Following on from the decision in April 2026 to not proceed with academisation of Whitby School under the Wonder Learning Partnership, a meeting was arranged for Tuesday 5th May 2026 to cover many matters of concern to parents, carers and the community. As a result of this meeting a letter was sent by David Bradley, chair of the WCN CIC subgroup for Education, to North Yorkshire Council and to the Whitby School Governing Body.
To
- Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, NYC Executive Councillor for Education
- Mr Richard Fluin, Chair of Whitby School Governing Body
RE: Public Meeting about Whitby School held on Tuesday 5th May, 2026 at the Whitby Rifle Club.
I am writing to you on behalf of the parents, students and members of the local community who attended the above meeting last night. Their ongoing concerns about the school, particularly in the wake of the Department for Education’s (DfE) decision not to support Wonder Learning Partnership’s (WLP) attempt to join with the school and become an academy, have increased significantly. This decision has rocked the community not least because WLP was regarded by parents as a chance to develop stable, effective leadership, but also an opportunity to develop a strategic plan which would bring about improvements in academic standards, behaviour and attendance. The very issues which were highlighted by the Governing Body (GB) and the Local Authority (LA) at the time of the “Amalgamation of the Three Secondary Schools in Whitby and the Closure of Eskdale School” in 2023. Technically, this ‘amalgamation’ was a reorganisation of post eleven education in the town, and it was never given the status it deserved. The parents have now had enough of the responsibilities for the school being passed between the LA and the GB and feel like they have been on a “Merry-Go-Round” for at least three years, so they called a meeting through social media, and invited everyone.
The meeting attracted approximately sixty-five people and nearly fifty of them signed an attendance sheet and gave their email addresses. Students, parents and carers, attended the meeting and the parents were pleased to welcome councillors from the town council, one parent governor, one councillor from North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and our Member of Parliament, Alison Hume MP. I volunteered to chair the meeting and asked the meeting if anyone had any objections to me carrying out this role and none did. I emphasised the need for us to concentrate on issues rather than personalities and the need for us to anonymise young people and staff. Detailed notes of the meeting were taken by parents.
The Governing Body had sent a letter to explain their non-attendance, and this was read out by one of the parents. One parent governor disagreed with his colleagues, attended and spoke at some length about his involvement with the school. Another carer (a retired Special Needs teacher) spoke in detail about her voluntary involvement with the school. Finally, everyone was invited to speak about any issues which they had with the school. For the sake of clarity, I have listed the main issues raised by all of the speakers below: –
Several parents were concerned that the school did not always know whether their child was in school. Some reported that the school had contacted them about an absence when the child was in attendance. This is a serious safeguarding issue.
Considerable concern was expressed about students who needed educational statements and had not been processed early enough. Others expressed concern when teachers did not take the statements seriously and there were incidents where specific needs were not being met e.g. the need to take medication, the need to visit the toilet (one child had wet themself), the need to use colour filters for reading or the need to have work presented on coloured paper for autistically challenged students. Parents and Carers of young people with specials needs were aware that their children could be disruptive, but sometimes staff did not understand the child’s condition and how to deal with it.
Several parents were concerned that students often had three or four Form Tutors. Sometimes communication between the student and the Form Tutors was confused or did not happen.
A lot of concern was expressed about the number of supply teachers being used by the school because of absent staff. It was very clear that some of the supply staff were not familiar with the school rules and procedures. Some were also not familiar with the referral systems for poor behaviour.
Several parents and carers raised issues concerned with consistent practice by the teaching staff. It seems that some minor issues with uniform are given greater status than they should be and learning time is compromised.
Some established teachers on the staff are clearly working very hard, but their efforts are being thwarted by poor communication between senior leaders and other staff. The huge turnover of senior staff, particularly headteachers, over the last decade has not helped teaching staff because they are not certain what is expected of them. One parent and a member of the community separately commented that, ‘the staff do not really know who is in charge’.
Several parents had contacted the school multiple times about behaviour issues, but often these issues were not followed up. One parent had been discouraged from using the complaints procedure.
I have to say that the shock and the immense feeling of disappointment in the room was palpable. How on earth have we managed to let this happen in our community? I then encouraged parents to visit the “Parentview” Ofsted site to record their concerns. Ofsted are expected at the school in the next two terms and inspectors are required to follow up any issues on this site at the time of inspection. I also emphasised the need for parents to voice any concerns directly to the school.
The meeting considered five questions which had been formulated by the Education Sub Committee of the Whitby Community Network CIC. All five were addressed to the GB and the LA and they were all approved unanimously by the meeting. The questions are: –
In May 2025, governors, backed by the community representatives, endorsed Wonder Learning Partnership as the preferred academy trust. We are now told (a year later) that the DfE will not agree. Why not? Why was the DfE’s decision not appealed by the GB or LA? Why did the GB and LA end the partnership so abruptly?
The school remains fragile on standards, attendance, and community confidence. Much of the WLP’s work has not had time to show impact. What is going to happen to this work? Why hasn’t the offer from WLP to help the school and the new leadership team been followed up by the LA and GB?
We were promised stable, effective leadership. The LA and GB are now proposing to appoint a headteacher and two deputies. We are told that the headteacher and one deputy will be internal appointments – they may already be appointed. Normally, headteacher posts are advertised nationally. What objective criteria, evidence and decision process are being used to select for these posts? We know that one temporary, senior postholder has an unsatisfactory track record. How is the community to have confidence in these appointments?
What is the LA’s strategic plan for the school – over the next 6-12 months and beyond? When will it be shared with the community?
When will the GB abide by statutory rules and publish their minutes in a timely manner on the school website.
The meeting concluded with Alison Hume being invited to comment. She said, “The coast has been forgotten by the council for many years.” She went on to say that she would hold NYC to account, have meetings with the DfE, talk to the schools’ minister and concluded by saying, “The government will be taking a much more forensic interest in North Yorkshire Council.”
I concluded the meeting by thanking everyone for their attendance, particularly the Parent Governor, Town Councillors, NYC Councillor and our MP, for having the courage to attend the meeting and possibly face criticism.
On behalf of the people who attended this meeting, I would be grateful for your responses to the five questions posed above as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
David Bradley B.Ed, FRSA
