Archbishop gives his blessing to city’s new ‘academy of dreams’

Dr John Sentamu opened Archbishop Sentamu Academy in Hull yesterday, a Church of England-sponsored school that is transforming aspirations in one of the city’s most deprived neighbourhoods.

The £33m, four-storey building that rises like a beacon above the sprawling housing estate of Preston Road, opened its doors to pupils last month and is the third to be completed under the city’s £380m Building Schools for the Future programme.

In an impassioned speech to civic and community leaders and pupils in its 300-seat theatre, the Archbishop said: “I pray hard that it will transform the lives of those who study and learn here. It’s part of the great development of education to which the city of Hull is committed.

“And I pray for you all to have the courage to make your dreams come true. It’s all about making a dream become a reality.”

The 1,350-capacity school has more than 1,200 pupils on its roll and boasts a wide range of facilities including a cyber cafe, a dance studio, gym, and a vehicle engineering room based on a mechanic’s garage with a car lift.

The theatre will also be used to host community events and is the first venue of its kind in the east of the city.

Dr Sentamu said he was delighted by the feedback he had received from pupils.

“Pupil after pupil said they feel loved, they feel cared for,” he said.

“They are up to the task and they want to achieve and achieve more.”

But he said educational success should not just be judged on academic achievement.

He said: “Achievement isn’t just about passing exams and getting good grades, it’s about learning how to learn, not just learning facts like a parrot.

“Achievement is also about learning to give, feeling confident in feeling you can go out and help other people.”

As well as ensuring a high standard of teaching and learning in the subject of religious education, the Diocese of York will also have a guiding hand in the management and direction of the school.

The Bishop of Hull, the Right Rev Richard Frith, is the chairman of governors, while Canon Dr Ann Lees, the diocesan director of education, is vice-chairman.

Academy principal Andrew Chubb paid tribute to those who had helped deliver the school from its inception.

He said: “It’s amazing. It’s been the product of three years of hard work.

“We were lucky to have an outstanding architect in Dan Flower who designed the building for us, and we’ve had outstanding support from the Building Schools for the Future team and Hull City Council in helping us turn the design into reality.

“But most of all I’d like to thank the Diocese of York as our sponsor and the people there who have enabled us to have this place.”

The academy replaces the former Archbishop Thurstan secondary in Hopewell Road, where the new Oakfield Special School is now being built.

Mr Chubb began preparing for the launch by making a number of changes to the way things were done at the previous establishment – introducing a more formal uniform, with a blazer, shirt and tie replacing polo shirts, reducing class sizes to an average of 23 pupils, and increasing lesson times to 100 minutes to deliver “deeper learning”.

He said he had no doubt the new facilities would help pupils perform better and that everyone was still enjoying the “wow” factor of being in the new building.

He said: “The students and staff and governors can’t get over what a wonderful building it is.

“We’ve got the most fantastic facilities and I think we are all incredibly grateful to be able to benefit from a wonderful design and a wonderful building.”

Mr Chubb said the school was delighted to be so closely associated with the Archbishop.

He said: “We are immensely proud. He’s a wonderful patron, he gives very generously of his time.

“He allowed us to use Bishopthorpe, his palace, for the graduation of our sixth formers. He’s a real inspiration to us to live out our motto: aspire, serve, achieve.”

The Building Schools for the Future programme will see every secondary and special school in the city either rebuilt or remodelled by 2014. Sirius Academy, Winifred Holtby and Ganton and Tweendykes special schools have already been completed.

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