THE principal designate of the Future Tech Studio School in Warrington has hailed the school’s innovative approach to learning as a ‘dream combination’.

Lee Barber, who was announced as the school’s principal in November, said the school is exactly what Warrington needs and is delighted to be a part of it.

He said: “Education can quite easily slip into bad habits. I feel like with this school is not teaching to a test. We are actually trying to produce young people who are ready for the work place with the right skills.

“I just think this is exactly what we need at the moment in terms of a model for a school.

“It’s a dream combination where you have got companies who are really willing to help young people and a school model which is geared around providing them with career opportunities in the three fields that we are focusing on. It’s just what we need in Warrington.”

The Future Tech Studio School, which will open in September, is a new type of state school for students aged 14 to 19 of all abilities and is sponsored by Warrington Collegiate Education Trust.

It is designed to better prepare young people for the working world in the IT and telecommunications, business and finance and engineering sector.

The school, which already has a waiting list, will be run like a business, with pupils working and studying from 9am to 5pm.

Uniforms will be a thing of the past with students asked to wear business dress.

Lee, who previously work as a business analyst for the Co-Operative Group in Manchester before turning his hand to teaching, said: “Pupils will wear a grey suit, white shirt and Future Tech tie.

“They can put their own stamp on it but there’s a degree on commonality about it. It’s all about preparing them for when they get a job.”

For more information visit futuretech.warrington.ac.uk.