Eskdale School Closure Proposal Goes to Public Consultation

Tuesday, 7 February 2023 17:54

By Matthew Pells

A public consultation is to be launched on a proposal to close Whitby's Eskdale School.

North Yorkshire County Council's Executive Member for Education has approved a request from the governors of the Whitby Secondary partnership to launch a consultation on the proposal.

The Governing Board set out three linked factors as the reasons for their proposal to amalgamate Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School: low pupil numbers, significant financial challenges at both schools and an imperative to give the best education and curriculum to the young people of Whitby.

The report talks about falling pupil numbers in the town and says:

"The Whitby Secondary Partnership 11-18 Capacity has approximately 2080 school places. Numbers of secondary aged pupils have been falling steadily across the catchment area over the last 10 years (see Table 1 below).

There are currently 406 pupils on roll at Eskdale, with a capacity of 550, and 783 pupils on roll at Caedmon College, with a capacity of 1530. There is therefore a surplus of over 40% of places in Whitby."

The Governing Board’s proposal to NYCC is:

1. That the Local Authority should amalgamate Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School.
2. This would result in the technical closure of Eskdale School.
3. The Eskdale School site is declared surplus to school requirements and is returned to Local Authority management.

On Tuesday the decision was taken to proceed with a public consultation on the idea, the county council say the decision was :

"To approve public consultation on proposals, requested by the federated Governing Board of the Whitby Secondary Partnership, to amalgamate Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School resulting in the technical closure of Eskdale School and the Eskdale site, and increase the planned admission number for the amalgamated school with effect from 1 September 2024."

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson said:

“We have agreed to the request to consult on the proposal to amalgamate Eskdale School and Caedmon College. The council will now begin work on a public consultation, which people will be able to take part in online, or in person.

“The six-week consultation period will open on February 20 and public meetings will be held on March 8. Details of how to take part in the public consultations will be advertised by North Yorkshire County Council in due course.

“This will be an opportunity for people to find out more about the proposal, as well as share their comments or ask questions. The feedback will be collated and reviewed as a key part of this process.”

Members of the governing body feel the cost of maintaining three sites impacts on the schools’ ability to invest in students education and attainment. The money saved would allow them to invest in a broader curriculum which can offer pupils more opportunities and the chance to develop skills which meet their needs.

The consultation will launch on February 20th and close on March 31. The county council’s executive will then consider the responses at its meeting on April 18, at which point it will decide whether to progress to the next stage of the statutory process.

If this is approved, then a further representation period would follow before a final decision by the new North Yorkshire Council in June.

Although a final decision would be taken in this academic year, if plans to close the Eskdale school site was made, Eskdale School would not technically close until September 2024, when the newly-named amalgamated school would begin to operate.

If plans to close the Eskdale School site are pursued, it will be returned to local authority management. Decisions about the future use of the Eskdale site would be taken after the decision to amalgamate was made. Any decision would need to consider the 3G floodlit sports pitch on the school site.

The meeting was told that initial curriculum modelling suggests that the amalgamated school would have 7-8 classes of around 23-24 pupils in each year group within Key Stage 3, and 9 classes in each year group within Key Stage 4. The amalgamated school would operate a two-week timetable based on 50 periods, as is currently the practice at both schools.

The proposal is for existing pupils at both schools to be automatically be placed on roll at the amalgamated school. Parents/carers of current Year 6 children who are due to start secondary education in Whitby in September 2023 would not need to take any action regarding their existing school admissions application, for which the deadline was 31 October 2022. It is anticipated that the final decision on the amalgamation proposal will be made in June 2023 in advance of the secondary school application round for parents/carers of current Year 5 pupils due to transfer to secondary school in September 2024. The existing shared catchment area of Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale Schools would continue to be used for the amalgamated school.

It is proposed to operate the newly amalgamated school from September 2024 on two sites, the Normanby site for 11-16 pupils currently accommodated both on this site and at Eskdale, and the Scoresby site, mainly for the sixth form.

The report says:

"Given current forecasts, including the likely demand from new housing, there would appear to be sufficient secondary places available in the amalgamated 11-18 school, and sufficient places to accommodate all 11-16 pupils on the Normanby site, It should be noted that the Normanby site has operated with significantly more pupils previously. In 2002/3, for example, there were more than 960 pupils on roll at the site, which was then a 14-18 school."

"Nonetheless, it will be important to ensure that arrangements are in place to meet the increased number of pupils and staff on the Normanby site.

This will include a review of access arrangements for pedestrians, cyclists, buses and cars, but noting that an increase in transport services is not expected.

From an accommodation perspective the initial analysis suggests there would be sufficient teaching spaces to suit the curriculum, but some ancillary modifications may be needed. Further work will be undertaken to confirm the position and any potential capital costs. The schools’ meals provider has confirmed that they have no concerns regarding catering for the increased numbers on the Normanby site if the amalgamation went ahead, as they feel the existing kitchen could readily accommodate this and they would work to ensure a smooth transition "

In terms of staffing the report says:

"The Governing Board is clear that whilst the amalgamation would be a technical closure of Eskdale School, it will provide opportunities for staff across both schools. The amalgamation would involve the creation of a new staffing model to fit the needs of a newly enlarged and amalgamated school. A staff consultation would be undertaken, and Governors will be communicating the next steps to staff during February."

As part of the proposal the Governors would declare the Eskdale site surplus to educational requirements and the site would be returned to NYCC management. Decisions about the future use of the Eskdale site would be taken after determination of the amalgamation proposal. These would need to include consideration of the Eskdale Community 3G flood-lit pitch on the school site.

The report says there would be a £213k annual saving resulting from merging the two schools, it says:

"The estimated premises costs, excluding Rates, of £297k associated with the operation of the Eskdale site would be saved on the closure of the site. It is anticipated that the additional pupils on the Caedmon College - Normanby site would result in additional premises costs associated with utilities and cleaning of £84k for that site. On this basis, the indicative net saving on premises costs in respect of the amalgamation of the two schools is £213k on a full financial year basis"

The report states:

"The table shows that over the three-year period 2024 through to 2027, the reduction in lump sum funding for secondary education in Whitby would amount to £166.4k. However, this would be offset by estimated premises savings over the same period amounting to £550k. This would result in a net financial gain of £383.6k on these two factors. The impact of the lump sum reduction and the closure of the Eskdale site
would result in an ongoing estimated annual net gain of £85k. "

The report is recommending that the County Council agrees to progress with a consultation on the merger proposal and outlines the following potential timescale.