4,800 strong petition to be handed over in bid to save Whitby school

North Yorkshire County Council looks set to launch a consultation on “ceasing to maintain” Eskdale School and enlarging Caedmon College on its two existing sites.

Eskdale had planned to expand from being a middle school to becoming an 11 to 16 school from this year meaning the town would have two secondary schools.

However North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for schools, Coun Arthur Barker, will make a decision tomorrow about whether to consult on a proposal to amalgamate Eskdale and Caedmon. If he agrees, consultation will start this month. The council said it would be “comprehensive and all views will be welcomed.”

Campaigners who want to save Eskdale are to hand over a petition today signed by more than 4,800 people. In a letter to Coun Barker they say; “Quite simply there are more people who want to see Eskdale stay open than want to see it closed. Please hear their voice and let our youngsters have choice of secondary education in Whitby.” Caedmon College which could now expand, is a result of a previous merger between Caedmon School and Whitby Community College.

North Yorkshire County Council believe amalgamating Eskdale and Caedmon would allow students to “experience an uninterrupted learning experience from age 11 through to 19.”

It also says the amalgamation would enable a “coherent approach to teaching and learning, drawing on the best from staff in both schools.”

And it says the merged school would have an increased ability to recruit and retain the best teaching staff and school leaders.

Pete Dwyer, North Yorkshire’s Corporate Director for the Children and Young People’s Service. “We have been talking to the two secondary schools in Whitby for some time about the benefits of a single 11-19 offer for the town.”

“For many reasons this seems like the right step to take. We want the young people of Whitby to have the greatest choices in their future lives in what is a rapidly changing and challenging world and this development would help us to provide the resources to create the best in teaching and learning.”