Issue - meetings
Proposal to amalgamate Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School.
Meeting: 18/04/2023 - Executive (Item 220)
220 Proposal to amalgamate Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School PDF 1 MB
Recommendations – That:
i. Statutory proposals and notices be published on 27 April 2023 proposing the amalgamation of Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School resulting in the technical closure of Eskdale School and the Eskdale site from 31 August 2024, and an increase in the planned admission number for the amalgamated school with effect from 1 September 2024.
ii. The Executive schedule taking a final decision on these proposals on 20 June 2023.
iii. The recommendation from the Area Constituency Committee be noted - if the decision is made to proceed with these proposals the Executive will be required to consider the recommendation in conjunction with these proposals at the appropriate time if the proposals are published and this returns for a decision to close the school on 20 June 2023.
Additional documents:
- Appendix 1A Draft Statutory proposals, item 220 PDF 389 KB View as HTML (220/2) 49 KB
- Appendix 1B Draft Statutory Notice, item 220 PDF 234 KB View as HTML (220/3) 12 KB
- Appendix 2 Whitby consultation document FINAL PDF, item 220 PDF 858 KB
- Appendix 3 List of Consultees - Whitby 2023, item 220 PDF 166 KB View as HTML (220/5) 44 KB
- Appendix 4A Notes of Whitby public meeting 1230, item 220 PDF 390 KB View as HTML (220/6) 43 KB
- Appendix 4B Notes of Whitby Public Meeting 1830, item 220 PDF 392 KB View as HTML (220/7) 48 KB
- Appendix 5A Consultation Responses Submitted During Consultation Period v2, item 220 PDF 2 MB View as HTML (220/8) 1 MB
- Appendix 5B Consultation responses to Exec Member, item 220 PDF 2 MB View as HTML (220/9) 497 KB
- Appendix 5C Consultation Responses by Official Bodies, item 220 PDF 375 KB View as HTML (220/10) 23 KB
- Appendix 5D Correspondence to Local Authority Officers, item 220 PDF 810 KB View as HTML (220/11) 148 KB
- Appendix 5E Whitby Secondary Partnership Vision Statement, item 220 PDF 1 MB
- Appendix 5F Keep Choice in Whitby Reponses, item 220 PDF 1 MB View as HTML (220/13) 224 KB
- Appendix 6 Equality Impact Assessment, item 220 PDF 338 KB View as HTML (220/14) 82 KB
- Appendix 7 Climate Change Impact Assessment, item 220 PDF 563 KB View as HTML (220/15) 67 KB
- Appendix 8A - FAQ 1, item 220 PDF 1 MB
- Appendix 8B - FAQ 2, item 220 PDF 1 MB
Minutes:
Considered – A report of the Corporate Director – Children and Young People’s Service detailing the outcome of a public consultation carried out by North Yorkshire County Council, at the request of 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 an increase in the planned admission number for the amalgamated school, from 1 September 2024.
It was noted that six public submissions had been received, as follows:
i. Su Crossland - Co-Chair of Governors for the Whitby Secondary Partnership (attended in person)
‘My name is Su Crossland and I am co-chair of governors for the Whitby Secondary Partnership as well as a parent of a child at Eskdale School. Having had 2 children who each chose a different secondary school, I can appreciate the desire for choice, however, also having the responsibility to oversee the strategic direction and finances of the 2 schools in the partnership, I fully understand the need for action at this time.
I moved to the area just as the 2016 consultation to close Eskdale was getting underway and I heard a lot of comments from people at the time, but one letter from a former pupil at the school struck a chord with me. The young lady described her desire for an alternative form of choice; she wanted a greater choice of subjects at GCSE that just wasn’t available in a small school. And this is what we aim to offer the students of Whitby if we amalgamate Eskdale and Caedmon College to one school.
With reducing intakes at both schools, the options available to the students will also become reduced as class sizes will be too small in some subjects to make them viable. Which in turn could mean students look elsewhere at schools that provide a wider choice of subjects, further reducing intake.
For me it is important for my children, and all children, to get the most out of their education and have the opportunity to learn subjects that inspire them and excite them. And I know that all children are different, with different interests, so the ability to offer a wide and inspirational curriculum is a great opportunity.
And it’s not just about the curriculum. The potential for extra-curricular opportunities can be expanded with a larger cohort of students. Clubs that may not have been able to run in either school because of low numbers may now have enough uptake to thrive. Trips and activities that require minimum numbers may be easier to arrange, providing other opportunities to students that may not otherwise be possible.
So, I agree that our students need to have a choice. But it doesn’t have to be the choice of which physical site to attend, we want to give them a greater choice of subjects and opportunities.
I know that numbers at the Whitby Sixth Form are currently low, and this is something ... view the full minutes text for item 220