Monkseaton High School parents protest as North Tyneside Council votes down bid to stop closure

Furious parents opposing the closure of a Monkseaton High School in North Tyneside staged a protest outside the council headquarters, as a bid to stop the plans was voted down.

Monkseaton High School is expected to be shut down from August 31, 2026, with education chiefs warning that it is “no longer viable” because of low pupil numbers and a multi-million pound deficit. The decision has sparked outrage among many families and fears about what will happen to current Monkseaton High pupils and children who were planning to go there in future. A small demonstration was held outside the council’s Cobalt Business Park offices on Thursday night, where parents and GMB union members pleaded with local authority bosses to save the school.

At the full council meeting which followed, the borough’s ruling Labour councillors later voted against a Conservative Party motion which called for a U-turn on the closure. One parent who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service called the situation “horrendous” and “unfair”. The mum, who asked not to be named, added: “It is a good school. I think the people need to have a vote on this because they have not listened to us at all.”

Former councillor Cath Davis claimed there had been “no scrutiny” of the decision and that the uncertainty was causing particular stress for parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities. More than 2,600 people have signed a petition calling for Monkseaton High to be saved, while a six-week council consultation attracted more than 900 responses.

But the local authority said earlier this month that there were “no viable alternatives” to avoid the closure. Monkseaton High is operating at just over 50% of its 964-pupil capacity and is running a deficit in excess of £5 million, which is projected to increase to over £7 million by 2027.

Thursday night’s motion from Tory councillor David Lilly claimed that “key questions remain unresolved” about the closure plan – including where the displaced pupils will go and whether neighbouring schools can accommodate them. Coun Lilly alleged that the school’s financial troubles suggested that “someone was asleep at the wheel” and questioned why the council has plans for a new high school in Killingworth when there is a “perfectly good facility” being closed down in Monkseaton.

Tory colleague Lewis Bartoli also demanded that the council show "transparency, accountability, and that we listen to the people we represent”.

But Labour cabinet member Steven Phillips replied that, while the authority was committed to retaining the area’s three-tier school system, Monkseaton High’s fundamental problem was that it is only half-full and therefore has a major funding shortfall. He added: “No-one in this chamber wants to close schools. I myself would not be here if there was a viable option that we were choosing to ignore. There is not.”

Elected mayor Dame Norma Redfearn told the council chamber that the authority had tried to get the school to make budget cuts, suggested that local schools be brought together under a new federation, and asked nearby Whitley Bay High to cut their pupil numbers to protect Monkseaton – all without success. Coun Hannah Johnson, another member of the Labour cabinet, added that there is space at other North Tyneside high schools to absorb the children from Monkseaton.

As Labour voted down the Tory motion, one parent shouted “Shame on you. Disgusting. Not one of those year nines is going to stand a chance.”

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