Scott Medical and Healthcare College – Plymouth’s newest secondary school and a University of Plymouth partner – has welcomed its first ever students.
The new small, state school specialises in training the healthcare professionals of the future and welcomed students into Year 9 and Year 12 this week.
Central to the vision for the school – which offers a range of academic, vocational and professional qualifications – is its partnership with a number of local healthcare educators and practitioners, who have been key in formulating the unique and innovative curriculum.
Alongside the University’s Faculty of Health and Human Sciences and Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, the school’s partners are Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and Livewell Southwest, and they are all providing work placements and masterclasses for students.
Professor Greg Dix, Derriford Hospital’s Director of Nursing, cut the ribbon to declare the school open at its temporary location at the Millfields in Plymouth. Work has begun on a brand new permanent building in the Stoke area of the city.
Professor Bridie Kent, Interim Executive Dean of the University’s Faculty of Health and Human Sciences, said:
“It’s been fantastic to be here to see Scott College opened officially and to see so many students who want to embark on a career in health care. The University is delighted to be able to be part of helping them to realise their dreams.”
Professor Dix, who is also the school’s chair of governors, said:
“It’s really exciting to see this day after three years of hard work and I feel honoured to have been part of the journey. I feel very inspired by our future health and social care professionals and look forward to opening the doors of Derriford to them when they come for work placements to find out what life is like in a working hospital.”
Scott College headteacher Martyn Cox said:
“We are thrilled that our small school has proved extremely popular with students and parents and that we have opened with a full intake. Parents and students tell us that it is the deep support from our partners as well as our sponsor Stoke Damerel that makes Scott College an attractive option for students in Plymouth and across Devon and into Cornwall.”
Applications are now open for places in the next Year 9 and Year 12 and open events are being held on 27 September, 7 October and 29 November.
Schools like Scott College are state schools which are more like workplaces with a longer school day and classroom teaching combined with work placements. Students will carry out work experience from half a day to a full day each week.
Admitting pupils aged between 13 and 19, the school is separate and distinct from its sponsor Stoke Damerel, while taking advantage of the economies of scale of being part of the Inspiring Schools Partnership multi-academy trust.