Education bosses have pledged their commitment to sustained improvement at Whitby School after plans for the school to become an academy were unexpectedly halted by the Department for Education.
Education bosses have stated their commitment to sustained improvement at a North Yorkshire secondary school after plans for it to become an academy were unexpectedly halted.
Parents in Whitby have been informed that securing positive outcomes remains the primary focus for Whitby School following the decision that its application to convert to academy status with the Wonder Learning Partnership was not supported by the Department for Education.
The unexpected development follows the highly controversial amalgamation of Eskdale School and Caedmon College Whitby. The merger, which created Whitby School in 2024, was approved by North Yorkshire Council despite intense campaigning against the plan by many local parents.
The issue was aised at a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council last week. Cllr Neil Swannick, the division councillor for Whitby Streonshalh, said:
"The Chair of the Board of Governors of Whitby School has recently written to parents, carers and students to inform them that the application for Whitby School to convert to academy status with the Wonder Learning Partnership has not been supported by the Department for Education Regions Group.
Bearing in mind that this unexpected decision follows a difficult period of amalgamation of the two secondary schools in Whitby, what is the plan B and what additional support and resources will be made available to the school governors and leadership?"
Responding to the concerns, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, the executive member for education, said:
"The DfE did not support the academy conversion to the Wonder Learning Trust partnership, due to reasons of geographical coherence.
The school improvement team is working closely with the governors and school leaders, and our shared focus remains on securing sustained improvement and positive outcomes for pupils, through the arrangements that are coherent, proportionate, and sustainable.
I have spoken to the head teacher and the governors of the school, and I would really like to thank them and the staff for their sterling work that they're doing as champions for Whitby and for the pupils of of the school. We will continue to work closely with them, and I am going to visit the school as well."
Cllr Annabel Wilkinson also assured councillors that Whitby School would continue to receive backing as a maintained school. She added:
"As a maintained school, Whitby School benefits from a comprehensive programme of school improvement support, including monitoring and challenge provided by the local authority team, in addition to support through partnership organisations."
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