INFORMATION FOR PROPOSALS FOR PRESCRIBED ALTERATIONS

Withernsea High School Proposal for change of defined age range

Introduction

Every school has a defined age range for the pupils it can have on its’ roll. is a local authority maintained school currently and has a defined age range of 11-18 years. This proposal seeks to consult on the change of this defined age range to 11-16 years, with effect from 1st September 2021.

In making such a change, the local authority is required to follow the government’s statutory process for prescribed alterations, including the issue of a public notice.

School and Local Authority details

The proposal is published by Council, Cross Street, County Hall, Beverley, HU17 9BA.

The school to which the proposal relates is a community school, Withernsea High School, Hull Road, Withernsea, HU19 2EG.

Description of the proposed change

This proposal seeks to enable Withernsea High School to withdraw Post-16 provision by reducing the age range from 11-18 years to 11-16 years. This is because pupils completing Year 11 studies at Withernsea High School are already choosing to attend other providers and the school cannot compete with those other providers. A significant majority of pupils have chosen to study their Post-16 courses in other institutions both in the East Riding and in Hull over the last five years. This has led to the school only being able to offer a narrow and limited curriculum. There is a very low level of interest from 11-16-year-old pupils at Withernsea High School to remain at the school after they are 16 and progress into the schools’ sixth form.

After a process of review and evaluation, the school’s governing body have concluded that a sustainable sixth form cannot continue to be supported. The school has requested that the local authority initiate a formal consultation on the proposal to change the age range of the school from 11-18 to 11-16.

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Post-16 pupils already choose to access high quality provision from a range of providers across the East Riding and Hull. A broader choice at age 16 enables broader choices at age 18 both in terms of further/higher study and employment. Very small class sizes, as seen previously at Withernsea High School, can limit peer challenge, discussion and debate. The sixth form at Withernsea High School is competing for pupils with other providers some of whom are judged by Ofsted to be outstanding.

To support positive transitions Post-16, a high-quality careers programme from years 8 to 11 involving a range of external Post-16 and Post-18 education and training providers takes place. Pupils use the Hull and East Riding web based portal >log on | move on> to make applications to their providers of choice. The range of providers and their subject choices are listed on >log on | move on>, supportive information for pupils also includes financial and transport information.

If the proposal is approved, pupils would continue to access high quality, sustainable Post-16 provision from other providers which would support their life journey aspirations, enabling them to broaden their opportunities and open up life chances perhaps not previously considered and otherwise available to them.

Implementation timeframe

The proposed change to the school’s age range, would take effect from 1 September 2021. This would mean that the school will not admit pupils into Year 12 (sixth form), when the autumn term starts on 6 September 2021.

Project costs

There are no capital costs associated with this proposal.

Implications for staffing

As the school has not admitted pupils into Year 12 for nearly two academic years, there are not expected to be any staffing implications as a result of this proposal. As pupil numbers have reduced, the school has already adjusted its staffing accordingly to mirror the already low level of demand. The school have confirmed that the withdrawal of Post-16 provision at the school would not lead to any associated staffing redundancies.

School capacity

The current capacity of the school is 1,267 pupils. As it is not intended to remove any buildings at Withernsea High School, the net capacity of the school will not be affected by the proposed age range change. The change of age range to 11-16 would enable the school to be more flexible with their buildings to better meet the needs of existing and future pupils in the 11-16 age range. It would also enable the school to anticipate an increase in pupil numbers from Year 7 -11 inclusive in order to, for example, reflect local demographic changes should they arise.

Number of pupils on roll

At the time of publishing this proposal, there were 737 pupils on roll at Withernsea High School. The following chart shows the distribution of these pupils across all year groups.

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200

180 173

160 150 143 140 130 125 120

100

80

60

40 16 20 0 0 Students on roll in the 2020-21 school year Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12* Year 13**

*as the school did not take any pupils into Year 12 in September 2020 **due to leave the school in July 2021

The number of pupils attending the school in Years 7 to 11 is relatively stable, with at present an average of 144 pupils on roll in each of these year groups against 150 available places. These cohort sizes have not historically been reflected in the numbers of pupils choosing to remain at the school for their Post-16 studies and therefore taking up places in the school in Years 12 and 13.

Post-16 Provision at Withernsea High School since 2015

Student numbers in Years 12 and 13 at Withernsea High School have been low for a number of years and, as the number of pupils has declined, the breadth of subjects that the school has been able to provide at Post-16 has reduced. The breadth and quality of Post-16 education and training opportunities on offer from other local Post-16 providers has made this a highly competitive market. Withernsea High School has therefore seen a reduction in the numbers of pupils choosing to stay at the school for their Post-16 studies that has, in turn, reduced the subject choice. A broader choice at 16 enables broader choice at 18 both in terms of further/higher study and employment thereby increasing rather than limiting options for Withernsea High School pupils in later life. Unlike some other schools, Withernsea High School is not a net importer of pupils from other schools who join for their Post-16 studies having experienced their secondary education in another local school. Withernsea High School is traditionally a net exporter of students meaning students move on at the end of Year 11 into other schools and settings.

The table below shows the subjects offered at Withernsea High School and the number of pupils enrolled by subject as at 10 September in each of the last five academic years in which there was a Year 12 intake. The table is separated into those Post-16 courses that are academic in the top half of the table and those vocational courses in the lower half. Not all vocational subjects can be delivered in a school setting as they require specialist equipment and industry knowledge.

The colour scale in the attached table, and in the total number of pupils enrolled in the final row of the table, shows the decline in subjects studied (from green to red), over a number of academic

Withernsea High School - Proposal for change of defined age range, Page 3 of 9 years. It also shows where the school offered new subjects and discontinued other subjects as a result of low demand. Such changes were necessary both for staffing changes and curriculum decisions, both of which are more volatile in a small school particularly as numbers decrease. This chart shows the subjects taken up by pupils not the full range of subjects offered, the number taken up is less than those offered.

Number of students enrolled by subject at 10th September Subject offered 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 Art 4 11 3 7 Biology 23 6 7 6 5 Chemistry 12 7 6 3 7 English 6 4 8 3 Film Studies 4 4 1 Geography 13 13 3 2 History 19 17 4 0 Maths 20 10 8 11 7 Media studies 7 Physics 12 7 2 3 Psychology 12 12

Business studies 12 0 Dance 5 4 5 1 Engineering 3 9 4 2 9 Double engineering 9 Hair & beauty 7 9 4 4 IT 8 10 7 1 Music 6 4 3 2 Sport 10 15 10 9 10 Double sport 7 15 6 2 6 Triple sport 5

Number starting Year 12 59 43 30 24 23

Key to the chart above – the subjects are coloured according to their popularity across several academic years. Subjects with high levels of relative interest are coloured towards the green end of the scale, with those subjects/years in which very low levels of pupils selected this subject coloured red.

The school has not admitted pupils into Year 12 for the last two academic years due to exceptionally low take-up. The last Year 12 cohort which started in September 2019 was comprised of just 22 pupils. This same cohort had reduced to just 16 pupils by September 2020 when starting Year 13 with some pupils choosing to attend other education and training providers.

On reviewing the likely destinations of the 2020-21 Year 11 cohort, the governing body and head teacher have decided that again, it would not be possible to offer a broad, high quality curriculum that can compete with other providers for pupils. The school has a legal duty to ensure pupils have access to information about all local providers from Year 8, giving pupils the ability to choose which provider they wish to study at. For Post-16 from September 2021 therefore the school do not intend to enrol any student into Year 12. This means in the 2021-22 academic year there will be no pupils of sixth form age at the school. It is in these circumstances that the formal closure of the school’s sixth form and change of age range for Withernsea High School is being fully considered.

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Consideration of the sustainability of Post-16 provision since 2016 Since at least 2016, school leaders and the governing body have been investigating the continued viability sustainability and quality of their Post-16 offer, including educationally, financially and in terms of staffing levels and capacity. Governors met in early 2019 to consider what alternatives there may be to a closure of the sixth form, this included the consideration of an increased number of vocational pathways. It was calculated that in order to make the sixth form viable it required at least 87 pupils to be on roll in Years 12 and 13, a minimum of at least 43 pupils in each year group. Whilst the school has seen this as the minimum number, research by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) suggests that 250 pupils is the minimum efficient number to offer high quality education at current funding levels. Withernsea High School has operated for a number of years with pupil numbers much less than the national minimum number as they have been keen to support the provision of local Post-16 learning offer for the local community for as long as possible, subsidising the cost of this provision to ensure pupil needs were met. This is no longer a financially viable option.

In early 2019, an extraordinary meeting of the governing body took place to consider the intended destinations of Year 11 pupils for the following Year 12 intake and more generally to discuss sixth form provision at the school. During this meeting the headteacher advised governors that 75% of Year 11 pupils left the school to attend 16-18 provision at other institutions, and reiterated that in order for the sixth form to be viable it required at least 87 pupils.

In January 2019, only 28 Year 11 pupils had expressed an interest for a place in Year 12 for the 2019-20 academic year. Expressions of interest do not always translate into confirmed pupils on roll in Year 12 as pupils will apply to more than one provider and the number of pupils continuing from Year 12 into Year 13 traditionally reduces.

22 pupils started Year 12 in September 2019 and of these only 16 pupils remained on roll in September 2020 and progressed into Year 13. This is a reduction of over 40% since expressions of interest were received in Year 11.

A governors’ steering group was formed in spring 2019 which discussed a range of options for their Post-16 provision which included, for example, offering a different range of subjects. New courses were discussed and although there was some enthusiasm from staff, there was little appetite for these courses from potential pupils.

Governors considered the educational outcomes of pupils and what provision could be offered for those pupils at both Withernsea High School and at other providers in the locality. Governors noted that many local residents chose to attend these alternative providers and that these providers were able to offer course options that were not only more sustainable but could also offer a wider range of pathways than the school could hope to provide with low student numbers.

With such low numbers of pupils entering Year 12 in the 2019-20 academic year, the school was only able to provide a limited curriculum offer for Post-16 pupils. The school took the view that as these numbers did not meet the minimum viable numbers identified by governors in early 2019, the Withernsea sixth form provision was not sustainable from either an educational or financial perspective. Governors therefore decided that for September 2020, no new pupils should be enrolled into Year 12.

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Parents were informed of the governors’ decision and no formal responses were received by the school. The school held events with the community including a public meeting and a parents evening. The school facilitated all requests for individual meetings.

Destinations of Year 11 pupils since 2018

During Year 11, the majority of pupils have applied to other providers for both education and training. Withernsea High School’s Year 11 destination data shows a fall in the number of pupils choosing to attend a school sixth form in 2020, but a corresponding rise in the numbers of pupils choosing to attend a sixth form college. This would support the view that pupils are choosing to study at other Post-16 providers or employers. There has been no increase in the number of former Withernsea High School Year 11 pupils not in employment, education or training (NEET) aged 16-18 years.

Year 11 leavers - Withernsea High School by school year Destinations 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 Apprenticeship 9 7.8% 9 8.3% 8 7.1% FE College 34 29.6% 34 31.5% 30 26.8% Full Time Employment with regulated study <5 <5% <5 <5% NEET - Seeking employment or training <5 <5% <5 <5% School Sixth Form 22 19.1% 23 21.3% <5 <5% Sixth Form College 45 39.1% 38 35.2% 61 54.4% Temporary Employment <5 <5% Traineeship <5 <5% <5 <5% WBL - Study Programme <5 <5% Employed - no training <5 <5% Unknown <5 <5% P/T employment <5 <5% NEET - Not yet ready for learning or work <5 <5% NEET - Working not for reward <5 <5%

Participation Percentage 96.5% 97.2% 95.5%

Other local Post-16 providers Post-16 pupils from the Withernsea area can access a range of providers offering a broad range of academic and vocational subjects. The larger providers include Wyke Sixth Form College, Wilberforce Sixth Form College, , , and school sixth forms at Holderness and Hornsea School and Language College. There are also a range of specialist training providers. Some of the providers have received an outstanding judgement from Ofsted. All opportunities are listed on the >log on | move on> website which is maintained by the providers. A list of providers is included at Annex 1. Pupils will continue to be able to learn more about the providers and apply as part of the school careers programme.

Published Proposal - objections and comments

The Public Notice will be issued on 24 June 2021 in accordance with the School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013. The period for representations and objections will run from 23 June 2021 to 23 July 2021. After the closing date the proposal, along with all comments received, will be submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for determination.

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Objections or comments should be sent by email to [email protected] or by post to the School Organisation Officer, Pupil Services, East Riding of Yorkshire County Council, Cross Street, County Hall, Beverley, HU17 9BA.

This document has been distributed to key stakeholders including parents, staff, neighbouring schools and local Post-16 providers, local elected members, and the local MP.

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Annex 1 Alternative Post-16 providers

Public Transport Provider Name Provider Type Area Transport Provided* Airco Training Training Provider Hull Y Archbishop Sentamu Academy - East Hull Academy with 6th form Hull Y Aspire2work, Aspire-igen Ltd Training Provider Hull Y Automotive Academy Motor Trades GTA Hull Training Provider Hull Y Bishop Burton College College East Riding Y Y British Egg Academy (as above) College Hull Y Y Chamber Training (Humber) Limited Training Provider Hull Y City / Construction Works Hull Ltd Training Provider Hull Y East Riding Adult Education Training Provider Hull Y Y East Riding College College East Riding Y Y East Riding of Yorkshire Council Training Provider East Riding Y and Sixth Form College Academy with 6th form East Riding Y Hornsea School and Language College School with 6th form East Riding Hull College College Hull Y Y Hull Training and Adult Education Training Provider Hull Y Hull Trinity House Nautical College College Hull Y Humber Learning Consortium - Anlaby Road Training Provider Hull Y Humberside Engineering Training Association (HETA) Training Provider Hull Y HYA Training Limited - Hessle Road Training Provider Hull Y School with 6th form Hull Y JTL Training Provider Hull Motorvation Training Limited Training Provider Hull Y NSI (Northcott Supported Internships) School with 6th form Hull Y Orchard Training and Education Limited Training Provider Hull Y Quality Personal Development (QPD) Training Provider Hull Y RDS Academy CIC Training Provider Hull Y Sirius - The College@Sirius Academy with 6th form Hull Y St Anne's Community Special School Special School with 6th Form East Riding Y St Marys College School with 6th form Hull Y Wilberforce Sixth Form College College Hull Y Y and Sixth Form College Academy with 6th form East Riding Y Worklink - Cottingham Training Provider East Riding Y Wyke Sixth Form College College Hull Y Y

*others may offer transport

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Annex 2 > Log On | Move On >

>log on | move on > is a free, local, independent website for young people aged 13 to 18 to start to plan for your future career. There are many features to this site from logging your transferable skills to applying to a Post-16 and Post-18 providers.

Look through the Information and Inspiration pages to learn about the next steps and research information about the opportunities available to you in the future. The website also boasts a wealth of information and resources to help you make decisions on the next step to your chosen career You can view courses and training opportunities by searching the award winning prospectus, look at labour market information. The prospectus allows you to easily compare the courses and opportunities at sixth forms, college or training providers. Unlike other platforms, the local providers actively use this site to promote their opportunities ensuring the information is accurate and regularly updated and matches their own website.

Use >log on | move on> to make applications. Your account allows you to complete one application form and send it to multiple providers. There is no need to complete a separate form for each application you want to make. You can also track the progress of your applications. Access the employer endorsed employability skills passport to track and evidence your transferable skills, take a copy of your complete passport with you to interviews or use the content to prepare your personal statement for a great application. Create a CV from the information in your application and employment skills passport to support your education and training. Work your way through the elearning programmes on your learner account. Need help? Use the get in touch button on the home page and a member of the >log on | move on> team will be in touch during the working day.

If you are aged between 13 and 18 you will either be given an account in school or if outside a school setting you have the ability to create your own account using the self-registration function. Your account remains with you until the end of the academic year in which you become 18 and stays with you regardless of the provider or employer you attend Post-16.If you have an EHCP your account can remain with you for as long as you have an EHCP.

If you want to learn more about how to use the website please visit www.logonmoveon.co.uk

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