New school for Whitby to be created on current Sixth Form site as merger plans announced

In a letter sent to parents and carers today (Dec 12), executive leader Jonathan Britton provided an update on the secondary schools merger plan which will see Eskdale School close in summer 2024, despite widespread opposition.

Mr Britton said the Whitby Sixth Form (WSP) Governing Board met recently to agree on the siting of the new school for Whitby.

Options ranged from locating students on the current Caedmon site and the closure of the Whitby Sixth Form, to the creation of a new school on the Whitby Sixth Form site and the closure of the Caedmon site.

Mr Britton said it was the decision of the board, based on the recommendation of the executive, that the new Whitby school be created on the current Whitby Sixth Form site.

The board is conscious, he said, of the financial investment needed to provide additional accommodation on the site, but it believes that the location, road access, facilities, layout of the buildings and sporting grounds, provide a “unique opportunity” to create, through the provision of additional accommodation and investment, “a fabulous school for Whitby”.

The plan from September 2024 is for year seven and eight students to be located at the Whitby Sixth Form site.

The partnership aims to create a specialist SEND inclusion unit for children, to provide a ‘hub’ for children to access tailored specialist support and provide a pastoral base for the most vulnerable children, who will continue to attend lessons in school as normal.

Years 10 and 11 students and the Sixth Form will be based at the Caedmon site in preparation for or completion of examination studies.

The integration of Sixth Form, says the partnership, is seen as critical to establishing clear pathways for children from Year 10 until Year 13, in pursuing academic, applied, and vocational studies.

Students going into year nine will be informed early in 2024 of the preferred site location, based upon the outcome of the option process and following further consultation with Heads of Department.

A final decision about the name of the new school, the mission, and its values, will be made by the WSP Governing Board early in 2024.

An intent to retain post-16 provision would include a broadening of the current offer to include traditional A-Level, technical, and vocational qualifications that would be tailored to meet the needs of local and regional employers, while also seeking to provide longer-term adult education opportunities.

The Executive believes that such a model is “viable and achievable” if delivered in partnership with other providers in the region.

The board will now enter into discussions with North Yorkshire Council.

It is conscious of potential timescales and the need to secure the necessary capital investment, while acknowledging that a solution is required for September 2024, to start the process and to address the matters raised by school leaders, colleagues, parents, children and the wider community.

Mr Britton said: “We are, as a partnership, aware of the strength of feeling within our community and conscious that any solution is unlikely to gain unanimous support.

“Change by default will create uncertainty.

"We would ask for your due consideration of the proposal.”