Monkseaton High School takes step closer to closure as council finds 'no viable alternatives'

There are “no viable alternatives” to prevent the closure of a North Tyneside school, council bosses have decided.

Monkseaton High School has moved a step closer to being shut down by North Tyneside Council After a six-week public consultation on the Whitley Bay school’s future, which attracted more than 900 responses, the local authority plans to press ahead with its closure plans.

Parents and carers have been fighting since September to try and keep the school open, with more than 2,600 having signed a petition pleading for it to be protected. But, in a report published on Wednesday, the council said that alternative ideas put forward “have either been previously explored and ruled out or did not provide sufficient evidence which would enable the Authority to make a new proposal that would satisfactorily resolve the pupil number trends and financial implications of keeping the school open”.

It adds: “The closure of Monkseaton High School is considered necessary on the basis that it is no longer viable. In addition, 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.”

Education chiefs have blamed low birth rates, a predicted deficit of £7 million, higher than average running costs, and the fact that the school is operating at just over 50% of its capacity for the decision.

The council is now set to launch a second phase of consultation on the plans, asking for formal feedback on the proposal to close the school from August 31, 2026. That statutory consultation period is due to run for four weeks from Friday, November 15, though the decision could yet be called in for extra scrutiny by councillors.

In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, North Tyneside Council’s director of children’s services Julie Firth said: “The community has displayed a real passion for Monkseaton High School, and I am thankful for the time and effort taken by everyone who expressed their views as part of the consultation. After careful consideration and analysis of all submissions, it was clear that no viable alternatives or options were put forward as part of the pre-publication consultation.

“The decision was therefore taken on Wednesday 6 November to move to statutory consultation on the intention to close the school from 31 August 2026. The decision to move to the statutory consultation phase is however now subject to a call-in period. If the decision is not called in, the consultation will run for four weeks from Friday 15 November.”

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