Agenda item

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.

 

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 we want to change.  As a governing board we were already discussing the pathway through Key Stage 3&4 at the two schools into Key Stage 5 at Whitby Sixth Form.  If the schools are amalgamated then this pathway becomes a seamless transition from Year 7 to Year 13, with curriculum roadmaps that help students to progress in their chosen subjects and on to university or elsewhere.

 

And we want our school communities to be involved in any transition. This can be an exciting opportunity for staff and students to work together to create a vibrant, new school that they can be proud of.  An exciting opportunity to forge relationships and networks with their peers.  An exciting opportunity to bring together the strong communities of Eskdale school and Caedmon College to be better and stronger.  And acting now means that, when this year’s Year 7s come to choose their GCSE options, they won’t be limited by non-viable class sizes; as year groups get smaller, budgets won’t be squeezed further; but every student will have their chance to thrive, to experience everything we can offer, and know they were a part of that change’.

 

Councillor Annabel Wilkinson thanked Mrs Crossland for her contribution and in response confirmed that as a federation governor Mrs Crossland’s role in bringing the proposal to amalgamate to the council was understood, in line with the reasons for doing so as clearly set out in the report.

 

She noted that the change in pupil numbers, the impact it had had on the viability of classes, and the relevance of this to curriculum choice, were also covered in the report.

 

Finally she acknowledged the vision set out by Governors, as detailed in Appendix 5E, and agreed the importance of ensuring the transition arrangements and bringing students and staff together into one community which would need to be a key priority for school leaders should the proposal go ahead.

 

ii. Submission from Ms Terri-Ann Jones (attended in person)

‘It is essential that North Yorkshire’s residents and businesses can have confidence in the transparency and accountability of the new council" Carl Les.  The report you have in front of you, is not a true representation of the Education system in place in Whitby, and unfortunately lacks, detail, Transparency and most of all accountability.

 

Four Governors from a governing body, which did not follow DfE guidelines in its setting up, failing to notify the secretary of state on two separate occasions, and not updating the Get information about schools website until 31st March this year. A number of formal complaints are in, we have to follow the correct complaints procedure. There is also a request for the reinstatement of the instrument of Government for Eskdale School. - Still waiting on a response.

 

We had to fight the Executive head teacher for the confidential minutes and it took 47 days instead of 20. These were damming, Ms Newbold took to the Governors a model for the Schools to be on one site including staffing model, there was talk of what happens when the schools are inspected and return inadequate - that is how bad standards have slipped under Whitby Secondary Partnership two good schools are now heading for inadequate reports or requires improvement at best.

 

There is also the evidence the Governors lied at the public meetings - £30,000 has been taken from 11-16 education at Eskdale School and given as a contribution to Whitby 6th Form, this along with federation costs have left the school unable to afford a head of Science. How is this best for the Education of our Children?

 

This is after the 6th form received £250,000 from North Yorkshire Coast Opportunity Area, another request 2 years later for more funding and £250,000 from NYCC.  We want what is best for the education of our children and all Whitby children in the future, decreasing numbers are not solved with this proposal.

 

11-16 children need choice, school is not a one size fits all, Whitby has had at least two 11+ schools for 70 years, and it works.  The children weren't even classed as consultees on the document, it is their future, our future decision makers, workers, employers yet NYCC and the governors did not engage with them, or anyone else, about their futures.

 

Two smaller schools working together, while embracing their differences, decreasing numbers and budget deficits are not problems, as both schools are near capacity, and future decreases can be managed, all sporting facilities are retained. Job security for staff and not management heavy like present. Strong leadership at the top, drives up standards, this is what Whitby has lacked for years’.

 

In response Councillor Annabel Wilkinson confirmed that the school Governors were responsible for the education of pupils at both Eskdale School and Caedmon College and it had been their recommendation to amalgamate Eskdale School and Caedmon College Whitby in the interests of pupils across both schools in the Federation.  The amalgamation proposal aimed to address the three linked factors which Governors identified as challenges: 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.

 

In regard to the use of financial resources, she confirmed the Whitby Secondary Partnership shared a number of human and other resources across the two schools within the federation, and as a consequence there was a need to transfer funding between the two school budgets for those shared resources. She confirmed that Governors had previously considered making a payment to the sixth form budget from the Eskdale School budget, but during Eskdale budget review meetings a decision had been taken not to proceed.

 

She noted pupil numbers had decreased over time driving school budgets. Both schools had numerous financial challenges to address and the current financial outlook for the two schools as separate institutions forecasted deficits.  She confirmed the view of Governors that any strategy to address the low pupil numbers and financial challenges without moving to become one school across two sites would hamper educational and curriculum improvement. She also confirmed that an initial model demonstrated the potential for the amalgamated school to achieve £1.3m savings by 2026/27.

 

Councillor Annabel Wilkinson acknowledged the nearly 600 responses from the public with many agreeing that change was necessary to meet the challenges currently facing the two schools. She noted the consultation had listened to the voices of pupils, parents, staff, residents, and other interested parties, expressed at two public consultation meetings and through written responses and a petition.

 

Finally she confirmed that as a result of the proposal being implemented there would be only one secondary school in Whitby. Historically, the former Whitby Community College had been the only provider of education for 14-18 year olds within the town. The Whitby Secondary Partnership’s vision was to offer a wider curriculum increasing the choices for pupils, particularly key stage 4 (GCSEs) and prepare them to progress to a range of outcomes at 16+ and 19+. The proposal for the amalgamated school focussed on it being able to provide a wider curriculum offer than currently provided at either school. The intention was that this should enable more pupils to be successful in the subjects and pathways of their choice.

 

 

iii. Joyce Stangoe – Secretary of Whitby Community Network (Not in attendance – read out by Ms Terrie -Anne Jones on behalf of the Community Network)

‘Whitby Community Network would like to request an immediate full and transparent review of the future of education in the Whitby catchment area before any decision is made and a school closure is considered. The evidence put forward by a limited number of Governors to support the present proposal does not address the three key issues highlighted, nor the community issues such as green spaces, playing fields and transport issues.

 

 We fully understand the financial constraints on running and maintaining three school buildings, but the reasoning behind the closure proposed is flawed to say the least. The long term plan must ultimately lead to one purpose built, energy efficient school, if the maximum amount of funding is to be retained for educational purposes. All significant decisions such as this one should bear in mind the long term climate target, with its reduced transport implications/energy efficient buildings/training for retrofitting buildings, and this proposal, by its short term nature, makes no assessment of how this will assist in achieving that goal. It is essential that the various strategic directives are congruent and work one with another to achieve the overall objectives.

 

Whitby is one of North Yorkshire larger towns, an urban settlement situated in a sparsely-populated rural area with very limited educational and skills training for the over 16’s/adults, nor free public transport for the over 16’s. We wish to ensure a fully informed proposal can be made by the council, governors, parents and the community, prior to any school closure being recommended if deemed necessary. We are worried if the present proposal goes ahead this will be closely followed by the closure of the sixth form as the school numbers are not viable, and we cannot see how these can be easily increased.

 

We are somewhat surprised that the same suggestion for closing Eskdale school has been submitted once again as this was overruled on the previous two occasions (circa 2010 & 2016). Why in all this time have North Yorkshire County Council and the School Governors, with the help of the community, not prepared a plan for the future of sustainable education in this catchment area when:

·          the decline in school numbers has been known for some time

·          the age of the buildings (1912, 1953 & 1963) means they are expensive to maintain and difficult to heat

·          educational standards in this area are below both North Yorkshire and national levels

·          virtually all skills and adult education has now ceased in Whitby & District

 

We would urge the Executive team reviewing the above proposal to visit all the schools in Whitby and assess for themselves what is required in the short term but bear in mind the long term needs of this area if we want to make North Yorkshire a success’.

 

In response Councillor Annabel Wilkinson confirmed that the Governors had clearly referenced the low numbers, financial challenges and an imperative to provide a high quality education to the pupils of Whitby. Governors had stated that their vision for secondary education in Whitby was the  continuation of education for 16-18 year olds as part of an amalgamated school. Governors had described at the public meetings how their long-term curriculum planning involved ensuring there could be a seamless transition from 11-16 through into sixth form for all pupils in Whitby who chose that route.

 

She confirmed the Council did not receive capital funding to re-provide existing school places in new accommodation.  The Department for Education periodically ran capital programmes where funding was provided to rebuild existing schools. Neither of the existing schools had been selected for the most recent programme due to not meeting the criteria set out by the DfE. If the proposal to amalgamate to create one school across two sites was approved, a single new build 11-18 secondary school for Whitby could be considered at a later date by DfE.

 

iv. Mrs Lucy Brown (not in attendance so read out by an NYC officer on her behalf)

‘I am a parent with children in Year 13 , one daughter in Year 9 and one in Year 6 and one in Year 1. I have previously been a chair of governors, and I am currently a teacher in main stream and sen education and a partner in a large business. 

 

I would like you all to be aware if the closure of Eskdale goes ahead of the real dangers faced with the education of all children in Whitby. The proposal by the governors has not identified any other proposals. It has NOT looked at SEN children or provisions as currently parents at CCW with children who have SEN needs are having their children put into the CCW behaviour unit. Referrals are being missed and all these serious issues need addressing. 

I would like to ask a few questions to the chair of exe com members this is not an Eskdale v ccw battle, but you are the active exe committee body where is your evidence of Eskdale that Eskdale site is not a suitable school? Where is your evidence of other options explored by the full gov body members..... there is not any.

 

Wcc ran a 14-18 school on one site, this worked. When WCC merged with Caedmon and also problems occurred they had to move children from wcc to caedmon school to use the Astro? Very time consuming? Also a big health and safety / child safe guarding issues? Staff also had to move sites, and this meant children been left by cover supervisors. 

 

Beth mead was educated at wcc Adam lyth etc where is the sporting facilities going to be if you say YES to closing Eskdale. Eskdale school has excellent off road parking it has a turning circle specialist SEN lifts to accommodate all Children with needs. 

 

By allowing the governors to close Eskdale you are taking away the green fields the healthy eco school and putting too many children in the CCW site as suggested by the DFE. The CCW site would have too many children on and No green fields to play sport or allow children to have access to the outdoors. By allowing the governor’s proposal you are taking away not just the choice of education schools but also the health and wellbeing of all children of Whitby. 

 

Another major worry is Whitby sen children are crossing the border into Redcar and Cleveland to be educated? Why is there not a specialist sen unit in Whitby? Why is there also not a specialist behaviour unit with qualified staff to ensure ALL CHILDREN of Whitby have the right to be educated. Not transported at tax payers cost to all over the county. Not just financial cost but health and wellbeing. 

 

Please executive committee members listen to the people of Whitby we are also educated individuals who want the best for all children not a quick fix.

 

I would like to propose you keep Eskdale school open and make a specialists sen and behaviour unit there to educate all the children that are been missed. And close the ccw Mayfield road site and transfer the ccw children to the old Caedmon school site to make it a 11-18 and have the green fields there, the Astro turf and keep the sixth form. NYC could dispose of the old Mayfield road school. This would save money and keep two schools in Whitby. The money from the sale of the Mayfield road site could be used to update the other two schools. We need your support for the education of Whitby. Keep Eskdale Keep CCW and dispose of the Mayfield road site. 

This would allow sport and heathy children to develop and not be squashed into one small old fashioned school. Thanks for listening’. 

 

v. David Bradley B.Ed. FRSA, Headteacher of Eskdale School 1991-2005 & Headteacher of Allertonshire 2006-2010 (not in attendance so read out by an NYC officer on his behalf)

‘The decision to propose an amalgamation of the two secondary schools has been taken by a very small group of people and is very much against the wishes of local people. The original proposal had a ridiculous timescale and involved very few stakeholders. In short, it was a classic model of how not to manage significant change in education. Educators constantly urge their learners to 'reach for the stars'; this proposal is devoid of ambition and will put learners at risk as they cross Mayfield Road to access sporting facilities at the former Caedmon School and denies parents' choice given to them through the 1988 Education Act. At the very least, this whole matter should be reconsidered by an independent body who will listen to the stakeholders’.

 

vi. Mrs Florence Sawer – (not in attendance so read out by an NYC officer on her behalf)

‘I read with interest and disgust the Agenda item 5 document for next weeks Executive meeting. I would have thought after all the legal irregularities and lies that we have had to endure during the 'consultation' period that you would have learnt that deception is not professional and will eventually be found out?

 

In particular two elements of the Response concern me namely the complete bias in the responses made to concerns and questions and the hiding of information and missing minutes and responses

 

1) Where has section 4 suddenly appeared from? "Table 5: The table below sets out the options considered prior to consultation". This information was not in the original 'proposal and not on any slides at the meeting; in fact, it was clear that no other options had been discussed prior to the 'proposal' and despite being asked the Governing Body never came back to the meeting with the options. However now have miraculously appeared, forgive me if I don't believe that they existed till after the public meetings! 

 

Under alternatives there is no discussion about keeping the 6^th form in either the Scoresby or Normanby site as there is plenty of room for a 6^th form the size of Caedmon's. "Governors acknowledge that some pupils would always wish to seek Further Education further afield, however, retain a strong belief that for other pupils benefit from a local sixth form." Yes agreed, one befitting the size of those choosing Caedmon - not an under subscribed 6^th form with not enough choice. They seem to think they can turn round 17 years of ongoing declining numbers, they haven’t to date and there is no evidence they will, but this has conveniently been overlooked as well!!

There is no mention of the suggestion that extra space could be used at the old St Hilda's RC primary particularly in conjunction with the Scoresby site. There is no consideration of the two sites being one at Eskdale and one of Scoresby/Normanby. A token comment - "Sub-options which included forming an amalgamated school but on just one site or on an alternative pair of sites were also considered" is not good enough when you are making important decisions regarding the future of education in Whitby.

 

“Options B-D above would not address the projected budget deficits across both schools, indeed many of them would have no impact on the budget at Eskdale School" Nothing has been added as to how these deficits occurred and the maladministration of the Governing Body. A great deal of evidence is missing from this report concerning the issues and this is not appropriate - it is totally misleading, and if it is not exposed now it will no doubt be exposed later which will be far worse?

 

"The Whitby Secondary Partnership’s vision is to offer a wider curriculum increasing the choices for pupils, particularly key stage 4 (GCSEs) and preparing them to progress to a range of outcomes at 16+ and 19+" The offering is simply an amalgamation of the current Eskdale and Caedmon options and anymore is unrealistic as a timetable would not allow any more choice, as for Advanced levels this is pie in the sky, both facilities wise and expertise wise, again no evidence!!

 

2) Minutes namely Appendix 4A: Notes of the 12:30 public consultation meeting and Appendix 4B Notes of the 18:30 public consultation meeting

I don't know where your minute takers were, but definitely not in the two meetings that I and many others were in! These are not an accurate reflection of what was said and above all there is a lot of missing questions/responses. I wouldn't be surprised if your minute takers fell asleep listening to Mr Henshaw and the other governors regurgitating the same information to different questions however it is not acceptable to present this formation the executive panel as being accurate, it is not. One glaring example is Mr Henshaw stating that Caedmon College did not have a drugs problem, less than a week before there was a serious drugs incident on site? And then when the confidential minutes finally made a limited appearance it was confirmed in there. Without the considerable redactions it no doubt could have been mentioned on numerous occasions. At least one response confirms this comment in their submission and yet the minute taker fails to report this serious issue?

 

3) There are many other issues including no reference to how if amalgamation occurred the jobs would be allocated- I have no doubt that those in situ would fare better and reading the Caedmon staff responses they likely agree? And yet it states there aware no Human Resources issues? You also state places of similar sizes do not have choice, but these are less than those that do and out of area schools are closer than the Whitby scenario? Forgive me if I am feeling a pattern of biases here?

4) You also include a considerable amount of correspondence which has exhaustive information, facts and concerns but I can see no responses in the same way you have taken on board the information presented by the governors. 

 

I could expand into other issues but I doubt whether you will actually take on board the concerns. So in conclusion I know you tried to convince the attendees of the meetings that this was a fair consultation and was not predetermined but nothing in this response convinces me of those facts.

Therefore I think it would also be important to someone who is independent to check the responses and the results based on what I am reading?

 

I also would like confirmation that my email has been received as I have not been impressed with responses to date! I am still waiting on a number of complaints regarding WSP lack of professionalism which NYCC feel unable to respond to? Not an impressive customer service record to say the least’. 

 

In response to the final three submissions, Councillor Annabel Wilkinson confirmed the Governing Board of the Whitby Secondary Partnership had asked the Council to consult on amalgamating Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School in September 2024. The decision to propose the amalgamation was taken by a small, yet quorate, group.  The board had direct responsibility for taking action to improve education outcomes for pupils in their schools and their proposal set out their intention to do so.

 

She noted that Governors were seeking to move forward with the proposal in good time to achieve a positive outcome for the pupils without delay. The proposal set out governors’ ambitious vision to provide a wider curriculum offer than currently provided at either school as in the future this would enable more pupils to be successful in the subjects and pathways of their choice.

 

In regard to the issue of sport facilities, she confirmed that pupils on the Normanby site would continue to access sporting facilities at the Scoresby site as they did at present, and the school would continue to ensure the safe movement of pupils between the two sites. The selection of the Normanby site for retention was based upon it being the only one of the three sites which offered an opportunity to accommodate all 11-16 pupils and the choice of Scoresby rather than Eskdale as the second site to be retained was based on a number of factors including access to the sports facilities and the proximity of the two sites.

 

 

She also confirmed there is no legal duty to have multiple schools located in a specific area. The consultation proposal did not change parental ‘choice’ as interpreted in the admissions code. There were a number of towns of comparable size across the county and nationwide that only had one secondary school.

 

She acknowledged the comments about support for pupils and noted that as part of the creation of an amalgamated school, Governors had confirmed there would be a pastoral and inclusion structure which would provide a larger team for pupils to be able to access dedicated members of staff who were responsible for pupil welfare, inclusion and targeted and specialist support, seeing the work of the SEND Teams, Alternative Provision and the Targeted Mainstream Provision coming together as part of an Inclusion Hub. This would provide intervention and ongoing support for all pupils but specifically those identified with more personalised needs.

 

For every child with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming either of the two schools, the amalgamation would be considered at the point of their annual review. Any queries or concerns could be discussed either with the School Special Educational Needs Coordinator, North Yorkshire Special Educational Needs Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS), or with the Council’s SEND and Inclusion services if required.

 

She confirmed that any decisions about the future use of the Eskdale site would be taken after the determination of the amalgamation proposal.  Furthermore, the Council would work with all groups using the pitch to ensure all information was taken into account when considering the future use of the site and specifically the 3-G pitch.

 

She noted the consultation process had shown that local people held a wide range of differing views on the proposal. By the closing date of 31 March 2023, the Council had received 463 written consultation responses, plus 104 items of consultation correspondence sent to the Executive Member for Education, Learning and Skills, and 26 items of consultation correspondence sent to Council Officers. She confirmed it had not been possible to reply individually to all those items of correspondence, however officers had endeavoured to respond fully to all comments and feedback received during the consultation process in the report to the Executive.

 

Councillor Annabel Wilkinson went on to introduce the report.  She drew attention to the consultation responses detailed in Appendices 5A – 5F and thanked all contributors to date.  She acknowledged how emotive the issue was for many and again highlighted the three linked factors i.e. low pupil numbers, minimal school finances and the imperative to give the children of Whitby the best education possible.  She recognised those factors would need to be the key priorities for the Governing Body in order to achieve a smooth transition, should the proposal go ahead.

 

Councillor Neil Swannick as a local Councillor recognised that for many, the proposal within the report was both controversial and divisive. He confirmed he had tried to make the case for keeping two schools but agreed the evidence did not support that approach.  He therefore agreed the proposal to amalgamate was necessary but suggested the best possible scenario would be a new school, in line with Option E in the report. 

 

He also drew attention to a recent petition considered by the Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee which had resulted in a recommendation for the Executive’s future consideration (as detailed in paragraph 6.72 of the report). He noted that if a decision was subsequently made to proceed with the proposal in the report, they would need to take account of the recommendation from the Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee alongside the proposal, at the appropriate time.  Finally, he thanked officers within CYPS for all the information they had provided to him to date.

 

Stuart Carlton, Corporate Director for Children & Young People’s Service confirmed that the issue of funding a new school lay solely with the DfE, and that it would take significant time for the Governing Body to develop such a proposal and to have it considered by the DfE.  He also confirmed that the move to a single school in line with the proposal in the report would not hinder the future development of such a proposal, should that be deemed the right way forward in the future.

 

Executive Members having considered all of the options in the report, agreed the proposal to go out to consultation on the proposed amalgamation of the two schools was the right way forward, as it would offer greater opportunities for children in Whitby through a more varied curriculum.  They also acknowledged that more young people were being identified in the SEN bracket and therefore welcomed the more bespoke offer the proposal would bring.  Finally, they acknowledged the importance of new housing for the area, as it was the foundation on which a sustainable community could be built.

 

All Executive Members therefore voted in favour of the recommendations, and it was

 

Resolved – 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.      A final decision on these proposals be scheduled for the Executive on 20 June 2023.

iii.    The recommendation from the Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee be noted.