'Sad day' for Whitby as two schools are set to merge next year
Eskdale School will amalgamate with Caedmon College in September 2024
Last updated 20th Jun 2023
Campaigners say it is a "sad day" for education in Whitby as two schools are set to merge.
North Yorkshire Councillors voted unanimously to amalgamate Eskdale School with Caedmon College in September next year.
The controversial plan has been called "fundamentally flawed" which will "destroy childrens' futures."
Speaking at the meeting, Terri-Anne Jones, a parent and member of the Keep Choice in Whitby and Save Eskdale group said: “The reports you have in front of you are not the full picture.
“Where are the guarantees that closing Eskdale will boost the sixth form numbers?”
She added: “This will affect generations and unlike you, we can’t walk away and forget, we have to deal with the aftermath, we have to pick up the pieces.”
Also speaking at the meeting was Tallulah Jones, a year-five student at Whitby’s West Cliff Primary School, who said: “Your decision will not have an impact on your lives but it will on mine”.
She said that having visited different schools, she “felt safe at Eskdale” which would have been “the school for me”.
She added that rather than go to Caedmon she would “travel 30 minutes away to another school”.
Later in the meeting, the ten-year-old posed a question to the council’s corporate director of children and young people services, asking: “Why are the children now at Eskdale being failed?”
The corporate director, Stuart Carlton responded by stating: “We don’t believe children are being failed.
“We think we are taking a decision to look at the future of the school and to provide a one-site school that is big enough to provide a depth of curriculum that Whitby children decide, we just don’t agree with your mum.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, Alison Hume, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Scarborough and Whitby, said: “I’m really disappointed for the families.
“As a parent who has faced the challenges of finding the right schools for my son with complex disabilities, my heart really goes out to those who have found their right school in Eskdale and now have to contemplate a future without it.”
Ian Parkin, who is from Whitby, said: "We have one son in Caedmon already and we've got another due to go in September. As much as it's a worse situation for Eskdale, there's an effect for Caedmon as well. I think the effect is going to felt right across Whitby regardless of who you support.
"Our persistent request for information on this, that and the other have all been ignored, so we've put the fight up against them with the information we've managed to find out as it was noted in Northallerton today, what we found off Government websites etc because they wouldn't give us anything.
"I'm very angry about this now because I know a lot of people who've put a lot of effort into this and have asked questions. People don't like being ignored and when you get ignored for months on end, it does start raising questions at what are you hiding?"
Ian has been speaking to Greatest Hits Radio's Karen Liu
Whitby Town Council
Whitby Town Council objected to the closure of Eskdale School and its site.
Councillor Linda Wild says it is a 'travesty' and a 'very worrying decision' for pupils and parents: "It seems North Yorkshire Council have strung the community along knowing the decision was already decided and exactly predicted by the community affected by this merger.
"A travesty for pupils and parents across Whitby. This decision was taken by Cllrs who may never have set foot in Whitby!
"As a Whitby Town Cllr I find it reprehensible behaviour from NYC that our request to have a presentation from the Governors of the Schools was turned down.
"A decision was taken by Whitby Town Council to object to the closure of Eskdale School and the Eskdale site. It is the council’s understanding that the consultation process was inadequate, and the views of parents and the community were neither properly considered nor listened to.
"We were denied direct access to ask questions on behalf of the community. We wanted the opportunity to ask questions in a public forum at a WTC meeting so members of the public could hear the answers direct - but our request was denied.
"As a result of this decision today, our educational asset for Whitby is now precariously placed in one pot.
"I hope this decision today does not herald what we can expect from NYC for other matters affecting Whitby in the future? We need our only two elected representatives on NYC to further step up and protect the Town from remote decisions by virtual strangers!
"A bad day for education in Whitby and the community who do not feel listened to."
North Yorkshire Council proposal
The authority says following a six-week consultation period, which included two public meetings at Whitby Pavilion, the decision will see the technical closure of Eskdale School and pupils and staff moved to Caedmon College from September 2024.
It says the money saved on premises costs is set to allow investment in a broader curriculum which can offer pupils more opportunities and the chance to develop skills which meet their needs.
The move will also see the introduction of a new Inclusion Hub providing a safe place and tailored support for pupils with special education needs and a strong pastoral system supporting and enabling students to flourish.
Eskdale School and Caedmon College, including Whitby Sixth Form, federated in July 2019, sharing an executive headteacher and a governing body. However, the combined pressures of falling pupil numbers and financial challenges faced by both schools, prompted the merger proposals.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said: “Thank you to everyone who has been involved with and engaged in this consultation - it has been emotive, as to achieve this amalgamation sadly involves closing a school site and that is one of the most difficult decisions we can make, and not one we would ever make lightly.
“Unfortunately, none of the other options for the two schools would address the challenges of low pupil numbers and the financial challenges, whilst delivering the highest quality education to the young people of Whitby.
“We believe this is the right thing to do in order to secure a sustainable future for education in Whitby.
“We, as a council, are keen to provide greater stability, ensuring we maintain the best possible environment in which our children can learn and fulfil their true potential.”
Mr Jamie Henshaw, the executive headteacher of The Whitby Secondary Partnership, said: “As leaders we are passionate about education and want to see the very best for all the students of Whitby.
“This amalgamation will give the chance to create a quality first education provision that is inclusive, developing aspirations in our young people, delivering a combination of academic and vocational courses for 11 to 18-year-olds and providing exciting enrichment opportunities.
“We are looking forward to being able to work collectively to deliver on our vision of education for all and a quality first education for Whitby for the present and future generations to come.”
Similar views were shared by the co-chairs of governors, Su Crossland and Christina Zanelli, who said: “This is an exciting opportunity for staff and students to work together to create a vibrant, new school that they can be proud of.”
The governing body set out three factors that led to the go-ahead for the amalgamation, acknowledging 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 schools will amalgamate from 1st September next year.
The future of the Eskdale site, including its sports and community facilities and green space, will be considered as part of a separate process.