Save our school plea of upset pupils

As revealed recently in the Burnley Express, the £10m. UTC Lancashire in Trafalgar Street will close at the end of August after being open for just two years.

Education chiefs have blamed dwindling student numbers as the reason behind the premature closure.

Year 10 students Daniel Campion and George Speak, who are only part through their first year at the college, said they were shocked and upset when teachers told them it would be closing.

The pair have now set up a petition and a Facebook page “Save UTC Lancashire” in a bid to keep the college open.

Daniel (14) came to the UTC from Unity College in Burnley.

He said: “I’m really upset that the college will be closing. I’ve loved it here and a lot of my classmates have too.

“I decided to continue my studies at the UTC because I was being bullied at Unity College and I wanted to focus on engineering.

“There was a better choice of subjects for me here and more opportunities with businesses. I’d like to be a builder or gas engineer when I leave school, and I’ve already done a placement with the National Grid.

“I think it’s pathetic that the college is closing after such a short time. If they had any doubts I wish they’d told us before.”

The decision to close the UTC, officially opened just two years ago by the Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has sent shockwaves through the town.

The college was seen as a flagship education centre which would create a new wave of much needed engineering young talent in the area.

• Click here to sign the petition