Appendix 6

Equality impact assessment (EIA) form: evidencing paying due regard to protected characteristics

(Form updated October 2023)

Statutory Proposal by North Yorkshire Council to change the age range at Boroughbridge High School by ceasing the Sixth Form Provision

If you would like this information in another language or format such as Braille, large print or audio, please contact the Communications Unit on 01609 53 2013 or email communications@northyorks.gov.uk.

Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) are public documents.  EIAs accompanying reports going to County Councillors for decisions are published with the committee papers on our website and are available in hard copy at the relevant meeting.  To help people to find completed EIAs we also publish them in the Equality and Diversity section of our website.  This will help people to see for themselves how we have paid due regard in order to meet statutory requirements. 

Name of Directorate and Service Area	CYPS Strategic Planning Team
Lead Officer and contact details	John Lee, County Hall
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the EIA
How will you pay due regard? e.g. working group, individual officer	LA Officers and School Governing Board
When did the due regard process start?	Consultation started on 19 Jan 2024

Section 1. Please describe briefly what this EIA is about. (e.g. are you starting a new service, changing how you do something, stopping doing something?)

Proposal to change the age range at Boroughbridge High School, effective from 31 August 2024, by ceasing the Sixth Form Provision.

Section 2. Why is this being proposed? What are the aims? What does the authority hope to achieve by it? (e.g. to save money, meet increased demand, do things in a better way.)

Boroughbridge High School has worked in collaboration with other schools since 2016 to ensure that students have access to a wide post 16 offer and to try to maintain Sixth Form provision at the school. Initially the school collaborated with Easingwold and Thirsk Schools, but this collaboration ended when Easingwold School joined the Outwood Multi Academy Trust. Boroughbridge High School has subsequently moved to post-16 collaboration with King James’s School, Knaresborough. This partnership was formalised through a federation of the two schools in January 2021.

In response to falling numbers of sixth form pupils, and following consultation in Autumn 2021, the decision was made in Spring 2022 by the federated Governing Board to temporarily suspend entries to the Sixth Form at Boroughbridge High School for two years to take effect from September 2022. Due to the demographics of the area, numbers on roll at Boroughbridge High School have decreased, making it more difficult to maintain viable class sizes at post-16 in terms of quality of experience, subject breadth and financial viability. As a consequence, it is now proposed to permanently close sixth form provision at Boroughbridge High School from 31 August 2024.

Section 3. What will change? What will be different for customers and/or staff?

If this proposal went ahead, the sixth form at Boroughbridge High School would close permanently from 31 August 2024, and the age range of the school would be 11-16.

Section 4. Involvement and consultation (What involvement and consultation has been done regarding the proposal and what are the results? What consultation will be needed and how will it be done?)

The consultation period ran from 19 January to 1 March 2024. A consultation paper setting out the proposal was sent to a wide range of stakeholders and a public engagement meeting was held. The consultation document, responses, and note of the public meeting are included in the report to the Executive on 19 March 2024.

Section 5. What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs?

Please explain briefly why this will be the result.

Under Local Management of Schools, schools are responsible for their own budgets. It is for heads and governors to determine at school or federation level how to optimise the use of resources and maximise value for money.

As there are currently no pupils in the sixth form at Boroughbridge High School there would be no immediate transportation costs. Any pupils living in the current Boroughbridge High catchment area applying for post 16 places would be assessed under the Council’s Post 16 Transport Policy Statement at the appropriate time. As such future transport costs cannot be estimated.

Section 6. How will this proposal affect people with protected characteristics?	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
Age	x			Currently there are no pupils on roll in the sixth form at Boroughbridge High School, following the decision to temporarily suspend entries to the Sixth Form for two years to take effect from September 2022.
Disability	x			Pupils – The school is mainstream offering universal provision. Expertise will be utilised from the County Council to provide appropriate SEN support. Staff – As an organisation NYCC will continue to meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 which obligates us to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate disabled individuals as employees or service users.
Sex	x			No impact is anticipated.
Race	x			No impact is anticipated.
Gender reassignment	x			No impact is anticipated.
Sexual orientation	x			No impact is anticipated.
Religion or belief	x			No impact is anticipated.
Pregnancy or maternity	x			No impact is anticipated.
Marriage or civil partnership	x			No impact is anticipated.

Section 7. How will this proposal affect people who…	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
..live in a rural area?		x	x	This proposal may have an adverse impact for some living within the school’s catchment area that could previously attend the school sixth form as they would have to travel to alternative provision. As there are no current pupils this would only impact upon future pupils. Free home to school transport would be provided for entitled pupils in accordance with the County Council’s Home to School Transport policy.
…have a low income?	x			There may be adverse impact on those families with low incomes by the proposed closure of the school. However, this would be mitigated by the LA provided transport assistance, in line with the Transport Policy. As there are no current pupils this would only impact upon future pupils.
…are carers (unpaid family or friend)?	x			No impact is anticipated.
….. are from the Armed Forces Community	x			No impact is anticipated.

Section 8. Geographic impact – Please detail where the impact will be (please tick all that apply)
North Yorkshire wide
Craven
Hambleton
Harrogate	x
Richmondshire
Ryedale
Scarborough
Selby
If you have ticked one or more areas, will specific town(s)/village(s) be particularly impacted? If so, please specify below.
The parishes of: Boroughbridge, Arkendale; Coneythorpe and Clareton Brafferton and Helperby Description Cundall with Leckby (and Norton le Clay) Dishforth Dunsforth Ferrensby Great Ouseburn Green Hammerton Hunsingore, Walshford with Great Ribston & Cattal Kirby Hill and District Kirk Hammerton Langthorpe Little Ouseburn (Kirby Hall and Thorpe Underwoods) Marton cum Grafton Marton le Moor Nun Monkton Roecliffe and Westwick Staveley and Copgrove Walkingham Hill with Occaney Whixley

Section 9. Will the proposal affect anyone more because of a combination of protected characteristics? (e.g. older women or young gay men) State what you think the effect may be and why, providing evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.

The County Council’s Officers now feel that this decision is in the best interests of children and families served by the school.

Section 10. Next steps to address the anticipated impact. Select one of the following options and explain why this has been chosen. (Remember: we have an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people can access services and work for us)	Tick option chosen
1. No adverse impact - no major change needed to the proposal. There is no potential for discrimination or adverse impact identified.
2. Adverse impact - adjust the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We will change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, or we will achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people.
3. Adverse impact - continue the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We cannot change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, nor can we achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people. (There must be compelling reasons for continuing with proposals which will have the most adverse impacts. Get advice from Legal Services)	x
4. Actual or potential unlawful discrimination - stop and remove the proposal – The EIA identifies actual or potential unlawful discrimination. It must be stopped.
Explanation of why option has been chosen. (Include any advice given by Legal Services.) Careful consideration to alternatives to permanent closure of the sixth form has been given. A detailed analysis of the issues is contained in the Statutory Proposals and the report to Executive. It is concluded that the case for permanent closure of the sixth form is strong and in the best interests of educational provision in the area.

Section 11. If the proposal is to be implemented how will you find out how it is really affecting people? (How will you monitor and review the changes?)

Monitoring of standards will be carried out through the County Council’s Education & Skills Team and through Ofsted inspections. Monitoring of sufficiency of school places in the area will be

undertaken by the CYPS Strategic Planning Team.

Section 12. Action plan. List any actions you need to take which have been identified in this EIA, including post implementation review to find out how the outcomes have been achieved in practice and what impacts there have actually been on people with protected characteristics.
Action	Lead	By when	Progress	Monitoring arrangements
Not applicable

Section 13. Summary Summarise the findings of your EIA, including impacts, recommendation in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker.

The purpose of the consultation and proposed decision is to ensure that the children are provided with the best education provision in the area in a sustainable, stable and effective manner. In order to achieve these aims the proposal to close the sixth form at Boroughbridge High School needs to be considered. Whilst it is recognised that there may be adverse impact upon those living within the school’s catchment area, there are more positive impacts that will result if these proposals are implemented.  As these proposals develop, any adverse impacts will be carefully monitored and all reasonable mitigations will be taken.

Section 14. Sign off section

This full EIA was completed by:

Name: J Lee

Job title: Strategic Planning Officer

Directorate: CYPS

Completion date:  1/3/24

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature): A Newbold

Date: