'No alternative' but to shut half-empty school

A petition in support of keeping the school open has attracted more than 2,600 signatures

A half-empty school has moved a step closer to shutting.

North Tyneside Council plans to close Monkseaton High School, in Whitley Bay, in August 2026 after finding there were no "viable options" to keep it open.

The school had 511 pupils, despite having capacity for 964, and a predicted deficit of £7m, the council said.

A petition launched in September and signed by more than 2,600 people said the school "played a critical role in educating our rising generation, shaping their futures, and ultimately defining our society's pillars".

As well as dwindling pupil numbers, the local authority told the Local Democracy Reporting Service alternative options, such as making the school an academy, had been ruled out.

A council report added: "The closure of the school is considered necessary on the basis that it is no longer viable.

"There are surplus places elsewhere in the local area, which can accommodate displaced pupils and there is no predicted increase in demand for the school in the medium to long term."

A supporter of the school staying open wrote on the petition: "This warm, friendly and supportive school needs to stay open for children who prefer to learn and thrive in a smaller school environment."

A six-week consultation into the planned closure attracted more than 900 responses.

The council said it would hold a four-week, statutory consultation from 15 November during which non-executive councillors could request that the decision be reviewed.

Children's services director Julie Firth said the community had shown a "real passion" for the school and thanked everyone for expressing their views.