UTC South Durham
University technical college secondary school in Newton Aycliffe (County Durham).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
We're at the forefront of technical education in the North East of England for GCSE and Sixth Form students. Since 2016 we've helped hundreds of young people from County Durham get started on their dream STEM careers. A University Technical College (UTC) is a government funded school that bridges the gap between education and the world of work .
In the UK there is a network of UTCs which have all been set up by a University alongside various business partners, usually that serve a local industry. Operating under the same name, each UTC has the freedom to create its own culture, curriculum and admissions protocol.
In 2016 Sunderland University collaborated with Hitachi and Gestamp to found us and we were rated Good by Ofsted for our first inspection in 2019. Since our establishment weve been the school of choice for hundreds of young people in the North East.
Our commitment to ensuring each student is career and life ready quickly gained us a positive reputation and resulted in us being oversubscribed for Year 10 since 2023. Each UTC has its own subject specialism that forms a large part of the curriculum.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
1 activityiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Stem
Key facts
- URN
- 142894
- Type
- University technical college
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 14 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Constituency
- Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 2016
Governing body (18 current, 4 former)
iAcademy trust: local governing body and trust board.17 governors are linked to a profile (11 confirmed, 6 (likely)).
Governors marked “Confirmed same person” have exactly the same forename and surname as the only officer of that name at the school’s own academy trust company on the Companies House register, so we treat them as the same person. The governance record itself comes from DfE.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Rob Yorke (likely) | TrusteeTrust board | Foundation/sponsor members | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Will Barker (likely) | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Clive Bird Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Elected by parents | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Alex John Hope (likely) | TrusteeTrust board | Persons who are appointed by the foundation body or sponsor (if applicable) | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Alex Hope (likely) | MemberTrust members | Persons who are appointed by the foundation body or sponsor (if applicable) | since 2026 |
| Ms Joanna Bailey Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr David Hodgson Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Persons who are appointed by the foundation body or sponsor (if applicable) | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Gareth Bone Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Persons who are appointed by the foundation body or sponsor (if applicable) | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Jonathan David Phillips Confirmed same person | MemberTrust members | Foundation/sponsor members | since 2024 |
| Professor Ian George Neal Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by academy members | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Ms Sam Rafferty (likely) | TrusteeTrust board | Elected by parents | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Stephen Brain Confirmed same person | TrusteeTrust board | Elected by school staff | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Nigel Geoffrey King | MemberTrust members | Foundation/sponsor members | since 2023 |
| Mrs Vanessa Stobart Confirmed same person | Chief Financial OfficerTrust officer | since 2021 | |
| Tom Dower (likely) | Accounting OfficerTrust officer | since 2015 | |
| Mr Tom Dower (likely) | TrusteeTrust board | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2015 |
| Mr David Land Confirmed same person | Chair of TrusteesTrust board | Appointed by academy members | since 2013 · until 2029 |
| Mr David Land Confirmed same person | MemberTrust members | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2013 |
| Ms Vicky Graham Former | TrusteeTrust board | Persons who are appointed by the foundation body or sponsor (if applicable) | since 2025 · term ended 2026 |
| Mr Milan Radosavljevic Confirmed same person Former | TrusteeTrust board | Appointed by academy members | since 2024 · term ended 2026 |
| Mr Milan Radosavljevic Confirmed same person Former | MemberTrust members | Foundation/sponsor members | since 2024 · term ended 2026 |
| Ms Jane Conroy Confirmed same person Former | TrusteeTrust board | Elected by parents | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record