Proposal to amalgamate schools to increase investment in learning

A proposal will go before North Yorkshire County Council next week, to amalgamate two schools with falling numbers of pupils and pool their resources to improve the curriculum.

Eskdale School, in Whitby, federated with Caedmon College and Whitby Sixth Form in July 2019, sharing an executive headteacher and a governing body.

But the combined pressures of falling pupil numbers at both schools - along with financial challenges faced by both schools - prompted the governing board to ask North Yorkshire County Council to begin a consultation process to amalgamate the schools. The proposal would see the technical closure of Eskdale School and the Eskdale site. Pupils and staff would be moved over to Caedmon College, which would effectively become a new school from September 1, 2024.

There are currently 406 pupils on roll at Eskdale, which has capacity for 550 pupils, while Caedmon College has 783 pupils on roll, but capacity for 1,530. It amounts to a surplus of 40 per cent of secondary school places in Whitby.

Eskdale and Caedmon College currently operate on two separate budgets and have the cost of maintaining three sites between them. But they are facing significant financial challenge and have been given Notices of Financial Concern, which are issued by local authorities when action needs to be taken to safeguard the financial position of the local authority or school.

Low pupil numbers and the financial difficulties, exacerbated by the cost of maintaining three sites, are both impacting on the schools’ ability to invest in their students’ education and attainment.

Members of the governing board felt that continuing to spend disproportionate amounts of their budget on premises across three sites means they do not have the money to invest in a broad curriculum which can offer pupils more opportunities and the chance to develop skills which meet their needs.

The consultation would look at amalgamating both schools on September 1, 2024, and the Eskdale School site being returned to local authority management. Decisions about the future use of the Eskdale site would be taken after the decision to amalgamate was made. Any decision would need to consider the 3G floodlit sports pitch on the school site.

North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director of education and skills, Amanda Newbold, said: “The request to hold a consultation into amalgamating the federated schools of Eskdale and Caedmon College will be carefully considered. If approved, an extensive, six-week public consultation will then follow, starting on February 20.”

A report outlining the request for the consultation is to go before North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for education, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, on Tuesday next week (February 7). It recommends the request for a public consultation on the proposal is approved.

Caedmon College, Whitby