Petition · past parliament

DFE to reverse the decision to close Burnley UTC or grant a 24 month extension.

Rejected 20 signatures

What the petition asks

Last week it was announced that Burnley UTC, a school that cost £10.3m to open in March 2014 is to close in August 2016.
The DFE have given it effectively just 2 years to sink or swim, not very long to say the least, considering the first pupils to go 14-16 are just sitting their GCSEs now.
The Department For Education has decided this fledgling school that offers specialist training to 14-19 year olds in Engineering and Construction is to close. Therefore denying the town and surrounding areas children the opportunity to excel outside of the ''mainsteam'' education system.
This is a brilliant school, offering a fantastic opportunity and to close it would be an absolute travesty for the children, businesses and future finances of Burnley and the nearby towns and villages.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

The decision to close UTC Lancashire was taken by the Board of Governors of the UTC, not by the UK Government.

The press release issued by the UTC states that "UTC Lancashire has struggled to recruit the number of students necessary to secure future financial viability." You could start a new petition calling on the Government to provide additional funding to enable UTC Lancashire to stay open.

Timeline

11 May 2016 Petition opened for signatures
16 May 2016 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 20
Status Rejected
Rejected 16 May 2016

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.