THE headteacher of a new University Technical College has pledged to co-operate with other schools in the town as he welcomed new pupils on its first day.

The UTC in Greenwood Way, Didcot, on the town’s Great Western Park estate, is the county’s first and offers science and engineering education for about 600 pupils aged 14 to 19.

The £10.5m college is an academy, funded by central government, and so far is providing 90 places for year 10 students, aged 14, and 60 places for year 12 students in the sixth form.

The number of pupils from Didcot and the surrounding five-mile area is being limited to 30 per cent of each year’s intake to reduce the impact on neighbouring schools.

Principal Owain Johns said he was delighted to welcome new pupils to the college on its first day on Monday.

He added: “We can offer appropriate courses for students who want to specialise in science and engineering.

“Pupils have a real focus and an energy here for their specialist subject areas.”

The UTC is the first of three new secondary schools to open in Didcot; the Aureus Secondary School, the town’s first mixed secondary school, is being planned for the Great Western Park estate.

Another secondary school is being proposed for an 1,880-home development at North East Didcot.

They will join well-established schools Didcot Girls’ School and boys-only St Birinus School.

Mr Johns said: “Once we settle in, we will think about how we can collaborate with local schools.

“Schools have to share good practice and then everyone benefits, including the students.

“We will be running a number of workshops for pupils from local primary schools.”

The college, sponsored by Activate Learning, has close links with employment partners BMW Mini in Oxford, RM Education at Milton Park and the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Taku Murombedzi, 14, from Greater Leys, Oxford, has switched from Matthew Arnold School, Cumnor Hill, to join a BTEC engineering course at the UTC.

He said: “I’m interested in practical subjects and would like to get an apprenticeship at BMW Mini.

“I have enjoyed my first day and I’m starting to make new friends.”

Pupils face a longer school day than at other secondary schools. They finish at 4.30pm on Monday and Friday, and at 5pm on the other three days.