UTC Plymouth

My daughter started UTC in September 2020 after being at a school that can only be described as a 1900s work house (Ivybridge Community College). My daughter doesn’t have additional needs but she does require extra support due to anxiety and personal situations which made her behaviour somewhat, challenging.
Due to the lack of support at her previous school my daughter’s behaviour at home challenging.

Since starting UTC my daughter is a different child. She’s happy, she’s confident, she’s thriving academically and we have the staff at UTC to thank for that.
The support she receives at UTC is nothing short of amazing. They listen to the children, they listen to the parents and they treat both children and parents with the upmost respect.
If I have had any concerns I’ve contacted the school and I’ve always got a reply. Not just a reply, a reply that has offered a solution to any problems and it’s always been delivered in a positive way.
Due to the positive attitude of the staff at UTC the students believe they can achieve anything they put their mind to. They’re never told they can’t do something or they shouldn’t do something, they’re guided towards to their goals with positivity, structure and any help they require.
The school doesn’t focus on punishment as a reinforcement, they don’t threaten the children, they simply point them in the right direction and help lead them down the path they want to be on.
As a result of their support and positivity our home life has changed incredibly. We’ve gone from living in what can be described as a war zone to happy children, happy mom, laughter and spending more time together as a family because we’re not fighting and upset all the time.
When my daughter was at her previous school she often refused to go to school and teachers had to collect her from the house. Since starting UTC she’s not refused to go school at all and actually refused to leave school to go to hospital when injured. She just wants to be there all the time. It’s a complete change in attitude towards school and learning. She’s enjoying her school life.

I feel that UTC don’t fully understand the positive impact they have on families because they do this naturally. I wish they understood that helping my daughter at school means that she comes home in a better mood with less worry and less stress, that then changes her behaviour so I’m less stressed as a parent and she’s not taking her bad mood out on her sister. That then has an effect on our wider family because I’m not calling my mother up stressed. The ripple effect this has had changed our family so much for the better and that includes the wider family. My youngest daughter (13yrs) even asked me to email my daughter’s head of year and thank him from her personally for the help he has given my eldest because she’s much happier at home now there’s less stress. What UTC do is nothing but amazing.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Hall most of all. He was born to do this job. He has had the biggest impact on our family. He has spoken to my daughter on numerous occasions to reassure her that she’s doing well and tell her how proud UTC are of her. Giving children positive feedback helps more than people think. Mike will called me to check on how my daughter is coping at home during lockdown and immediately solved any problems she was having. He even set up a support group for children that struggled with home learning. Amazing.
I honestly can not praise this school enough. Mike and all the staff at UTC are absolutely winning in all aspects of teaching and supporting students no matter what that support might be.

I could waffle on for hours about how awesome UTC is but I’ll end with this, I would give UTC 15/10 across the board for all they do. The teaching is amazing, the attitude is amazing, the support is amazing. They go above and beyond for their children and they really do care about them in all aspects, from academics, to well-being, to their futures.

Thank you UTC, you changed our family life for the better and you made my child love learning again.