Scarborough and Whitby schools are below national average for Ofsted ratings

The proportion of good and outstanding primary schools in the two towns is more than 10 per cent below the national average.

As of January, 76 per cent of primary schools and 71 per cent of secondary schools in the area were judged good or outstanding, whereas nationally the figures were 90 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.

Overall there are 10 schools in Scarborough and Whitby judged ‘requires improvement’ and one is rated as ‘inadequate’.

The issue of educational attainment will be discussed by councillors on the Scarborough and Whitby area constituency committee on Friday March 22.

According to a report prepared for the meeting, a school in North Yorkshire will receive £5,994 per pupil in 2023-24 compared to a national average of £6,542.

Comparing the funding for a 1,500-pupil secondary school, this equates to a difference in funding of £820,000.

However, the report also states that funding for North Yorkshire primary schools is more favourable with a position of 32 out of 150 local authorities in terms of the funding level per pupil.

Schools in the constituency also had relatively high rates of pupil suspensions compared to the rest of North Yorkshire.

Since 2018, between 33 per cent and 18 per cent of the suspensions of students in the county were in Scarborough and Whitby.

In 2022/23, schools in the constituency area had a 14 per cent share of the total schools population in North Yorkshire and a 22 per cent share of suspensions for the whole county.

There were 958 young people recorded in Year 11 living in the constituency and of this cohort, 23 (2.4 per cent) were not in education, employment or training after leaving school, as of January 2024.

Over the past year, a significant reorganisation of secondary education in Whitby has taken place.

Following a consultation process, the amalgamation of Caedmon College Whitby (CCW) and Eskdale School was decided by the council’s executive, despite significant opposition from parents, pupils, and other locals.

The newly amalgamated Whitby School will operate from Sunday, September 1.

The Scarborough and Whitby ACC meeting is open to members of the public and will take place at the Undercroft, Whitby Pavilion at 10am on Friday March 22.