Whitby campaigners: 'There has to be a choice of education for children'

They are calling for more schools for 11 to 16 years-olds

Author: Karen LiuPublished 21st Jun 2023

Campaigners in Whitby say there has to be a choice of education for children.

They are calling for there to be more schools for 11 to 16 year-olds after North Yorkshire Council voted to merge Eskdale with Caedmon College next year.

It means parents now have to consider their options on which school their child should attend and whether they need to travel far for it.

Ian Parkin is from Whitby and he has a son currently at Caedmon College and his youngest son is due to go this September. He said: "I jsut think people should have the right to choose. I grew up always having a choice which school we went to and I think kids now should have a choice which school they feel safer and happier to go to, and that's now all being taken away by that decision.

"I think we're going to keep on fighting. I hope we do because this can't be the end. We have a year. Just because we've had a no, we can't just sit back and say 'let's give up'. Whitby is a community and these kids deserve us to keep on fighting for them.

"We now have to consider our options regardless they don't have the common sense to consider everybody's feelings and thoughts and that. We as a parent, we've got the responsbility to do the fors and against going somewhere whilst staying here."

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