Boulevard free school gets Hull FC legend Johnny Whiteley's seal of approval
A HULL FC legend has given the city's first free school his seal of approval.
Johnny Whiteley visited the site of the Boulevard Academy to see how the former Hull FC ground was changing.
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Taking shape: From left, site manager Phil Woodhead, Johnny Whiteley and principal Andy Grace. Picture: Jack Harland
The school, which will open in September, has formed a partnership with the Super League club to keep the heritage of the site alive.
Mr Whiteley visited with principal designate Andy Grace, who officially starts his job on April 8.
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Carol White, an educationalist, and Joan Irving, supply chain director at Arco, who first proposed the free school, were also visiting to see how the building work was coming along.
"I think the project is absolutely marvellous," said Mr Whiteley. "Being associated with the Boulevard and being a local lad, this is a real credit to everyone concerned.
"It is nice to know there will be a rugby pitch and two football pitches, which will be fabulous for this area.
"In this day and age, green areas are going, so it is nice there is going to be another area for sport within the inner city. There are chimney pots all around here and so many families.
"Kids so often have to catch the bus to get to school.
"This will be an old-fashioned type of school, at the end of the street, in the heart of the community."
While the building of the school means fans have to say goodbye to the historic ground, Mr Whiteley says a school is the best thing that could have happened to the site.
He said: "I don't think any- thing else could have been better. They could have used it for industry or anything.
"To use the old Boulevard name will mean the site will keep its name for the next 100 years."
• Gallery: Archive pictures of Hull rugby legend Johnny Whiteley
Pupils will wear black and white uniforms, the colours of the club.
There will be a memorial garden in the school for the relatives of people who had their ashes scattered on the pitch to visit.
Andy Grace, principal designate, said: "People have been telling me how quickly it has been coming together and there is so much more than I expected to be up.
"When I applied for the position as principal, I had the opportunity to check it was going to have high standards and expectations and that it was going to reflect the needs of the community.
"What I didn't realise until after was how significant this site is for the people in this area, so we made a strategic decision to call it the Boulevard Academy, which was a signal of intent. We could not have called it anything else."
Mr Grace says parents have shown faith to put their children down for places at the school when building work had not even started.
He said: "What we want to do now, before it opens, is to speak to families and young people to explain what is unique about the school."
The £10m school will have places for 600 pupils. As a free school, it will operate outside the local authority's control.
Construction firm Bam, which is building the school, says the bulk of it will be completed by September 2 when the keys will be handed over. Pupils are expected to start at the school on September 9.
4 Comments
by vanityunfair
Monday, March 25 2013, 7:07PM
“A different subject: I did attend the Boulevard stadium on a number of occasions and am having difficulty imagining two football pitches, a rugby pitch, a car park, a memorial garden and a 600 place school fitted into the space available. The published brochure (http://tinyurl.com/ancwaq6) does not include a plan nor does the application (https://web5.hullcc.gov.uk/akshull/images/att24835.rtf.”
by vanityunfair
Monday, March 25 2013, 7:06PM
“"When I applied for the position as principal, I had the opportunity to check it was going to have high standards and expectations..."
Mr. Grace has, as a previous report has pointed out, experience of high standards.(http://tinyurl.com/ctsyd7t)
The earliest easily accessible record I have found is when he was Acting Principal at Pedmore Technology College in 2007. The Ofsted report on Pedmore in 2007 rated it as "Satisfactory", i.e. grade 3 of 4. See http://tinyurl.com/bsz9b73 The 2004 report had also been "Satisfactory" but with several "Good" and a few "Very Good" parts. Unfortunately it is not possible to say whether he was on the staff then. The 2011 inspection report notes "a sharp rise in the rates of progress and attendance" and the "inspirational headteacher". The grade increased to "Good", i.e. 2 of 4, after Mr. Grace had left.
Next was his stay at the Elgar Technology College, 2008-09. Elgar had been put into special measures in February, 2007. The report made during his headship is not on the Ofsted web site. It merged with another school and was reassessed as a new academy and the file closed shortly after he had left. It is, however, available at http://tinyurl.com/d3ndxel and shows no intention of the school being released from its special measures regimen. (The Worcestershire County Council proposal to close and merge can be found by searching for"Appendix 5 proposal to close Elgar Technology College") So, we have no other evidence of how well he was proceeding in his task.
He then became associate principal of Shireland Collegiate Academy for less than a year, 2009-2010. That promptly went from Ofsted rating "Outstanding" to "Inadequate", i.e. from top to bottom rating. See http://tinyurl.com/bp43hk7 for details. He decided to leave and a few months later.in December, 2010 it was reassessed as "Outstanding" again. See http://tinyurl.com/c5rqpxo for the principal's account. By any standard this is a strange set of circumstances.
On the face of it, his experience of high standards seems to be more limited than his boasts. He also seems to have had a high turnover rate of positions recently. Surely continuity is essential in the development of schools, especially new ones. Perhaps HDM could conduct a more detailed interview with Mr. Grace in order to bring out the career highlights that are not evident in the public records. He would surely have made the trustees aware of his successes during the selection process.”
by Marmadukelad
Friday, March 22 2013, 5:58PM
“There is just one problem.
The school takes its pupils from anywhere and every where. they will be ferried in from all over, the school has no connection with the educational establishments in Hull.
They can just about teach what they like to whom they like and the teachers dont even have to be trained.
Its not like the tradional school at the bottom of the street as we know it. It a private school who the school invite you to apply to join, ad they exclude who they like.
Its a little bit like Hymers only we the taxpayers pay the fees instead of the parents”
by robd63
Friday, March 22 2013, 5:41PM
“Just clicked on the link to the "Gallery:Archive pictures of Hull Rugby Legend Johnny Whiteley" and there's nowt there...
But seriously folks, this is a fitting and appropriate use for the site of the former home of Hull FC. (Let's hope the language taught there improves.)
Black and white uniforms too, fantastic.”