North Yorkshire County Council

Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee

3 December 2021

Schools, Educational Achievement and Finance

1.0 1.1

Purpose of the Report To inform Members of the local educational landscape, educational achievement and the financial challenges which affect schools in the Scarborough and Whitby constituency committee area.

2.0       Local educational landscape

2.1       There are now 14 primary academies and 5 secondary academies within the Scarborough and Whitby constituency area.  The academy conversion rate for primary schools is slightly higher within the constituency area when compared to the county as a whole (36.8% compared to 32.1% in North Yorkshire.) The academy conversion rate for secondary schools is higher (71.4% compared to 62.8% in North Yorkshire).

            Summary of schools’ status – November 2021

	Schools in North Yorkshire		Schools in Scarborough and Whitby ACC
Primary Maintained	205	67.9%	24	63.2%
Primary Academy & Free School	97	32.1%	14	36.8%
Total	302		38
Secondary Maintained	16	37.2%	2	28.6%
Secondary Academy & UTC	27	62.8%	5	71.4%
Total	43		7
Special Maintained	7	70%	2	66.66%
Special Academy	3	30%	1	33.33%
Total	10		3
PRU Maintained	4	80%	1	100%
PRU Academy	1	20%	0
Total	5		1
Total maintained Total Academy Overall Total	232 128 360	64.4% 35.6%	29 20 49	59.2% 40.8%

3.0       School standards

3.1       School Ofsted judgements

            In the constituency area 78.9 per cent of primary schools are judged good or outstanding by Ofsted, which is below the North Yorkshire and national averages. In terms of secondary schools, 57.1 per cent are judged good or outstanding, which is also lower than the North Yorkshire and national averages. There are 12 schools currently judged requires improvement or inadequate in the constituency area. 

3.2       Attainment overall

The Committee has previously (6 November 2020) considered a report which contained all of the key attainment data for 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Over the last 2 years, exams and assessments in schools have not taken place because of the disruption to students’ education caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In 2020, GCSEs, AS and A level exams, and those for some equivalent qualifications, faced widespread cancellation and were replaced with a grading process involving centre assessment followed by statistical standardisation. Ultimately, statistical standardisation was dropped in favour of teacher/ centre assessment, unless the adjusted grades were higher.

Summer 2021 assessments were awarded based on teacher or centre assessment and no statistical adjustment processes were used. Final results for many qualifications, including GCSEs and A Levels, were released to schools in August 2021. Review and appeal processes have been made available where students believe they received the wrong grades, but overall, final grades were significantly higher in both 2020 and 2021 than in 2019.

The Government intends for GCSEs, AS, A Level and equivalent assessments and exams to go ahead in England in summer 2022 and has consulted on assessment arrangements. It is proposing some changes to general, and vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs). Additionally, current plans would see school-level performance (league) tables reintroduced for the end of the GCSE phase (key stage 4) in 2022; school-level information is not being published during either 2020 or 2021. Further detail is expected about how the assessments will be graded in 2022 and beyond. Some concerns remain about whether these measures will go far enough to address inequalities, and whether schools, colleges, and students will have enough notice of the final arrangements.

In primary schools, national curriculum assessments due to be held in summer 2020 and summer 2021, including tests, teacher assessments and the phonics screening check, were also cancelled too. These statutory assessments are expected to resume in 2022 and we will also see the wider introduction of the Reception Baseline Assessment.

Due to the changes in exams and assessments, the DfE has not collected and released school data for comparative purposes and so there is nothing to report to this Committee until Autumn 2022 when the results of the summer 2022 cycle will have been published.

3.3       Not in education, employment or training

            There were 885 young people recorded in Year 11 in this constituency in May     2020 and of this cohort only 13 (1.47%) were not in education, employment or           training after leaving school as of August 2021.

4.0       Fixed-term and Permanent Exclusions

4.1      Fixed-term exclusion incidents

Fixed term exclusions
Academic year	Scarborough & Whitby	North Yorkshire	Percentage of North Yorkshire total	Most common reason (Scarborough & Whitby)
2020/21	710	3257	21.80%	Persistent or general disruptive behaviour (36.3%)
2019/20	1059	4366	24.30%	Persistent or general disruptive behaviour (48.1%)

In the 2020/21 academic year, there have been a total of 3257 fixed term exclusions for a total of 1462 individual children in North Yorkshire. 326 of these children were on roll of mainstream schools in Scarborough and Whitby constituency.

In the same period last year, there were 4189 fixed-term exclusions for a total of 1491 individual children, 348 of these children were on roll of mainstream schools in Scarborough and Whitby constituency.

The most common reason for a fixed-term exclusion in the constituency has consistently been ‘persistent disruptive behaviour’.

In 2019/20 schools in the constituency area had a 14.4% share of the schools population in North Yorkshire and 24.3% of fixed term exclusions for the county, this decreased to 21.8% in the 2020/21 academic year.

Fixed-term exclusions can be a useful sanction, but frequent use can place pressure on family and foster placements, impacts on achievement, and may lead to risky behaviour while the pupil is not in school during the day.

4.2      Permanent exclusions

Permanent exclusions
Academic year	Scarborough & Whitby	North Yorkshire	Percentage of North Yorkshire total
2020/21	7	26	26.9%
2019/20	5	52	9.6%

4.3       From September 2020 the transition of the Pupil Referral Service (PRS) to    provide preventative places to reduce the need for secondary exclusions has been introduced. Schools are able to request placements at the PRS as part of a joint education programme for children that are disengaging from mainstream school. The partnership approach between the PRS and school will ensure that children receive the necessary support without a permanent exclusion. Post implementation review of this practice was due to be carried out this year but has been delayed due to Covid 19 and will take place next year.

5.0      Special Education Needs and Disabilities

5.1       Targeted Mainstream Provision

The development of the new model of provision, Targeted Mainstream Provision (TMP) is intended to help the LA meet demand for full time education provision for children with SEND and who have an Education, Health and Care Plan. This model delivers provision for children and young people who are able to access mainstream education but with additional support for their special educational needs.

Over the 2020/21 academic year the first provisions were successfully opened and a number of schools were approved to operate TMPs.  East Whitby Primary school opened a Communication and Interaction targeted provision in January 2021 and has been successfully supporting a number of children and young people.  A primary SEMH targeted provision based at West Cliff Primary Academy has opened in November 2021 following a comprehensive capital works scheme on the site.

Work is continuing through 2021/22 to increase the amount of TMPs in areas which do not yet have host schools identified, to ensure that the LA has capacity to meet demand for this provision.

The ‘outreach’ offer for children and young people with SEND continues to be met by the SEND multi-disciplinary hubs made up of specialist staff employed directly by the Local Authority including specialist teachers, practitioners, educational psychologists and therapists.

5.2 SEN Statistics for Constituency Area

As of January 2021 there were 613 children living in the constituency with a North Yorkshire funded Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, 17.3% of the North Yorkshire total. The most common needs for children with a North Yorkshire funded EHC plan living in the area are Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at 26.9 % and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) at 25.8%, and Moderate Learning Disabilities  (MLD) at 17.6%.

As of January 2021 school census there were 1490 children recorded as SEN Support from schools in this constituency, 16.0% of the North Yorkshire total. The most common needs for children receiving SEN support in the area are  Speech, Language and Communication at 22.6% and Specific Learning Difficulties (e.g. Dyslexia) at 20.9%.

6.0       Elective Home Education

As of 31st August 2021 there were 904 children recorded as Electively Home Educated (EHE) in North Yorkshire, 163 of which were formerly from a mainstream school in Scarborough and Whitby ACC. At the same point last year, there were 688 children EHE in North Yorkshire, 104 formerly from a mainstream school in Scarborough and Whitby ACC.  This represents a 31% increase in North Yorkshire and a 57% increase in Scarborough and Whitby ACC.

Between 1st Sept 2020 to 31st August 2021, 483 children became EHE in North Yorkshire, 101 of which were formerly educated in a mainstream school in Scarborough and Whitby ACC. This figure was 46 from Scarborough and Whitby of 294 becoming EHE in North Yorkshire, in the same period last year.

7.0       School Finance

7.1       Schools in Financial Difficulty – the countywide position

As of March 2021 the overall position for North Yorkshire Schools was:

· 22 schools with accumulated deficits totalling £7.5M

· This was an increase of £0.4M from 2019/20 (after adjusting for school closures, amalgamations and academy conversions in 2020/21)

· Deficits range from £1k (special school) up to £1.6M (special school)

· The average primary school deficit is £57k

· The average secondary school deficit is £596k

· 3 schools out of the 22 have since converted to Academy status or closed since 31^st March 2021

· Of the 19 schools remaining, 9 schools are predicting that their position will deteriorate, 8 are projected to improve their financial position and 2 are projected to return to a surplus position as at 31^st March 2022

7.2       School Projections - Based on May 2021/22 Start budgets

· 143 LA maintained schools (67%) are projecting an in-year deficit in 2021/22

· 6 schools are projected to move from a surplus balance to a deficit balance by March 2022

· 12% (26 schools) are forecast to be in deficit at 31^st March 2022, this is projected to rise to just under one in five by March 23 and just under two out of five by March 24.

	2018/19 (Actual)	2019/20 (Actual)	2020/21 (Actual)	2021/22 (Forecast)	2022/23 (Forecast)	2023/24 (Forecast)
Number of Schools in Deficit	47	37	22	26	40	79
Value of Deficit	£6.0M	£7.2M	£7.5M	£8.5M	£9.4M	12.8M
Proportion of schools in deficit	18%	15%	10%	12%	19%	37%

7.3       Funding

· Concern around overall quantum of funding given cost pressures (e.g. future pay awards, the longer term impact of the Covid pandemic in terms of additional expenditure requirements and potential income losses).

· North Yorkshire secondary schools are placed 138 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding. On average, a school in North Yorkshire will receive £5,570 per pupil in 2021-22 compared to a national average of £5,935. Comparing the funding for a 1,500 pupil secondary school this equates to a difference in funding of £0.5m.

· North Yorkshire primary schools are placed 35 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding.  For primary schools, a North Yorkshire school will receive on average £4,715 per pupil compared to a national average of £4,611.

· Concern over the impact of continued high needs financial pressures on school budgets.

· North Yorkshire has a number of schools that, geographically, are vital in serving their local communities. Inadequate sparsity funding and general financial pressures for smaller, rural secondary schools, continues to be a significant concern.  DfE proposed changes to increase sparsity funding will come into effect for 2022/23 school funding, however the maximum sparsity funding increase for a small secondary school is £10k. NYCC continues to lobby the DfE and local MPs for higher levels of funding for the small, rural secondary schools within the LA.

7.4       Schools in Financial Difficulty – Scarborough and Whitby

8.0       Planning school places

8.1       School sustainability

The sustainability of schools is largely influenced by three key factors which are usually related to each other:

· Falling pupil rolls

· School standards

· Financial difficulty

Where school closures have regrettably occurred in North Yorkshire these factors have been relevant. There have been six closures in the county over the last three years with one of these occurring in the constituency area.

8.2       Collaborative working

Collaborative working is two or more schools working together to the mutual benefit of their pupils with the overall aim of improving outcomes for all. This has the potential to broaden opportunities and contribute to efficiencies. There are now four federations in the Scarborough and Whitby area. In each of these federations there are two maintained schools with a single governing body and headteacher. In three cases the pairs of schools are small, rural schools with the same religious character and LA Officers worked with the Diocese of York to support the Governing Bodies of the Schools to come to the federation decision. The third federation is made up of Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School, the secondary schools which serve Whitby Town and its rural area. This federation is the result of closer working relationships towards the shared goal of continuing to increase the quality of provision for pupils in the Whitby area.

There are also a number of other arrangements operating across the constituency. Typically, these arrangements feature the shared headship but without the shared governance which would characterise federation. Local Authority officers regularly support discussions between school leaders and governors to consider where collaborative working opportunities are available.

8.3 Pupil rolls – current and future

            The County Council has a statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places are available for every child under the Education Act 1996. For this purpose, it groups schools together into planning areas in accordance with the requirements of the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Appendix 1 shows the planning areas together with:

· Capacity in the planning area

· Current numbers on roll

· Projected future numbers

· Projected impact of approved housing developments

8.4       The County Council is carefully monitoring pupil numbers across the constituency area. A large proportion of the constituency is rural and served by small schools located within villages. A falling birth-rate combined with changing demographics means that a number of small schools are facing financial challenges associated with low numbers on roll. In some areas larger schools also face financial difficulty as they experience lower numbers than they are historically structured to accommodate. This is particularly the case where numbers on roll are above a round form of entry e.g. 1 or 2 forms of entry (30 or 60 pupils), but are not high enough to easily afford the structure for the next form of entry.

8.5       Larger Villages with proposed or committed housing developments – There a number of villages where housing allocations have been made within the Scarborough Local Plan including East and West Ayton, Seamer and Burniston. The schools that serve these areas East Ayton Community Primary School, Seamer & Irton Community Primary School and Lindhead School respectively are operating near to capacity. Where possible within planning regulations, developer contributions have been sought to provide additional school places should the need arise.

8.6       Scarborough North and Central Primary areas - The North and Central areas cover all of the schools located within the urban area of Scarborough Town. These two areas have conflicting pressures with the schools in the North area having high numbers on roll at present and significant housing developments with planning permission, plus others allocated in the Local Plan going forward. The strategy to provide these places within the North has been to seek a site as part of the largest housing allocation and to provide a new school, should it be required, through developer contributions. Whereas in the Central Area the falling birth rate in the district has caused a fall in pupil numbers which is beginning to cause financial pressure in some of the schools which have previously operated at higher numbers on roll. This issue has been being monitored by the Local Authority for some years. Local Authority officers held a meeting with local primary Headteachers earlier this year and discussed the issues arising from this dichotomy. One of the key concerns has been that providing additional places to meet new demand for places in the North of Scarborough too early could further destabilise schools in central Scarborough. As present no site has been secured to deliver a further school in the North of Scarborough should it be required, however the Local Authority has secured S106 contributions towards this provision and will continue to do so where possible.

8.7       Scarborough South Area (Eastfield and Cayton) – The Scarborough South Area is the main area of proposed housing growth for Scarborough Borough Council (SBC). Significant housing developments are underway at Middle Deepdale (Eastfield) and sites are allocated in the Local Plan for North of Middle Deepdale and also in the ‘South Cayton Strategic Area’. The latter two developments are not included in the figures appended as they do not yet have planning permission but are projected to require significant educational provision. Some of this need could be met at local schools but there is likely to be a need for additional schools within the area. The LA is working with SBC to ensure that, where appropriate, developer contributions are secured.

8.8       Overdale C.P. School

            For the developments that are on site with planning permission to the North of Eastfield the LA was not able to secure S106 contributions due to existing capacity in the school system at that point. However, the developers of these sites and SBC were keen to provide funding towards a new school site appropriately located to link the existing and new housing developments within Eastfield. To this end the LA have been working with local stakeholders to relocate Overdale Community Primary School to a new site with enough capacity to accommodate the pupils from the current areas with planning permission at Middle Deepdale. This project started on site in June 2020 and the new site was successfully opened in September 2021. Unfortunately due to the challenges associated with the pandemic there has not yet been a formal opening ceremony for the school. The school are hoping to organise a celebration in the new year. This newly expanded school will accommodate the emerging demand from the housing developments within the school’s catchment area. The Local Authority is in discussion with both SBC and developers about any provision required to meet additional demand in the longer term.

8.9       Scarborough Secondary Area – The appended figures illustrate that across the Scarborough Secondary Planning Area there is forecast to be a relatively significant surplus of places by 2024/25. However, beyond this the surplus will be reduced if the allocated housing sites in the Local Plan achieve planning permission and are built out. Further projections of this scenario indicate that additional secondary accommodation may need to be provided at George Pindar School to meet the developments within their catchment area. Although it should be noted that there is a current surplus at the school and this is projected to continue unless a large proportion of the proposed housing comes forward. During 2019/2020 academic year the Hope Learning Trust who are the Multi Academy Trust which operate Graham School and George Pindar School consulted upon a reduction of their Planned Admission Number which would have the effect of reducing the Net Capacity of both schools from September 2021. The proposed level of reduction was lowered following concerns raised by LA Officers around ensuring that sufficient capacity was retained across the system, and agreement was also reached to hold annual reviews of sufficiency of places across the area. 

8.10    Whitby Town Area – As demonstrated in the appended figures, there is significant surplus capacity within both the Primary and Secondary sector. The reorganisation of the secondary schools into a federation of two 11-16 institutions located on separate sites, with a shared Sixth Form Unit located on a third site has been implemented. In April 2021, following consultation, the Local Authority closed St Hilda’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Whitby. This has resulted in small reduction in the Primary capacity within Whitby but, as shown below, there is still a significant surplus across the planning area.

8.11    Rural Primary Schools- The rural areas of the constituency are characterised by small primary schools serving villages as well as, in some cases, very extensive sparsely populated catchment areas. The geography combined with low pupil numbers lead to financial and organisational challenges for some schools. Across the constituency area the schools have worked innovatively to mitigate these challenges including forming local federations and Multi-Academy Trusts. The fluctuation of pupil numbers exacerbates the already challenging nature of school funding for smaller schools.

9.0      Recommendation

9.1       That Members note the report on educational factors in the Scarborough and Whitby constituency area.

Authors: Amanda Newbold (Assistant Director – Education and Skills), Howard Emmett (Assistant Director – Strategic Resources), Jane Le-Sage (Assistant Director – Inclusion), Andrew Dixon (Strategic Planning Manager)

Appendix 1 - School Place Planning data

APPENDIX 1

Planning Areas and forecast surplus/shortfall school places

PRIMARY
School planning area	Places available as at 2020/ 2021	Number on Roll 2016/ 2017	Number on roll 2020/ 2021	Surplus Capacity 2020/ 2021	Forecast pupils as at 2025/2026	Pupils from current housing permissions until 2025/2026	Surplus capacity 2025/26
Scarborough Central Primary Area Barrowcliff Primary    Gladstone Road Primary Friarage CP   St Martin’s CE CA Primary Thomas Hinderwell Academy Primary  Wheatcroft CP	2371	2234	1996	375	1741	90	540
Scarborough Primary North Newby & Scalby Primary Northstead CP St Peter’s RC Primary	1257	1248	1265	-8	1186	124	-53
Scarborough Primary Outer Area Brompton & Sawdon CP East Ayton CP Hackness CE VC Primary Lindhead School Seamer & Irton CP Snainton CE Primary Wykeham CE Primary	1106	1054	1055	51	975	74	57
Scarborough Primary South Cayton CP Braeburn Primary & Nursery Overdale CP St George’s RC Primary	1114	828	854	260	815	260	39
	5848	5364	5170	678	4717	548	583
School planning area	Places available as at 2020/ 2021	Number on Roll 2016/ 2017	Number on roll 2020/ 2021	Surplus Capacity 2020/ 2021	Forecast pupils as at 2025/2026	Pupils from current housing permissions until 2025/2026	Surplus capacity 2025/26
Whitby Primary Outer Area Castleton CP Danby CE Egton CE VA Fylingdales CE Glaisdale Primary Goathland Primary Hawsker cum Stainsacre CE VC Lealholm Primary Lythe CE VC Primary Oakridge CP Sleights CE St Hedda’s RC Primary Staithes, Seton CP	948	666	634	314	560	12	376
Whitby Primary Area Ruswarp CE Primary West Cliff Primary Whitby, Airy Hill Primary Whitby, East Whitby Primary Stakesby CP	1050	881	782	268	722	104	224
	1998	1547	1416	582	1282	116	600
SECONDARY
Scarborough Secondary George Pindar School Graham School Scalby School St Augustine’s RC School Scarborough UTC	4549	3381	3403	1146	3402	278	869
Whitby Secondary Caedmon College Whitby Eskdale School	2019	1315	1250	769	1202	60	757

Note

· Figures above take into account outstanding housing permissions, but not undetermined planning applications or draft Local Plan proposals.