Sentamu opens new Church of England academy

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, today declared that "a dream had become a reality" as he officially opened the new Archbishop Sentamu Academy in East Hull.

Dressed in the academy's new uniform blazer Dr Sentamu joined staff and pupils for a tour of the premises and joined in practical demonstrations using its new state of the art technology.

"My prayer for all of you today at the academy is that you have the courage to have dreams that will transform not only your lives, but the lives of all those you meet, for the better," the Archbishop said.

The academy is one of six Church of England academies that have opened this term, making 18 in total across the country. A further 14 more have been agreed with another 40 further possibilities under discussion.

"This will be more than just a school," Dr Sentamu said. "Its students will come from the locality and be shown that what they can do for their neighbourhood is at least as important as what they can do for themselves.

"The academy's ethos will be Christian: open to all and for the benefit of all. We are committed to making a difference to the lives of young people and their community.

"As the 97th Archbishop of York, I am proud to have my name linked to this academy. I strongly believe in its vision to aspire, serve and achieve. I pray that this academy will transform the lives of those who study and work here and will play its part in the great development of education to which the city of Hull is so committed."

Dr Sentamu reflected on the academy's specialisms in health sciences and business and enterprise, two key areas of Britain's knowledge economy, as he took part in a demonstration of some of the academy's cutting edge technology with an iStan interactive mannequin, a 3D interactive ICT presentation.

Andrew Chubb, Principal of the academy said: "I believe that the academy will have a profound impact not just on the lives of the young people who attend it, but also on their families. We are at the heart of the local community, and want the whole community to benefit from the wonderful resources it will offer over the coming years."

Ann Lees, Director of Education for the Diocese of York, lead sponsors of the academy, said: "Today we celebrate the start of a new and exciting era in education in Hull. We are proud that the academy will be at the forefront of this. It will be a welcoming and outward-looking place where young people learn to live life to the full and serve others."

The academy will be a key part of the network of schools and academies developing through Hull City Council's £400 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme to transform learning and opportunity throughout the city. Early work has started on the design of the new buildings to create an exciting place to learn and a range of facilities for students and the wider local community.