Secondary school bids for elite status to become city's first 'free' academy

A NEW secondary school is set to open in Hull next year.

If given the final go-ahead, the McAuley College Academy will be one of the first 'free schools' in the country.

Under the Government's flagship education reforms, these will be free of local education authority control and aim to set high standards.

A proposal for the school, which will be based at the same site as St Mary's College, in north Hull, has been submitted to the Government for funding and is currently being assessed.

Initially, it will be set up by staff at St Mary's – which is the only school in Hull rated by Ofsted as "outstanding" – and will grow under its stewardship.

The new school will have its own headteacher , staff, uniform and ethos.

McAuley's, which will eventually have around 600 pupils, will not be under the control of the local education authority.

Ged Fitzpatrick, head at St Mary's, is behind the plans.

He told the Mail: "Everyone is very excited by it. There are no other free school proposals like this and that is why it is great for the city.

"It is very simple, but we like to think that people deserve a very clear, simple idea."

A team from Hull has visited London to see Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, Lord Hill, with the concept.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: "Lord Hill said he would do what he could to make it fly and we could hear anytime.

"It will be a different school from St Mary's, but at the same time will have access to resources and experience.

"What is attractive to everyone at the moment is that you have resources from a strong school. The right thing to do is to lend those and let successful teams grow.

"It will be a very demanding school. There will be compulsory homework and youngsters will be following a very demanding academic curriculum.

"We will expect them to go to university and will instil that from day one."

The school is expected to be open for 100 year seven pupils from September.

Pupil numbers will then grow each year.

It will be housed in temporary accommodation to begin with, but as St Mary's is due to be partially rebuilt under the multi-million pound Building Schools for the Future programme, around 50 per cent of the buildings will become free from September 2013.

These will then be used for the new school.

The idea came about after staff at St Mary's began discussing ways of using its success to benefit more pupils. There are 700 applications per year for just 240 places.

But as it already meets its purpose of providing secondary education to Roman Catholic children in the area, it has no plans to expand.

The McAuley College Academy will not be a Catholic school.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: "For high, immediate and sustained impact, it is best focused through a free school specifically designed to raise the aspirations of many more children in Hull.

"I think there will be a strong demand from parents and it might stop the drift of children into neighbouring areas because they will have that resource on their doorstep."

Parents of year six children who are interested in the school can register their interest at www.mcauleycollegeacademy.org.uk or by calling 01482 853797.

Boxing Social networking Qatar Sheffield United Simon Barker US healthcare