APPENDIX 1: Delegated Decision Report - Strategic Education Review Update Nov 6 2024

Q1 Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to close Monkseaton High School?

Q 2: Having read the Frequently Asked Questions, what suitable alternative proposal to the closure of Monkseaton High School would you suggest? 

Q3: Please use the space below to provide any further comments you wish to make about the proposal to close Monkseaton High School

Q4: Are you responding to this questionnaire mainly as a:

• Pupil at Monkseaton High School
• Parent/carer of a pupil(s) at Monkseaton High School
• Parent/carer of a pupil(s) planning to attend Monkseaton High School
• Resident of North Tyneside
• Staff member at Monkseaton High School
• Member of staff at another school in North Tyneside
• Governor at Monkseaton High School
• Governor at another school in North Tyneside
• Ward Councillor or Member of Parliament
• Local business connected to Monkseaton High School
• Trade Union representative
• Representative of another Local Authority
• Other (please specify)

About You:

Pupils, parents and carers were asked to provide anonymous demographic monitoring data to help us to know if we were reaching out to people across our communities. 

Theme

N

Turn into a secondary or hybrid school/ introduce 2 tier system

175

Merge with another school/ improve collaboration with local schools

172

Change or enforce catchment areas 

156

Open as a 6^th Form Centre

98

Create a SEND Centre

94

Keep open, as new houses are being built

68

Make MHS an academy

62

Keep open, particularly until year 9 can finish their GCSE’s

52

Centre for vocational/further education & apprenticeships

38

Revise PANs of local schools

38

Close sixth form

29

Rent out space (in building or grounds)

20

Sell some of the land surrounding the school

20

Fundraise

17

Use for other education provision e.g. PRU, ARP or nursery

19

Petition government to provide funding or alternative solutions

10

Independent or specialist review/create a new strategy for MHS

5

Theme

N

Concerns around where the children will go- more information requested

119

Concern about other schools already being oversubscribed

91

Impact on pupils’ mental health and wellbeing

88

Increase in new houses must mean there will be a demand for spaces

84

Concerns over a change to the tier system/the wider impact on 3 tier system

68

Concerns about the negative impact on children’s education

66

Increased pressure on other schools

60

Increased travel for pupils

46

Negative impact on the local community

46

This should have been dealt with years ago/lack of confidence in the consultation/decision making process

39

Keep MHS open for 3 years to let pupils complete GCSEs

32

More information needed on the other options that have been explored

31

Timing of announcement is poor/this is all the council’s fault

26

Teachers are likely to leave

16

Rebrand or better promote school to increase pupil numbers

14

Anxiety created for families

9

The council waste money including on other schools needing repairs

9

MHS has a poor reputation

8

Other responses

11

Suggestion 

Response

Turn into a secondary or hybrid school/ introduce 2 tier system

This option had previously been explored on several occasions and discounted, including a review of education provision in 2000. 

It was then considered again in the education review of 2013-15. Significant consultation was undertaken in October 2014 and the feedback from that was clear that the schools and local community were committed to the three-tier system. 

The option was considered again in discussions with schools in 2022/23 but again dismissed as the vast majority of school leaders and governors were clear that they and the community wanted to maintain the three-tier system. 

In the most recent review, it was concluded that turning Monkseaton High School into a secondary school would not make it financially viable. The Authority modelled scenarios to assess what would happen to pupil numbers if the school was to expand to become a secondary school. These projections showed that if this took place, the number of pupils available would still not address the financial pressures and it was deemed not viable. Even if it had made Monkseaton High School sustainable as an individual school, pupil and financial forecasting highlighted that it could de-stabilise other schools within North Tyneside. The cumulative deficit position was projected to grow to in excess of £7.5M by the time Monkseaton High School could convert to a Years 7-11 school with pupils in all year groups. 

In early 2024 the Authority explored an option for part of the Planning Area to become two-tier. Further modelling made it clear that this option would carry too much risk. Parental choice and the commitment to the three-tier system was the biggest factor in discounting this option and it would leave the wider North East Planning Area with a split system (three-tier/two-tier) and there would still be too many surplus places in the secondary year groups. This would be further compounded by falling birth rates over the last five years, meaning there would not be the pupils to fill all the places in the future. 

Merge with another school

Review concluded that this was not financially viable and, further, no agreement could be reached.

Monkseaton High School and Monkseaton Middle School had previously shared an Executive Headteacher from 2016-18. School leaders and the governing bodies at both Monkseaton High School and Monkseaton Middle School explored how they could work together on a more formal basis. Following this, the governing bodies at both schools decided against this due to the suitability of combining the sites for pupil ages and due to the financial viability.

Monkseaton High School and Whitley Bay High School had shared an Executive Headteacher and some staff between 2012-2014. At this time, the Authority explored the possibility of bringing Monkseaton High School and Whitley Bay High School together under one governing body. 

School leaders and the governing bodies decided that the proposal was not viable as it would risk the identity of the individual schools in their communities and would still not be enough to make the school financially viable. 

Change or enforce catchment areas 

Catchment areas can be changed by the Authority  (for Community schools) or the Authority or Admissions Authority for Foundation Trust, Voluntary Aided or Academy settings, as part of the Consultation on Admissions arrangements.  

Catchment areas are an Oversubscription tool within each schools Admissions Arrangements.     Catchment areas do not prevent parental choice, and would not allow admissions to be refused in circumstances other than oversubscription.  Where capacity exists, a place would be offered, irrespective of the catchment position.  Therefore, changes to the catchments would not guarantee additional pupils, and therefore funding, coming to Monkseaton High School.

Open as a 6^th Form Centre / Create a SEND Centre / 

Centre for vocational/further education & apprenticeships / Use for other education provision

The Authority does not have the powers to action this proposal and it should be noted that this would relate to the use of the building rather than the financial stability of Monkseaton High School.

Any such provision can only be opened up as a free school and free schools can only be applied for and opened by an academy trusts formed specifically to establish and run one or more schools. An academy trust would be the body that submits an application to open a free school and with which the Secretary of State enters into a funding agreement.

This post-16 option was presented to the school leaders and governing bodies of existing post-16 provision in the borough. The Authority does not have the powers to mandate this and it is clear that this would again have an impact on the provision available at other schools. It could also impact post-16 budgets negatively. This was rejected as there was no indication that it would attract post-16 pupils in sufficient numbers to be financially viable, however the Authority would be receptive to approaches from any interested  bodies to explore this further. 

The layout of the building is not conducive to shared use by Monkseaton High School and an additional educational setting.  

Should the outcome of the statutory consultation result in a decision to close Monkseaton High School, consideration would be given to the future use of the building.  As the building is owned by North Tyneside Learning Trust, the decision would rest with them as Landowner and the Secretary of State for Education.

Keep open as new houses are being built

It would not be financially viable to keep the school open. Declining pupil numbers and a lower birth rate means that the school is not operating at the capacity required to remain financially viable. Reduced Government funding due to reduced pupil numbers and parental choice together with increasing building and maintenance costs, mean that forecasts show the large cumulative deficit is unlikely to improve to the levels needed to stabilise the school. There are 300 new houses under construction at Murton Gap and it is expected that a further 2700 are proposed, but do not yet have planning approval.  610 homes are planned within 5 years of planning approval, with a further 1190 between 6 – 10 years and a final 900 homes proposed  within 11 to 15 years. 

However, new homes do not always mean new children of education age and projections show that the total number of pupils the development would bring remains lower than the current birth rate decline, and therefore the new houses would still not bring enough pupils and funding into the area to make the school financially viable. 

On average, each 100 homes create 32 pupils across all twelve-year groups. This means the total number of pupils the development would bring remains lower than the current birth decline. 

While later years of the development may support the school, the deficit would continue to increase by around £600,000 to £1 million each year. 

Make MHS into an academy

The Authority do not have the powers to action this proposal. 

As part of discussions with the Department for Education the Authority asked if the option of academisation could be explored. The Department for Education reached out to Multi Academy Trusts to discuss if it would be a viable option. The DfE advised that no academy trust was interested in taking on the school. The Authority then directly approached two large Multi Academy Trusts, but nothing came about from these conversations due to viability concerns over pupil numbers.  

An option was also discussed with the schools to consider creating a Multi-Academy Trust from the schools in the North East Planning Area, but the majority of the schools confirmed that this is not something they would be interested in exploring further at this point. Again, this is not something that the Authority can mandate schools to do.

Keep open particularly till all current children can finish

After consultation with school leaders and governors, the decision was made that current Year 9s would benefit from moving schools for their GCSE’s if closure was announced. 

It would be more positive for the Year 9 pupils to move before the start of Year 10 in terms of their educational outcomes and experience This would allow them to select their GCSE options and transition into another school ahead of exams. 

If at the end of the consultation process closure is put forward, it is proposed this is completed over a two-year period through to 31 August 2026. This is because it is not possible to sustain the school for longer while delivering high quality education due to the impact closure could have on staff retention and building capacity. The deficit would likely increase by around £1m in this additional year.

Revise PANs of local schools

A published admission number (PAN) is the number of pupils in each year group that can be admitted. The Authority cannot control parental choice or mandate schools to change Published Admission Numbers (PANs). The Authority does not decide PANs. A school’s governing body does.     These numbers must be set by a school’s admissions authority. For all of our secondary schools (Foundation Trust Schools), the governing body is the admissions authority and they are responsible for setting the number. They are not required to consult on their PAN if they propose to either increase or keep the same PAN. They may also admit above their PAN through in-year admissions.

Catchment areas are an Oversubscription tool within each schools Admissions Arrangements.     Catchment areas do not prevent parental choice, and would not allow admissions to be refused in circumstances other than oversubscription.  Where capacity exists, a place would be offered, irrespective of the catchment position.  Therefore, changes to the catchments would not guarantee additional pupils, and therefore funding, coming to Monkseaton High School.

Sell some of the land surrounding the school

The school building is owned by North Tyneside Learning Trust, not North Tyneside Council. If a school closes and the land is to be used for something other than education in the 10 years after closure, the Secretary of State for Education must give their consent. Any applications for use of the land would be subject to Planning consultation.  

Fundraise/rent out space

The school has been in deficit since 2016. School leaders and governors have worked with the Authority to try to address this, and a number of measures have been put in place to try to reduce the deficit. They include reducing staff and the curriculum on offer, restructures, challenging spending decisions and requests for additional funding from The Department for Education. It is clear that these measures, while they have saved money, cannot completely resolve the deficit.  

The responsibility for setting a balanced budget lies with school leaders and governors. While the Council helps schools and has to approve any school requesting to set a deficit budget, it does not directly fund schools or determine how budgets should be set.

The Authority has little control over the allocation of this to individual schools, as since 2021 it has followed the Government’s National Funding Formula. Once a school receives their funding allocation, it’s the responsibility of school leaders and governing bodies to set and manage the budget for their school. 

If a school is set to spend more money than it receives, it becomes known as a ‘deficit budget’ which the Authority must approve. However, it remains the responsibility of the school to return to a balanced position and the Authority doesn’t generally receive any extra funding to help schools with a ‘deficit budget’. It would not be possible to fund-raise or rent out space on the scale necessary to help the school set a balanced budget.

Petition to government

Representations have been made on several occasions to the DFE and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and the Authority has written to both departments asking for their help and views. The Authority believes it has explored every option available, which has been reinforced through discussions with the DFE which have not identified any further options. 

Concerns around where the children will go and a request for more info

Our aim as an Authority is to ensure the continuation of high-quality education for young people. The impact of transition to another school for the current Year 9 Students has been carefully considered and it is proposed that if closure is confirmed following consultation that they would transition to another school at the end of this academic year. This would prevent disruption to GCSEs and create a positive transition between schools. Parents and carers can also use an in-year application to seek a place at another school which has space in the same year group.

Concern about other schools being oversubscribed

There is enough capacity for all pupils across our North Tyneside Secondary Schools. The Authority has a statutory role to ensure there’s sufficient school places for all pupils and this responsibility are a key consideration. 

While schools have agreed Published Admission Numbers (PAN) for their admissions, the capacity for each school to take further pupils is at the discretion of their governors and is linked to the physical capacity of the school. Other factors including catchment areas and criteria will play a role too. 

The Authority does not decide PANs. A school’s governing body does. 

Impact on pupils’ mental health

The Authority understand the impact the consultation may have on those impacted. Our Connect Mental Health Team works directly with Monkseaton High School and are providing additional support to pupils, colleagues and are available to parents and will continue to do so. While the team regularly visit the school, referrals can be made by school staff or parents and carers can contact school staff to make a referral for them.  

Increase in houses must mean there will be a demand for spaces

See response to earlier suggested alternative proposal.

Concerns over a change to the tier system

In order to stabilise Monkseaton High School, the Authority needed to consider as many ideas as possible. One idea explored was moving the three-tier system to a two-tier system of education. This was dismissed following brief discussions as school leaders and governors told us they wanted to maintain the three-tier system. This consultation is not on the tiered system and at this time, the Authority has no plans to change the tiered system. 

Negative impact on children’s education / Anxiety for families

The Authority recognises that a consultation of this nature will be a concern for local communities however the current educational and financial position is not sustainable. The Authority aims to have a system of education that brings about the highest possible standards of education for all children and doing nothing will not achieve this in the rapidly changing educational landscape.

Maintaining a high-quality education for young people is our priority. The Authority is working alongside school governors, who are the employers, on proposals to retain staff at the school if a move to closure is announced in January 2025.  

Increased pressure on other schools

There is enough capacity for all pupils across our North Tyneside Secondary Schools. The Authority has a statutory role to ensure there’s sufficient school places for all pupils and this responsibility is a key consideration. 

While schools have agreed Published Admission Numbers (PAN) for their admissions, the capacity for each school to take further pupils is at the discretion of their governors and is linked to the physical capacity of the school. 

Increased travel for pupils

Currently only 20% of pupils at Monkseaton High School live in the local catchment area. Most pupils travel from other areas. Through a co-ordinated admissions procedure, parents would retain choice as to where their child moves to. The Authority will work individually with families who require support with transport and are working with school leaders to increase spaces in our schools in the Borough.  

Negative impact on local community

The Authority recognises that a consultation of this nature will be a concern for local communities however the current educational and financial position is not sustainable. The Authority aims to have a system of education that brings about the highest possible standards of education for all children and doing nothing will not achieve this in the rapidly changing educational landscape.

This should have been dealt with years ago

Since 2016 the Authority has worked alongside school leaders and governors to reduce the deficit. This work has included:

• Introducing changes to staffing structures, taking into account factors such as class size and range of curriculum. 
• Explored alternative income streams including rental of buildings and playing fields. 
• Reducing running costs by ensuring all costs such as energy and buying materials deliver value for money. 
• Seeking additional funding through regular discussions with the Department for Education.

Last year, the Authority received an additional £1.9 million funding for schools in deficit and the scale of the deficit at Monkseaton High School means it received the largest share at £0.678m. 

The school has been in deficit since 2016. School leaders and governors have worked with the Authority to try to address this, and the Authority has put in place a number of measures to try to reduce the deficit. They include reducing staff and the curriculum on offer, restructures, challenging spending decisions and requests for additional funding from The Department for Education. It is clear that these measures, while they have saved money, cannot completely resolve the deficit.  

The responsibility for setting a balanced budget lies with school leaders and governors. While the Authority helps schools and has to approve any school requesting to set a deficit budget, it does not directly fund schools or determine how budgets should be set.

Keep open for 3 years to let pupils complete GCSES

After consultation with school leaders and governors the decision was made that current Year 9s would benefit from moving schools for their GCSE’s if closure was announced. This would allow them to select their GCSE options and transition into another school ahead of exams. It is proposed this is completed over a two-year period through to 31 August 2026. This is because it is not possible to sustain the school for longer while delivering high quality education due to the impact closure could have on staff retention and building capacity. The deficit would likely increase by around one million in this additional year.

More information needed on the other options that have been explored

This information was provided on the Engagement Hub here:

https://haveyoursay.northtyneside.gov.uk/monkseaton-high-school

The link to the options appraisal document is here:

https://haveyoursay.northtyneside.gov.uk/35421/widgets/105234/documents/70321

Timing of announcement is poor

The Authority know that consultations for school closures present many challenges and recognise that there is no good time to launch a consultation of this nature. The Authority considered the impact on students taking exams and wanted to ensure the process was completed ahead of exams.

No decision has been made on the future of the school and therefore, legally, the school had to admit year 9’s this year. If a decision is made to close the school, all year nine pupils will transition in a planned and supported way to an alternative school for year 10. This would be through an extra-ordinary, co-ordinated admissions approach. 

This is the fault of the council

The financial deficit at Monkseaton High School, and our work to stabilise the school, has been well document in several reports since 2015. These reports are all publicly available, with the latest on 16 September 2024.

The government decides how much money the Authority receives for all schools based on its calculations which are mainly focused on the number of pupils in the Borough. The Authority has little control over the allocation of this to individual schools, as since 2021 it has followed the government’s National Funding Formula. Once a school receives their funding allocation, it’s the responsibility of school leaders and governing bodies to set and manage the budget for their school. 

If a school is set to spend more money than it receives, it becomes known as a ‘deficit budget’ which the Authority must approve. However, it remains the responsibility of the school to return to a balanced position and the Authority doesn’t generally receive any extra funding to help schools with a ‘deficit budget’. 

Teachers are likely to leave

Maintaining a high-quality education for young people is our priority. The Authority are working alongside school leaders, who are the employers, on proposals to retain staff at the school if a move to closure is announced in January 2025.  

Rebrand or better promote school / Poor reputation of MHS

Monkseaton High School is a good school. It has been rated Outstanding or Good in the two most recent Ofsted inspections and these judgements reflect the consistent and sustained efforts of a loyal and committed team of staff, school leaders and governors.

In recent years the Authority has worked closely with school leaders to both address the financial deficit and to stabilise the education offer available to pupils. There are various factors outside of the control of the Authority and school leaders which have contributed to this decision.