Eskdale School: Council to decide whether to press ahead with governors' plans to close Yorkshire school

Governors at Eskdale School told parents in January that they wanted to close the school, which is under-subscribed, and merge it with the town’s other secondary school Caedmon College.

The announcement - which would see Eskdale School close at the end of the summer term - has been met with widespread opposition by parents who want their children to have a choice of schools to attend and who have expressed concerns about the impact on children whose education has already been disrupted by covid lockdowns.

Ahead of a meeting of the Children and Young People’s Service Executive on Tuesday, councillors will hear that there are currently 406 pupils on roll at Eskdale, with a capacity of 550, and 783 pupils on roll at Caedmon College, with a capacity of 1530 - amounting to a surplus of over 40 per cent of places in Whitby.

Lack of affordable housing in the town has been blamed previously for falling school numbers and Eskdale School was threatened with closure in 2016, before a campaign to keep it open was successful.

The amalgamated school would have seven or eight classes of around 23-24 pupils in each year group within Key Stage 3, and nine classes in each year group within Key Stage 4.

But papers released by the council were vague on whether any staff from Eskdale School would be made redundant as part of the proposals.

The documents state only that “The amalgamation would involve the creation of a new staffing model to fit the needs of a newly enlarged and amalgamated school. A staff consultation would be undertaken.”

If the formal consultation is approved, a final decision will be made in June on whether to close Eskdale School just weeks before the beginning of the summer holidays, North Yorkshire Count Council said.