s)/carer(s), are you
interested in attending/sending your child to attend
the WMG Academy for Young Engineers Solihull?
As a transitional measure for the first year of opening in 2016,
parent(s)/carer(s) should apply for a place at the WMG
Academy Solihull by making an application direct to the
Academy. For 2016, the first year of opening, applications
may be made from 1st September 2015.
In this first year of opening we will not wait until the National
Offer Day before informing parent(s)/carers of the outcome
of their application. Applicants who apply on or before 31
October will be informed by 5 November 2015. This will not
disadvantage any candidates because, in the first year of
opening, we expect demand to build-up gradually and we do not
expect the WMG Academy to be full by the National Offer Day.
Question 12
If you are an employer, can we contact you to
discuss your interest and how you might work with
the WMG Academy for Young Engineers Solihull?
WMG Academy
Solihull admission policy
Description
The WMG Academy Solihull is a University Technical College
for 14-19 year old students. The Academy offers an integrated
and applied, academic and technical curriculum.
The Academy is non-selective for entry at Year 10. Entry to
programmes of study Post 16 include appropriate entry criteria, based on previously achieved national qualifications.
Potential students should be aware that the Academy’s approach
will be founded on practical problem-solving with a focus on
engineering with science and that it will be open from 7 30am
to 6.30pm with a core learning time from 8.30am until 4.30pm.
As soon as students know the outcome of their application
and have accepted a place at the Academy they will be
invited to join the networks of students, staff and employers
that are used to exchange ideas and discuss key issues
relating to the Academy.
In 2017 and in all subsequent years parent(s)/carer(s) should
apply for a place at the Academy by making an application via
their home local authority’s co-ordinated admissions scheme.
Under the scheme, the closing date for applications is 31st
October. Applications received by this date will be classified
as “on time” and will be considered first.
In 2017 and in all subsequent years parent(s)/carer(s) will
be notified of the outcomes of their child’s application on the
National Offer Day - 1st March.
WMG Academy Solihull will publish information about the
arrangements for admissions, including over-subscription in
its prospectus.
Number of places available
The total numbers of places available to students will
be as follows:
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
YR 10
140
160
160
160
160
YR11
140
160
160
160
YR12
180
160
160
160
160
YR13
180
160
160
160
13
WMG Academy Solihull
admission policy continued
In due course the Academy’s website
(www.wmgacademysolihull.org.uk) will include details of
open days, evenings and other opportunities for prospective
students to visit the WMG Academy Solihull. The WMG
Academy will provide information to relevant local authorities
for inclusion in their composite admissions prospectuses.
WMG Academy Solihull will consider all applications for places.
Where fewer than the published admission number for any
relevant year group are received, the Academy will offer
places to all those who have applied.
Oversubscription criteria
After the admission of all pupils with Special Educational
Needs (SEN) with a statement of SEN or Educational Health
Care Plan, where the WMG Academy is named in the statement,
the following over-subscription criteria will apply, in the following
priority order, if the Academy receives more applications than
places available:
1.Looked after children (under section 22 of the Children Act 1989) and previously looked after children (previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence or special guardianship order). Applications for previously looked after children must be supported
by appropriate evidence (i.e. a copy of the adoption order, residence order or special guardianship order).
2.Remaining places will be allocated by distance from the WMG Academy Solihull as follows:
a. Children within a 5 mile radius 45% of places (up to a maximum of 64).
b. Children living within a 5–10 mile radius 45% (up to a maximum of 64) of places.
c. Children outside the 10 mile radius 10%
(up to a maximum of 32) of places.
3.If places remain unfilled from any of the three priorities listed above, they will be redistributed to the other priorities using independently verified random allocation.
Tie breaker for Year 10
Where there are more applications than places available
within any of the priorities identified above within criterion (2),
independently verified computerised random allocation will be
used to decide which children will be allocated a place.
14
To determine the appropriate priority for each applicant,
straight line distances will be measured electronically using
six-figure grid references provided by the Local Land and
Property Gazetteer (LLPG). The grid references provide a
unique point on each property.
When considering a child’s application the permanent home
address at the closing date of applications will be used. If
parent(s)/carer(s) are separated and the child spends time at
each parent(s)/carer(s) address, the address of the main carer
will be used for admission to the WMG Academy. Parent(s)/
carer(s) will be asked to provide documentary evidence to
verify the appropriate address.
Late applications for Year 10
In the first year of opening late applications (after 31 October)
will be handled by the WMG Academy Solihull.
In 2017 and in subsequent years late applications will be
handled by Solihull MBC as part of the co-ordinated
admissions scheme.
In year applications for Year 10
In the first year of opening and in subsequent years
in year applications will be handled by Solihull MBC.
How to apply for a place in Year 12
The WMG Academy will operate a Sixth Form for 160
students in each of Years 12 and 13 when at full capacity.
In 2016, as a transitional arrangement, 180 places will be
available in Year 12 for external candidates and in 2017
160 places will be available for external candidates.
From 2018, 160 places will be available in Year 12 for internal
students who meet the minimum academic entry requirements
for their chosen programme of study. Remaining places will be
offered to any external candidates, on condition that they meet
the Academy’s minimum entry requirements.
Applications can be made directly to the WMG Academy
Solihull in hard copy or electronically. Application forms will
be available in the prospectus or directly from the Academy.
The deadline for Year 12 applications is 31 January 2016.
In 2016 and 2017, all Year 12 places will be allocated to external
candidates. Candidates will be notified by 31 March 2016.
Minimum entry requirements
to Year 12
Applicants to Year 12 will be offered courses appropriate
to their prior achievement. Applicants must have achieved
5 or more A* - E grade GCSEs including mathematics
and English.
Any students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) with a
statement of SEN or Educational Health Care Plan, where
the WMG Academy Solihull is named in the statement and
who meet the minimum admission criteria, will be offered a
place. Priority will then be given to any looked after or
previously looked after children (LAC) who meet the criteria.
After admitting SEN and LAC pupils, should the number of
external candidates applying, who have met the minimum
entry requirements for the Academy, exceed the number of
places available, independently verified random allocation
will be used to identify the students who will be offered
a place.
Applications made after the closing date of 31st January
2016 will be considered in the order that they are received.
Appeals by unsuccessful
applicants to Year 10 or Year 12
If any applicant is refused a place at the WMG Academy
Solihull, parent(s)/carer(s) will be made aware of their right of
appeal to an independent appeal panel. Information about
their right of appeal will be sent to unsuccessful applicants
at the time that their application is refused. The appeals
process will be compliant with the School Admission
Appeals Code.
Waiting lists will be held by Solihull MBC who will coordinate
the offers of places. The length of time that the child has
been on the waiting list will not be taken into account, only
the oversubscription criteria for the Academy will be used to
determine the child’s position on the list. This means that a
child’s position on the waiting list may change if another
parent(s)/carer(s) asks for their child to be put on the list and
they have a higher priority in the oversubscription criteria
(as each added child will require the list to be ranked again).
A fresh round of random allocation, as detailed above, will be
used, if required by the oversubscription criteria, to allocate
places from the waiting list.
Fair access protocol
The WMG Academy Solihull will comply with Solihull MBC’s
Fair Access Protocol.
Question 13 relating to admissions policy
Do you agree with the proposals for admitting
students if the number of applications exceeds
the numbers of places available?
If you require any further information, please contact us at
[email protected]
Waiting lists to Year 10 or Year 12
Places may become available at the WMG Academy and the
following describes how this will be managed:
n
All children who were refused a place will be placed on a waiting list for the Academy;
n
The list will be prioritised in line with the oversubscription criteria; and
n
The list will be maintained until the end of the
Autumn Term.
15
Contact us
The WMG Academy Solihull
University of Warwick
International Manufacturing Centre,
University of Warwick CV4 7AL
Email: [email protected]
www.wmgacademysolihull.org.uk