At-risk schools to face second consultation
LDRSThe future of four primary schools facing mergers will be subject to a second public consultation.
North Tyneside Council is proposing merging Hazlewood Community Primary School with Greenfields Community Primary, and merging Forest Hall Primary School with Ivy Road Primary School.
Plans to close Monkseaton Middle School and merge Langley First School with Appletree Gardens First School have been paused to consider alternative options.
The Labour-controlled council previously said the schools had untenable numbers of surplus places and it expected the situation to get worse due to falling birth rates. Parents have opposed the plans.
Hazlewood campaigner and parent Laura Stokoe told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the "passion" to keep the school open was stronger than before.
The school leadership also said while it "recognises the complexities involved, we remain confident in the strength of our community and in the educational, pastoral, and social value Hazlewood provides to the families we serve".
Part of the original proposals were paused to allow time to explore the possible expansion of Monkseaton Middle and academisation of Langley.
However, no viable options for Hazlewood or Ivy Road were identified in the original consultation, which ended in November after six weeks, with the merger planned for 31 August 2028.
The council's rationale ranged from school building problems caused by "weak and brittle" concrete in Hazlewood, as well as a projected deficit at the school of £230,000 by August 2028.
It is also consulting on the closure of Ivy Road on 31 August and then the relocation of neighbouring Forest Hall school into the Ivy Road site - the merger would be complete by September.
Ivy Road is already subject to an academisation order following an "Inadequate" Ofsted rating in February 2024 and a predicted deficit of over £600,000 by March 2028 - whereas Forest Hall has a 33% vacancy rate for pupils.
Final decision
Funding for school is largely determined by the Department for Education by the number of pupils.
This is the second consultation on the future of education on North Tyneside in recent months.
Residents have until 17:00 GMT on 1 January to respond to the consultation on whether to merge Hazlewood and Greenfields.
Similar proposals are also open to public comment for Ivy Road and Forest Hall primaries.
A final decision on the future of the schools will be made by North Tyneside Council's cabinet on 12 January, in which it will decide whether two schools close and merge with neighbouring ones.
Julie Firth, director of children's services at North Tyneside Council, said: "To ensure cabinet can make an informed decision, we're starting to outline how these changes could be implemented and the support we would provide to pupils and families throughout the process.
"We understand this is a difficult and uncertain time for many, and we want to reassure everyone that their voices matter."
