Eskdale School, Whitby: Council to publish proposals for amalgamation of two Yorkshire schools

The executive committee of North Yorkshire Council (NYC) will discuss the proposed amalgamation of Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School at its next meeting on Tuesday, April 18.

If approved, the executive will publish statutory notices and proposals on April 27 “proposing the amalgamation of Caedmon College Whitby and Eskdale School resulting in the technical closure of Eskdale School and the Eskdale site from August 2024”

A final decision on the amalgamation is set to be made on Tuesday, June 20.

The governing board of the Whitby secondary partnership has set out three reasons for the amalgamation, stating that “low pupil numbers, significant financial challenges at both schools and an imperative to give the best education” support the plan.

However, many locals have opposed the plan with a petition calling for Eskdale school to be saved gathering more than 2,000 signatures.

The executive is also being asked to note a recommendation made by the Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee (ACC) at its meeting on March 24 which stated that if the amalgamation does go ahead, NYC should provide compensation to affected parents and guardians.

The ACC recommended that the local authority “allocate funding to put in place support measures, including financial support for such extra costs as uniforms, to assist parents and students during the transition”.

The agenda for the meeting states that the executive will be required to consider the recommendation if the proposals are published and it “returns for a decision to close the school on June 20”.

While many have objected to the plan, a report prepared for the executive committee’s meeting states that the “governing board views the proposal as offering the opportunity to deliver a broader curriculum offer with wider opportunities and development of skills to meet the needs of students and the local community”.

If approved, it would result in an increase in the planned admission number for the amalgamated school from September 2024.

Eskdale School currently has 403 pupils on roll and based on projected pupil numbers the school leadership envisages a pupil roll of approximately 1,050 11-16 pupils in the amalgamated institution “in the short term”.

However, this is projected to decrease to approximately 950 based on the number of current primary pupils, according to the report.