The Whitby Secondary Partnership was formed in July 2019 when Eskdale School and Caedmon College were brought together to form a federation with a single Governing Body responsible for both schools. The main aim in the formation of the federation was that everyone involved in secondary education in Whitby should work together to provide the best possible education and opportunities for all students in the Whitby area.

This is a first-time post and we are looking for a leader who will bring energy and commitment to developing the federation, strengthening the educational offer and maintaining a thriving Sixth Form. This leader will work as part of an executive team, to support both schools and to prepare our young people to be independent, successful adults who can make a positive contribution to society. We are looking for someone who can lead and inspire teachers to be aspirational for their pupils and themselves; someone who is able to communicate a vision and bring together staff, pupils, parents and other stakeholders to create an exceptional educational experience for our young people.

This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced educationalist and the Executive Headteacher of the Whitby Secondary Partnership will have the opportunity to develop the vision for the federation and to increase the partnership-working between two established schools. You will be able to use your experience and creativity to develop and expand educational opportunities in Whitby, working closely with the Governing Body, North Yorkshire County Council and strategic stakeholders. You must exhibit confidence, empathy and a clear focus on building a healthy workplace culture that benefits the learning and the wellbeing of pupils and staff.

This  is an unusual and exciting opportunity for the successful candidate – to work in a beautiful town on the North Yorkshire coast, to lead a small federation in the early stages of its development and to work with others to shape the education and opportunities of young people in the area. Combining strategic thinking with a meticulous eye for the details of planning and implementation, you will be able to drive forward our students’ progress and attainment and their well-being and to ensure that every pupil receives the education necessary to achieve their potential.

Responsibilities:

• To develop, inspire and motivate effective teams in order to raise standards and academic performance across all institutions in the Whitby Secondary Partnership, so that all pupils achieve to the very best of their ability.
• To lead the Federation in the provision of excellent learning, teaching and assessment, ensuring that the National Standards for Teachers are applied and upheld in all institutions of the Whitby Secondary Partnership.
• To engage with the Governing Body in planning and implementing appropriate strategies to follow the agreed strategic direction of the Partnership.
• To both support and hold to account the Heads of School in their operational management and strategic leadership of the institutions that make up the Whitby Secondary Partnership, whilst also delegating, in agreement with the Governing Body, reasonable responsibility and autonomy to facilitate their roles as primary interface between their school, staff, pupils and parents
• Ensure the financial viability of the Federation, by overseeing the deployment of the budgets, and devolving appropriate operational responsibility
• To manage the Federation’s assets and facilities, ensure they are safe and well-maintained and encourage their use in income generation
• To work with the Heads of Schools to continually review practices, procedures and structures across the federation
• To lead the development and alignment of the Federation’s internal and external information and communication systems
• To lead the internal and external collaborative development of exciting, appropriately resourced, pan-federation curriculum and wider curriculum that engage students and offer a wide variety of educational opportunities to meet their needs and aspirations
• To ensure that effective pastoral and student support systems are in place in each of the Federation’s institutions.
• To ensure the wellbeing and effective work-life balance of staff within the Federation
• To engage Heads of School and the wider teams in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Federation Strategic Plan
• To lead the Federation’s institutions through rigorous self-evaluation, including quality monitoring, assurance and improvement, and performance management at all levels, engaging teams and individuals in the process.
• To engage staff in the individual institutions in formulating a vision of educational excellence and support Heads of School in planning and working towards this.
• To ensure accurate and timely reports are made to the Governing Body, with clarity about progress made, and recommendations for immediate and future priorities.
• To adopt a style of leadership that engages and inspires staff, harnessing and developing talent and expertise amongst staff at all levels.
• To recognise and understand the cumulative effects of significant change on staff motivation and engagement and lead the change process to achieve stability and inspire confidence.
• Ideally, have experience of developing community education within a school setting, thus developing an approach of ‘Education for All’.
• Have an understanding of what good pastoral support look like for the staff and students of both schools.
• Be able to develop internal and external communication systems; ensuring that staff, students and the wider community have a clear understanding of operational developments and the strategic direction of the Federation.
• Be a seasoned and rigorous self-evaluator who ensures that there is effective monitoring of and considered change to operational and strategic plans within both schools.
• Ensure that accurate information is passed to Governors in a clear manner that informs the decisions made regarding immediate and future priorities.

The support you will receive:

The new Executive Headteacher can expect the full support of two Heads of School, two enthusiastic senior leadership teams and staff, together with the support and encouragement of the Governors.

The School’s SEA will also be keen to assist and advise together with a large team from the Local Authority.

In addition, the Local Authority will invite the successful candidate to two induction sessions run by the school improvement service. There is also a ‘comprehensive induction package’ available to support Governors and the new Executive Headteacher through the first year.

Being able to attract and recruit the very best teachers and leaders to our area is vital to our schools’ continuing development. As such, we are able to offer a relocation package of up to £8k for our new Executive Headteacher, if they are having to relocate to take up post. More details can be found here.

The federation governing body wishes to place a special emphasis on the importance of the following:

Strategic leadership

As a new federation, it will be necessary to work with staff and governors to shape strategic thinking and plan the federation’s strategic direction, whilst respecting the needs and wishes of the local community. This will necessitate leading people and managing change with confidence and with sensitivity.

Implementation

A successful candidate would need to understand the nature of learning and lead successful education across the federation in an ethical manner. This would entail, working as part of an Executive team, to establish and maintain fair, transparent, efficient and effective systems and processes which enable the schools to work together for the benefit of all. This would also entail the development of a federation perspective in relation to financial strategy and effective budget management.

Vision of success

A successful candidate would be ambitious for the schools, leading and managing the whole federation’s performance and improvement and s/he would achieve results through building the federation’s capacity, capability and responsiveness.

S/he would also be outward-facing, establishing networks and partnerships, which benefit the staff and students. S/he would also become well known as an ambassador for the federation and a champion of its vision and strategy in the local community. The federation would be viewed as a strong, dynamic and unifying organisation sitting at the heart of its community.

Key competencies in summary:

- Understand the nature of learning and lead successful education across the Federation in an ethical

manner

- Lead and manage whole Federation performance and improvement

- Develop financial strategy and effective budget management

- Establish and maintain transparent, efficient and effective systems and processes

- Shape strategic thinking and plan strategic direction

- Achieve results through building the Federation’s capacity, capability and responsiveness

- Lead people and manage change with confidence and sensitivity

- Be an ambassador for the Federation and champion its vision and strategy in the local community

Situated in Whitby on the beautiful North Yorkshire Coast, the Whitby Secondary Partnership is a federation of two secondary schools - Eskdale School (11-16yrs) and Caedmon College (11-19yrs). Caedmon College has approximately 800 students, whilst Eskdale School has approximately 460 students.

Formed in July 2019, the federation has three attractive sites set in large playing fields. Whitby Sixth Form, which is based on Caedmon’s Scoresby Site, is part of Caedmon College but is in the process of being developed as a shared resource.  Both schools serve the same town and rural catchment area, (Whitby town, north up to Staithes, south down to Fylingthorpe and west up to Castleton). Thus, many of our students travel into school by bus and train from the surrounding villages.

Eskdale School was built in the 1950s. New areas have been added over the years, so the layout is complex and classrooms are generally somewhat small. In 2017 Eskdale increased its age range from that of a middle school to an age range of 11-16yrs. This meant that pupil numbers  increased by about two hundred. For this reason, there have been a number of recent developments and two new classrooms are currently being built.

Eskdale School is based on one site on the east side of Whitby and serves approximately 460 students, as of academic year 2021. There is a large, raised playing field that sits next to our newly constructed 3G pitch, built in conjunction with the Football Foundation. We have additional playgrounds for basketball, tennis and netball. The school is currently constructing a newly acquired mobile building to hold a fitness gym.

The school participates in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme in conjunction with Caedmon College (CCW) and numerous trips take place, including theatre trips, ski trips, trips to London and the battlefields of Northern France and Bewerly Park Outdoor Education Centre. The sports offered are varied and competitions are entered into with local schools and leagues.

Two new classrooms are currently under construction and the school has recently invested in an improved Internet infrastructure – Read more about Eskdale

Caedmon College is situated on the west side of Whitby and has two sites: Normanby site has the 11-16 students and the Scoresby site houses Whitby Sixth Form (under Caedmon College’s DfE no.). Both sites have extensive playing fields, with tennis courts, as well as an all-weather pitch on the Scorseby site Caedmon College

Normanby site: The original building on Normanby site was built in 1912. There is an ‘old-fashioned” style to the original building which has some fine architectural features. Additional buildings have been constructed over the years and the school is well-resourced and well-maintained.

Scoresby site: this was formerly a middle school, Caedmon School, built in the 1960s. Caedmon School merged with Whitby Community College in 2014 to become Caedmon College. In September 2019, after some refurbishments, the KS4 part of Caedmon College was moved to Scoresby site and rebranded as Whitby Sixth Form. Whitby Sixth Form, on Scoresby site, has a very different feel as an environment where students can prepare for learning at institutions of further education. This site also has potential for further development.

As part of the extended curriculum and part of transition, all Year 7 students take part in a night away camping in the North York Moors. The Whitby Secondary Partnership is the leading provider of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme in the north of England and very good numbers of students from both schools take part in the scheme. In addition, there are regular battlefields trips run by the History department, a bi-annual ski trip, and many smaller trips and visits which make use of the wealth of educational opportunities in the surrounding area. There is a strong PE department which offers a variety of different sports that students can get involved in and the College’s equestrian team is very successful.

Ofsted Recognises – “A wide range of before and after-school activities, visits out of, and visitors to, school enrich the curriculum well. Such experiences add to pupils’ enjoyment of school, broaden their horizons and raise their expectations.” – Eskdale Ofsted 2017

Both schools have similar curricula with a wide range of subjects on offer. However, we are looking to improve these offers through federation working.

Whitby Sixth Form

Whitby Sixth Form currently has around 200 students and has been growing year-on-year since moving to Scoresby site in 2019. We offer a range of A Level and Btec courses, as well as courses for foundation learners. We are keen to expand our offer to meet the needs and wishes of our students and the local community.

Our students progress to a wide range of settings, including four students securing places at Oxbridge last summer. Pastoral care is a strength of the Sixth Form with student feedback suggesting that they are happy and secure in their learning.

Our Pupils:

Pupils in both schools are welcoming, well-mannered and hard-working. Staff at both schools put a strong focus on pastoral support and work hard to enhance the learning opportunities for all students.

Behavioural issues are minor and managed well, with regular contact made to parents to ensure that the proper support is in place. Our students work well in lessons, but require more support in building resilience, especially since the COVID pandemic.

Caedmon runs the Whitby area Alternative Provision on Normanby site, to which Eskdale pupils also have access.

Ofsted Recognises – “They behave well and speak highly of the support and care provided by staff. The vast majority of parents are also highly positive about the safety, care and education their children receive” – Eskdale Ofsted 2017

Ofsted Recognises – “Pupils are well mannered and polite. They are happy to speak to visitors and hold open doors willingly. Pupils are keen to do well and value their education” – Caedmon College Ofsted 2017

Our staff are our greatest resource. They are incredibly committed, loyal and dedicated, and always have the best interest of the children and young people at heart. They are determined to find something at which every child can shine. Staff get to know the students in the schools very well and use this knowledge to personalise opportunities for learning.

Class teachers lead their support team through shared goals, working in close partnership with parents and carers, Governors and the local community, to provide an excellent, individual educational experience for all. Inter-staff relationships between the schools are positive and developing well and staff recognise their shared purposes and goals.

Eskdale School

Currently operates a 4-tiered leadership structure within the school:

Current Staff Structure:

• Headteacher
• Deputy Headteacher
• x3 Assistant Headteachers
• Middle leadership team
• Pastoral team consisting of 5 Heads of Year from Yr7-11
• SENCo and team of 8 teaching assistants

All departments employ specialists within their areas and teaching time is prioritised on using these specialities. There are good staff relationships across the school, although some staff have struggled to adapt to the changes resulting from extending the age-range of the school to include Keystage 4.

Well-being is an important part of the school’s ethos and priorities and we have appointed a well-being team to offer support staff and students. We have also adapted and modified workloads to minimise issues around stress as far as possible.

Ofsted Recognises – “Senior and middle leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas that need further work. Priorities for improvement are clearly identified in plans and acted upon. For example, provision for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities has been a recent priority” - Eskdale Ofsted 2017

Caedmon College

There are positive staff relationships, and a well-being group is working to ensure that, where possible, workload and stress levels are kept at as reasonable a level as possible. Significant numbers of staff send (or have sent) their own children to Caedmon College.

Caedmon College is fully staffed with specialist teachers in every department:

Current Structure - 5-person Senior Team

• College Principal
• x5 Assistant Principals and Associate Assistant Heads
• Directors of Learning of English, Maths, Science, Humanities and PE, as well as Heads of Department
• Directors of Learning for KS3, 4 and 5
• 52 members of teaching staff and 49 support staff.
• Each year group (7 to 11) has 5 form groups
• SENCo heads up a team of 8 Teaching Assistants with a dedicated base (8 students with an EHCP, 6 of whom are in the sixth form)

Ofsted Recognises – “Teachers and students have excellent relationships, which leads to a good atmosphere for learning” – Caedmon College Ofsted 2017

Current Federation structures: a Business and Resources Manager role has been created and IT, Careers and Site staff are now working across all the sites in the Federation under the lead of the Business and Resources Manager.

New Federation Structure (from September 2022)

• Executive Headteacher
• Two Heads of School
• 4 Assistant Heads (including Head of Sixth Form) - Caedmon College
• 4 Assistant Heads - Eskdale School
• Business and Resources Manager (federation)

Our federation has an experienced Board of Governors that meets monthly as a full board. The Chair of Governors meets on a fortnightly  basis with the individual Heads and jointly once a month.

The Governing Body considers that an open relationship and high level of collaboration between Governors and the Executive Headteacher are essential to the success of the federation.

Governors understand that their role is to support, challenge and act as the ‘critical friend’ to support the federation leaders. They have Link Governor roles and visit the schools in relation to specific issues and objectives. They also attend key school events.

Ofsted Recognises – “Governors are committed to self-improvement to ensure that they are effective in supporting and challenging leaders in their work to move the school forward” – Eskdale Ofsted 2017

Ofsted Recognises – “Governors ensure that performance management arrangements are effective and contribute to whole-school improvement. Governors review salary progressions, ensuring that a rigorous approach leads to high standards and progression only when merited” – Caedmon College Ofsted 2017

Eskdale School

Visitors to Eskdale note the calm, purposeful and supportive environment. We value every child as an individual and understand the importance of ensuring students are as happy and settled in school as they can be. We understand that this is essential for successful learning.

The school has recently reworked its values and these are now stated as:

BRIDGE values, Belonging, Restorative, Inspiration, Dignity, Generosity, Engagement

Belonging: Our Community, is our strength. Our pupils and staff are all integral to instilling our key principles (‘The Eskdale Spirit’) and once you enter the school, you are an ‘Eskdalian’ for life. The integration of students, through the pastoral and house system, underpins all that we do. Most importantly, we care for others’ happiness and speak up if we see injustice or prejudice. Our staff and pupils feel part of something bigger than themselves, not just during their time at school, but for the rest of their lives. We all feel valued and therefore fortunate to be a member of the school

Restorative: We nurture those in our community to develop and apply good moral values of fairness and restorative justice. We aim to have consistency in our actions focused on treating each other fairly. We use restorative conversations to build and develop a strong foundation of trust across the school. Most importantly our community is defined by the respect we show one another

Inspiration: Our community strive to be intellectually curious across a breadth of academic and extra-curricular strands. Our aim is for pupils to be multi-dimensional, to seek out opportunities for growth, and to develop a set of transferable skills fit for the global marketplace. We will prepare young minds to embrace new challenges as they present themselves.​

Dignity: We recognise that we have a moral obligation to serve, support and treat others with dignity. We will seek out opportunities to improve and enrich the community and lives of others, with an altruistic and selfless outlook towards others that. We will use our circumstances to aid others with charity and compassion in the wider community of Whitby.​

Generosity: Being part of our community means caring for others’ and creating happiness for one another. This generosity of spirit will develop high level emotional intelligence within our pupils. We will treat others with a kind heart and greater understanding.​

Engagement: We take pleasure in everything we do for our community with a sense of fun and enjoyment (joie de vivre). Through striving to be the best version of ourselves, by engaging in our education, we aim to enjoy our lives and make ourselves and those around us happy and proud​

Caedmon College

The College strives for continuous improvement, aiming to bring leading edge teaching and learning to one of the most beautiful and historic places in the country.

• Our mission: ‘To be the best we can be’

Our aims: to enable our students to develop a real passion for 21st Century learning and work, through engaging in teaching and learning in a safe environment. We will facilitate learning which our students and community value and which brings out the best in them. We will motivate students to succeed both now, and in the future, allowing them to achieve their best. To do this, we will offer the best possible opportunities for personal development and optimism for adult life.

• This is what we believe in: Excellence, Friendship, and Respect.

All members of the College community have a duty to develop themselves and to encourage others in our core values

More specifically this means:

Excellence is giving your best. It is not only about being your best but also about participating, making progress against personal goals, striving to be and to do our best in our daily lives and benefiting from the healthy combination of a strong body, mind and will. A resilient, growth mindset is essential and adopting a healthy lifestyle is important and expected.

Friendship encourages us to develop mutual understanding among individuals and people from all over the world. We will develop empathy and inspire humanity to overcome political, economic, gender, racial or religious differences and forge friendships in spite of those differences.

Respect incorporates respect for yourself, for others, for the rules and regulations of our society and the environment. Respect also stands for fairness and for the fight against unethical behaviour; being a good citizen.

• These values will be developed by using them overtly to remind ourselves of how we would like to be and providing a focus for all our aspirations.
• Students have a duty to apply themselves to their learning and personal development, making best use of all the support and opportunities available to them; high expectations and effort is paramount for lifelong learning. Involvement in College life using their voice will be expected from all.
• The College staff and governors have a duty to create the conditions for safe, successful learning and personal development, meeting to the best of their ability the needs of the full range of learners equally, using all available resources as effectively as possible and safeguarding the students. Consistency and fairness are developed through our ‘House Style’.
• Parents have a duty to work with the College to support the successful learning of their sons and daughters, through challenge and encouragement.

Ofsted Inspection – Both Schools Rated Good

Ofsted Recognises –”Leaders have prioritised the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. Actions being taken are having the desired effect on pupils’ learning and in ensuring the additional funding for these pupils is used effectively. While differences between their achievements and those of other pupils exist in a few subjects, the differences are diminishing successfully and are insignificant in subjects like mathematics, science and art for the current Year 8.“– Eskdale Ofsted 2017

Ofsted Recognises –“Arrangements to manage staff performance are effective. Reviews of learning, pupils’ assessments and individual staff targets inform the next steps staff need to take to meet their pupils’ needs and develop their skills further. Training of staff is regular and targeted to meet their professional needs and the school’s current priorities. Teachers new to the profession value the support and advice provided. Staff are highly positive about the improvements made to the school, the more rigorous way they are held to account and the support they receive for their professional development.“– Eskdale Ofsted 2017

Ofsted Recognises –“Senior leaders rigorously hold middle leaders to account for performance in their subject areas, through regular meetings and the recent introduction of departmental reviews. This means that all staff have a greater awareness of pupils’ performance and teachers carry out interventions sooner to ensure that all pupils make good progress.“– Caedmon College Ofsted 2017

Ofsted Recognises –“ Leaders have taken action to improve attendance. While attendance remains below the national average for some groups of pupils, the impact of leaders’ actions is resulting in an improving picture, despite a high number of holidays taken in the first term of the academic year. Leaders need to do further work to ensure that the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities improves more rapidly. “ – Caedmon College Ofsted 2017

Current levels of pupil achievement, attainment and progress:

Eskdale School

Eskdale school moved from a middle school to secondary status in September 2017 and the school ran its first GCSE exams in summer 2018. Since then, the results have been positive against the National Average, from 2019 P8 -0.17 up to 2021 P8 +0.2.

The impact of Covid has been significant, however leadership at all levels has been focused on developing the results further with innovative ideas and plans. In particular, a drive on numeracy and literacy has been a key driver in narrowing all gaps across the school.

Caedmon College

In the last set of external exams in 2019, Caedmon was continuing an upward 3-year trajectory, particularly in regard to student progress. In 2017 Progress 8 was at -0.29 and had risen to +0.04 in 2019.

Last summer’s TAG process showed a further rise, when comparing grades with 2019, and the school is working hard with its current exam groups to overcome the gaps in learning caused by Covid. This includes the use of catch-up funding in order to develop students’ literacy and numeracy ability.

Current School Strengths

The Whitby Secondary Partnership, and the increasing collaboration between the two schools in terms of teaching and learning, curriculum, safeguarding and support staff teams, is developing a stronger, more sustainable model of secondary education for the community of Whitby.

Caedmon College - current strengths

• The school has established a curriculum offer that allows all students the opportunity to pursue a range of academic and vocational courses at KS4 and KS5, maintaining the breadth and balance of the KS3 curriculum, and departments have worked hard to ensure that their curriculum intent is clear and underpins what is taught in the classroom.
• Many students develop sporting and cultural interests as part of the school’s extra-curricular programme.
• Safeguarding is taken seriously by the school and is very effective through the coordination and leadership of the DSL.
• The school is popular in the local community and has recruited well in the last three years, with sixth form numbers also rising.
• The disappointing GCSE outcomes in 2017 were improved upon in 2018 through a range of targeted interventions, and this work was built upon in 2019, leading to further improved outcomes in 2020 and 2021.
• Post 16 outcomes, which were disappointing in 2018, have improved in both 2019 and 2020. Strong leadership in this area is leading to rising levels of attainment and sixth form students making better progress

Areas for improvement, main priorities of Caedmon’s School Improvement Plan:

• T&L: Attainment and progress for disadvantaged students and boys; attainment and progress in key subjects where performance needs improvement.
• Behaviour and attitudes: Low level disruption; develop Pivotal behaviour model; improve attendance; embed values and ensure consistency across all staff in relationships with students and setting high expectations; develop a reward culture
• Personal development: develop greater opportunities for student leadership and voice; quality assurance of PHSE and careers programme; develop breadth of extra-curricular provision
• Leadership and Management: Development of an extended leadership team; staff wellbeing; student and parent voice; ways in which governors hold school to account.
• Sixth Form: secure viability; improve outcomes; improve enrichment and wrap-around curriculum

Needs and expectations of pupils - Caedmon College:

Caedmon is made up largely of white, British students, most of whom have resided in the local area all their lives.

• Pupil Premium - 18%
• EAL students - 0.05% (4 students) and there are five languages spoken by our students
• SEND needs - 15% of which we have 18 students with EHCPs and 4 in the process of applying for one.

Eskdale School:

Eskdale School - current strengths

• Safeguarding is effective and is the school’s primary consideration. The combined efforts of the federation have ensured that students are kept safe and supported effectively.
• Students are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular events. PP funding is used to help students who find financial constraints stop them from engaging.
• The school has a good relationship with the community and parents who have a number of effective channels for communication with the school.
• The school has a good track record of strong attainment and progress
• Pastoral care is a strength within school and is a central focus of the school’s development plan. The school has invested a lot in this over the years.
• Eskdale progression to Whitby Sixth Form has improved significantly year-on-year

Areas for improvement, main priorities of Eskdale’s School Improvement Plan:

• T&L: English and Maths match up; classroom challenge; progress of disadvantaged pupils; Middle leaders; curriculum.

Attendance – is below national expectation due to the complexities of the pandemic. Employment of an attendance officer.

• Behaviour and attitudes: Low level disruption; restorative practice model; consistency of staff in relationships with students and setting high expectations
• Personal development: implement wellbeing plan; wellbeing ambassadors; work on PSHE/careers programme; student and parent voice; breadth of extra-curricular provision
• Leadership and Management: CPD on strategic leadership for SLT; develop extended leadership team; development of federation working group; professional standards and conduct; communication with all stakeholders
• Sixth Form: strengthen pathways/uptake of Eskdale students into Whitby Sixth Form; improve outcomes; enrichment and wrap-around curriculum

Needs  and expectations of pupils - Eskdale School:

Eskdale is made up largely of white, British students, most of whom have resided in the local area all their lives.

• Free School Meals - 18%
• Pupil Premium - 25.1%
• SEND needs - 23%
• EAL students – 1.32%

Federation: areas for improvement (both School Improvement Plans)

• Clear areas for collaboration between SLTs of both schools identified and plans for development opportunities for alignment of two schools’ systems and structures identified
• develop joint approaches to T&L, B&A as appropriate
• identify opportunities for savings and economies of scale for both schools
• explore the curriculum benefits of closer collaboration, in particular in relation to the breadth of curriculum offered at both schools.

Future strategic considerations:

• Budgetary constraints mean that the federation would not be able to academise at present. The Governors and school leaders are not minded to join an academy, but recognise the need to explore this option.
• Likewise, there is an on-going debate within the schools and community as to whether the two schools should merge.
• The development of the federation and the strengthening of education across the board is a priority
• Falling rolls in both schools and the need to stabilise and strengthen the resourcing of the federation.
• The need to uphold the Federation Governing Body’s commitment to respect the wishes of the local community and maintain the individuality of both schools
• The ambition to develop Scoresby site as a hub for the local community, possibly with an adult educational offer and activities which contribute financially to and support the retention of a third site.

Budgetary position:

Budget - Eskdale School

Eskdale School’s budget is generally healthy with a large carry forward from 2020/21.

A falling secondary school demographic across the Whitby area will necessitate careful budget planning for the medium term.

Budget - Caedmon College

As a result of a significant loss of income, Caedmon College has been working to eliminate a very significant budget deficit.

Reductions in spending and improved recruitment to Year 7 has seen the school achieve a positive in-year budget position, with the overall deficit forecast to be removed by 2024. Due to these circumstances, the school works very closely with the Local Authority around both revenue and expenditure, in order that this positive progress is maintained.

Relationship with NYCC

Both schools buy into the majority of NYCC services including:

• Ongoing support plan from SEA in the form of visits to school and progress reviews with the HTs
• Ongoing support to the bursar and business manager from an LA Finance Officer; ongoing support from an LA Health and Safety Officer
• Audits/reviews of Safeguarding, Pupil Premium as requested by/agreed with the HTs.
• Ongoing support from NYHR

Relationship with Parents/Carers and the wider community

Both schools enjoy good relationships with the wider community. They work particularly closely with their feeder primary schools and there is a well-developed Year 6 into 7 transition programme, which includes several days of transition activities in July each year. One of the Heads sits on the Local Authority’s Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Locality Board and therefore has a say in funding decisions made for this area; this has also been a good mechanism for developing relationships with other schools in the wider area.

Through the work of the Careers Lead, the schools enjoy good relationships with the local business community, and there is the potential for an exciting new relationship with Anglo-American which has recently established itself as the largest company in the area.

Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the schools and both are schools are continuing to develop these relationships in order to make more use of the positive parent voice in the community.

Other relationships

The federation is fortunate to be part of the DfE North Yorkshire Coast Opportunity Area (COA) Coastal Opportunity Area which is now in its fourth year.

The COA supports ambition and outcomes on social mobility across Scarborough, Whitby and Filey with projects focusing on early years, phonics, literacy, attendance and teacher recruitment and development. The two schools have worked closely with the COA and have benefited from funding for a variety of projects, including attendance and disadvantaged support amongst others. More information on the OA can be found here.

Whitby

Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Cliff is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey, where Cædmon, the earliest recognised English poet, lived.

The fishing port emerged during the Middle Ages,  supporting  important herring and whaling fleets,^[2][3] and was where Captain Cook learned seamanship. Tourism started in Whitby during the Georgian period and developed with the arrival of the railway in 1839. Its attraction as a tourist destination is enhanced by the proximity of the high ground of the North York Moors national park and the heritage coastline and by association with the horror novel Dracula. Jet and alum were mined locally, and Whitby jet, which was mined by the Romans and Victorians, became fashionable during the 19th century.

The abbey ruin at the top of the East Cliff is the town's oldest and most prominent landmark. Other significant features include the swing bridge, which crosses the River Esk and the harbour, which is sheltered by the grade II listed East and West piers. The town's maritime heritage is commemorated by statues of Captain Cook and William Scoresby, as well as the whalebone arch that sits at the top of the West Cliff. The town also has a strong literary tradition and has featured in literary works, television and cinema, most famously in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula – Discover More

Yorkshire Coast

The Yorkshire Coast is a world-famous stretch of coastline that runs from the Tees estuary to the Humber estuary on the east coast of England. The coastline between the two estuaries was historically made up of the East and North Ridings of Yorkshire. Since the 1974 county boundary shake-up, this now comprises Redcar & Cleveland, North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

The North York Moors National Park extends up to the coastline and traverses 26 miles (42 km) of the coast between Boulby and Cloughton, taking in the historic fishing villages of Staithes, Runswick Bay and Robin Hood's Bay.

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is England's largest county and one of the most rural. The area comprises the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a stunning coastline around Scarborough and Whitby. There are ruined castles and abbeys, serene gardens, unique breweries, thrilling rides and industrial heritage. The area hosted the phenomenal Tour de France ‘Grand Depart’ in 2014 and has since created the Tour de Yorkshire, an annual event with global recognition. Our success in supporting these events led to Harrogate hosting the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2019.

North Yorkshire has plenty to offer the outdoor enthusiast. From the hard gritstone of Almscliff and Brimham rocks to the limestone of Malham, Gordale and Kilnsey climbing venues are in abundance. The Yorkshire Dales is the premier area for caving and for mountain biking; there are the bridleways of the Dales and North York Moors as well as the renowned trail centre at Dalby Forest. There are a small number of sailing clubs on reservoirs around the county and fantastic surfsport venues and sea kayaking on the east coast.

While the county is rightly known for its wide-open spaces, it also incorporates attractive market towns including Pickering and Helmsley, traditional seaside towns such as Whitby and Scarborough, the Spa town of Harrogate and the ancient city of York - the most visited city outside of London. There are a wide range of shopping, leisure and cultural facilities as well as excellent schools, universities, road and rail links, there really is everything to offer you and your family as a place to work, live and enjoy!

Travelling further afield we have convenient connectivity, with close proximity to metropolitan cities of Leeds and Newcastle and with a little over two hours commute on the main train line to London. We border the Lake District, Lancashire, County Durham, and Yorkshire & Humber regions with all they have to offer.