On Air Now

Darren Lethem

6:00pm - 10:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Emergency Board Takes Over Governance at Whitby School

Friday, 6 November 2026 at 20:30

By Anttoni James Numminen, Local Democracy Reporter

An emergency Interim Executive Board has been appointed at Whitby School following statutory intervention by North Yorkshire Council to drive rapid improvement.

An emergency governing board has been appointed at Whitby School after intervention by North Yorkshire Council and approval from the Department for Education.

Parents were informed this week that an Interim Executive Board (IEB) had been established with immediate effect following the council’s use of its statutory intervention powers and the issuing of a warning notice to the school’s governing board on 21 September.

In a letter to parents dated 4 November, the school said the move followed approval by the Department for Education’s regional director and was designed to help drive “rapid and sustainable improvement” at the school.

The letter states that the IEB will assume the full responsibilities of the governing board and work alongside school leaders to provide “strategic oversight, challenge and support”.

It added:

Working alongside school leaders and staff, the Interim Executive Board will focus on ensuring rapid and sustainable improvement.

An Interim Executive Board is a temporary governing body that can be introduced when a school is judged to require significant improvement. It replaces the existing governing board and is intended to accelerate change and raise standards.

The reasons behind the council’s warning notice have not been disclosed in the letter to parents.

The board’s chair will be Nick Hinchliffe, principal of Selby High School. Other members include Richard Adams, an education programme specialist at Anglo American; Darren Holmes, chief executive of Enquire Learning Trust; Marianne Best of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council; and Louise Bell, head of learning and development at North Yorkshire Council. The letter is shown in the document provided by the school.

The school said all members had substantial experience in school leadership, governance and improvement and had been selected for the expertise they could bring to the school’s improvement journey.

The letter also thanked former governors for their service, including Jane Mortimer, and acknowledged Councillor Phil Trumper, who stepped in as chair following the resignations of the previous chair and vice-chair at the beginning of the current school year.

It states that his leadership had helped maintain continuity during a challenging period.

North Yorkshire Council was contacted for comment on the reasons for the intervention but had not responded by the time of publication.

The head of Whitby School, Julie Caddell, declined to comment.

Want to See More from This is the Coast?

Click here to set This is the Coast as a preferred source on Google search.

Love living on the Yorkshire Coast? So do we.

This is the Coast is 100% locally owned and operated. We don’t rely on public funding or government grants—we rely on our community.

Producing trusted, fact-checked local news takes time and resources. If you value having a dedicated team of professional journalists fighting for our region, please consider supporting us.

Help keep the Yorkshire Coast informed for the price of a coffee a month.

Support Local Journalism Today

More from Yorkshire Coast News

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Sunny intervals

    High: 12°C | Low: 8°C

  • Filey

    Sunny intervals

    High: 12°C | Low: 8°C

  • Whitby

    Sunny intervals

    High: 11°C | Low: 8°C

  • Bridlington

    Sunny intervals

    High: 12°C | Low: 8°C

  • Hornsea

    Sunny intervals

    High: 12°C | Low: 8°C

  • Driffield

    Sunny intervals

    High: 11°C | Low: 8°C

News

Podcasts

  • The Codcast - Whitby Town FC

    The Codcast- Episode 99

    Andrew, Paul & Liam- with Ben Beals, Henry Popple & Graeme Lee

  • Yorkshire Coastcast

    EP85: CURFEW RUN returns to Scarborough to help women feel safe running in the dark

    CURFEW RUN returns to Scarborough to help women feel safe running in the dark. Also, meet the 6 year old walking Filey to Whitby for charity.

  • The Codcast - Whitby Town FC

    The Codcast- Episode 98

    Andrew, Paul & Liam with Ben Turner, Stuart Rose & Graeme Lee

  • The Seadogs Podcast - Scarborough Athletic FC

    EP75: INTRODUCING THE MONEYWEB STADIUM!

    Scarborough Athletic Marketing Director tells us about Moneyweb's 5-year stadium naming rights deal