£15m flagship school built only nine years ago 'in wrong place'

A FLAGSHIP 15m secondary school built nine years ago is now in the wrong place, education leaders have admitted.

The opening of Endeavour High in Beverley Road, Hull, in 2001 was meant to herald a fresh start for secondary education in the city after years of low achievement, problems with pupil behaviour and high levels of truancy.

But now the purpose-built school – which is in special measures for a second time and half empty – may be closed as officials seek another fresh start.

After having a 400m schools rebuilding programme approved by the Government under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme, Hull Council is now seeking additional funding to build a further new secondary in West Hull.

This would see the closure of Endeavour, with its pupils largely split between the forthcoming Northern Academy – due to open under BSF on Princess Elizabeth playing fields in September 2012 – and the new site in West Hull.

Education leaders in the city have denied claims that Endeavour was a waste of public money.

The school, which was entirely funded by the city council, was built to replace two other failing secondaries, William Gee and Amy Johnson.

Coun Christine Randall, education portfolio holder at the council, said: “It wasn’t a colossal waste of money; providing a new learning environment for young people is never a waste of money.

“When you look at where the catchment area is going to be under BSF, it’s on the very edge of that catchment area and difficult for young people to get to, and it’s right and proper we look for a location in the west of the city.”

She added: “It wasn’t (in the wrong place) at the time. As we have the opportunity that BSF has given us it’s become apparent there’s a need for a school in the NASA (Newington and St Andrew’s wards) area.

“There’s a need for a school in that area and it’s right and proper we have a look at it.”

John Ranby, chairman of the school’s governing body, said Endeavour never had a chance to live up to the expectations it was given and criticised its location. He wants the school to be transferred to a new academy in West Hull.

Mr Ranby said: “I think they made a big mistake building it where they did.

“We had two failing schools that were past redemption and merging them and expecting them to become a flagship school overnight was ridiculous. People want quick fixes and there aren’t quick fixes in education.

“We need to be in West Hull, somewhere near the Boulevard ideally. We think it would benefit the kids if you look at the resources an academy brings.”

Endeavour went into special measures in March 2004 and came off the blacklist in December 2005.

It was plunged into special measures again in June last year, although an inspection in December deemed it was making satisfactory progress. It has 685 pupils on the roll, with a capacity for 1,200.

More than one in five of its children speak English as a second language.

Endeavour pupils were ranked among the lowest in the country when the latest GCSE results were recorded.

Only 26 per cent of pupils gained the Government’s benchmark five passes at A* to C including English and maths.

The average for Hull was 37 per cent, compared to a national average of nearly 51 per cent.

Coun Rilba Jones, education spokeswoman for the council’s Labour group, defended the school, saying “Education standards are rising and in view of the fact it has many children who have English as a second language it’s getting better. It’s a very interesting, diverse school.”