School closure and merger plan over pupil numbers

Monkseaton Middle School has 40% surplus places, the council said

A middle school could be closed and six primary and first schools merged as part of a local authority's plan to tackle falling pupil numbers.

North Tyneside Council said it was expecting the number of school-age children in the borough to drop by about 3,000 by 2034 due to falling birth rates, creating an untenable surplus of places.

With pupil numbers already in decline, the Labour-controlled council said 51 of the 57 maintained schools in the area had set budgets that would put them in deficit in the next financial year.

The council has launched a public consultation on the proposals, which would affect about 1,500 children, saying they would create a sustainable school system.

The authority said a quarter of all primary school places for all year groups in the borough were expected to become surplus over the next five years.

While 10% was an acceptable surplus to allow for parental choice, 25% was not financially viable as schools were funded per pupil but still had many of the same running costs even if seats in classrooms were empty, it said.

Pupils at Hazlewood Primary School ate dinner in this marquee for more than 12 months after weak concrete was found on site

Under the proposals:

• Monkseaton Middle School would close with no new Year 5 admissions from September next year

• Langley First School and Appletree Gardens First School, in Monkseaton, would merge on the site of Appletree Gardens

• Forest Hall Primary School and Ivy Road Primary School, in Forest Hall, would merge on the site of Ivy Road

• Hazlewood Community Primary School and Greenfields Community Primary School, in Wideopen, would merge on the site of Greenfields

The council said Monkseaton Middle School's pupil numbers had dropped by more than a third since 2016, from 333 to 205, with surplus places expected to increase from the current 40% to 59% by 2033.

More than a third of places were unfilled at both Forest Hall and Ivy Road, it said.

The latter was rated inadequate by schools watchdog Ofsted in 2024.

Temporary classrooms have been in place and at one point a marquee had to be used as a dining hall at Hazlewood School in Wideopen after issues were found with concrete in the building.

The council has spent more than £2m on remedial measures.

'Upset not underestimated'

Under the council's plan the Hazlewood site would be closed as part of its merger with Greenfields.

The council said Langley First School and Appletree Gardens had 10% and 25% surplus places respectively.

It is not clear what would happen to the Forest Hall and Hazlewood sites but the authority said it hoped Langley First School would become part of Woodlawn special educational needs school, increasing provision so pupils there could learn on-site from reception through to post-16.

North Tyneside Council's director of resources Jon Ritchie said following the mergers the "vast majority of pupils will stay within a half mile radius of the schools".

"They'll still be in the school in their community and it will be hopefully a better, more sustainable provision but we don't underestimate the upset and concern that this this will be causing," he said.

The first phase of the public consultation runs until 13 November.

If the council decides to move forward with the plans, a further period of consultation would take place.

It is is due to make a final decision on 12 January.