Flagship school is £500,000 in debt

Endeavour High, which opened in purpose-built premises in Hull in 2001, is no longer financially viable because of rapidly falling pupil numbers.

The school inherited the debt from its predecessor secondaries, William Gee and Amy Johnson, and now has no prospect of paying it off, Hull Council has admitted.

A report to the council’s cabinet next Monday recommends Endeavour is closed because of mounting problems.

Only 600 children attend the 1,200 capacity site in Beverley Road and only 37 parents named it as their first choice for the new academic year starting in September – far short of the 240 places available.

About 30 per cent of the current Year Seven pupils did not name the school as their first choice.

The report, A Case For Closure by Judith Harwood, the council’s head of learning, participation and skills, said: “Endeavour High School is not currently financially viable due to the fall in pupil numbers and the inherited budget deficit.

“Numbers are likely to continue to fall and as a result there is little likelihood that the financial position is fully recoverable.”

Last year education officials in the city said it had been built in the “wrong place”, but denied the £15m investment had been a waste of money.

Although facing considerable challenges – more than one in five pupils speak English as a second language – Endeavour has a lamentable academic record.

The school has been in special measures – judged to be failing by education watchdog Ofsted – in all but two academic years since 2004. Other problems surround the quality of teaching and pupil behaviour and attendance.

During its last inspection the quality of teachers’ marking was found to be “variable”, and pupils “consistently” ignored staff warnings about lateness.