Former head of Whitby's Eskdale School seeks judicial review into secondary schools merger

Dave Bradley, who served as school head from 1991 to 2005, said it was “with heartfelt regret” that he felt the need to challenge North Yorkshire Council’s decision to accept Whitby Secondary Partnership’s proposal to merge Caedmon College and Eskdale, resulting in the technical closure of Eskdale School in summer 2004.

Mr Bradley was unable to attend the council’s executive meeting at Northallerton’s County Hall but watched the Youtube film of the meeting and said he was “very disappointed” that the written statements, including his own, were given such little attention.

"It was reported that hundreds of responses had been received through the consultation process; these were given scant regard or consideration by your members,” he said in a letter to the council's leader Cllr Carl Les and Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education, learning and skills.

"Two of your members used the opportunity to score cheap, party-political points rather than consider the heartfelt opinions of local people who had attended the two consultation meetings and spoken.

"Others had written, sometimes at great length, but again there was hardly any reference to these letters.

"Had your members read them?

"Many local people who did attend the meeting and those who watched the film are saddened because their hope for a real consultation process has been dashed on the rocks of those who have been cynically saying ‘It’s a done deal anyway’.”

He said if councillors had visited the Caedmon College site, they would have realised how unfit for purpose it was and to access playing fields at the Sixth Forms sites would mean crossing a busy main road.

He said it was “extremely doubtful” that the sixth form in Whitby would grow “after a decade of haemorrhaging numbers to successful courses in Guisborough, Teesside and Scarborough.

"If the numbers do not improve, will we be talking about closing this site in five years’ time?” he said.

Mr Bradley pointed out that Eskdale was “the most suitable and fit-for-purpose out of the three secondary school sites in Whitby, with large classrooms, wide staircases and wide corridors adapted for wheelchair users, a new 3G pitch, a properly designed bus turning area and park.

And he added that unless the one pitch at Caedmon College was turned into a bus park and turning area, the safety of 1,000 students would be at risk on Mayfield Road at the beginning and end of school every day.

"This potential safety issue and my concern that educational standards cannot be improved in an unfit building have encouraged me to find local support for a judicial review,” he said.

The council’s decision has started a further four-week consultation period on the plan with members of the public invited to make comments on the proposal by sending them to the council by 5pm on May 25.

A final decision is due to be made on June 24.

North Yorkshire Council was approached for comment, which says all views can be shared during the statutory notice period.