Multiple schools in North Tyneside could close because of a drop in pupils
It could affect around 1500 students and result in job losses
Multiple schools in North Tyneside could close under radical plans due to falling pupil numbers.
Education in the borough is facing its biggest shake-up in decades which could affect around 1,500 students.
North Tyneside Council has launched a consultation about shutting Monkseaton Middle School, with pupil numbers dropping from 333 in 2016/17 to just 205 in 2025/26.
There are also plans to merge six primary schools into three due to significant vacancies in classrooms. This would see the integration of Langley First School and Apple Tree Gardens First School, Forest Hall Primary School and Ivy Road Primary, and Greenfields Community Primary School and Hazlewood Primary School.
In all, the council is proposing the closure of three school buildings, with one being repurposed. Job losses are expected as a result of the proposals, though exact numbers are not known at this stage and will be the responsibility of school bosses.
The council said that falling birth rates, equivalent to 300 fewer every year since 2018/19, is among the reasons why classrooms are left unfilled. Greenfields Community Primary School has the largest number of vacancies, operating at just 39% with 206 pupils when the site has capacity to house up to 525 students.
Further detail on the school shake-up in North Tyneside is below:
Monkseaton Middle School
It is proposed that Monkseaton Middle School is closed. Council figures state that only 11% of middle school aged pupils (Years 5 to 8) in the catchment area of that school are attending it. In 2016/17 the school had a total of 333 pupils but this has since declined to 205 in 2025/26.
Langley First School and Apple Tree Gardens
It is proposed that Langley will merge with Apple Tree, with the Apple Tree site being used to accommodate both sets of pupils. There are currently 271 pupils at Langley, but this has fallen since 2016/2017 from 301. Pupil numbers for Apple Tree dropped from 292 to 257 in the same time period.
It is hoped that the Langley site can be absorbed by Woodlawn School, a nearby special educational school.
Forest Hall Primary and Ivy Road Primary
It is proposed that Ivy Road Primary is closed and merged with Forest Hall Primary. However, Forest Hall pupils will move to the Ivy Road site, and the site will be re-named Forest Hall Primary. Surplus places at both those schools sit between 35-37%.
Ivy Road is also subject to an academy order after being judged inadequate by Ofsted. In addition, only one in four kids within the catchment area of these schools are attending these two specific schools.
According to projected models, pupil numbers are expected to fall at Ivy Primary to just 92 by 2034/35. Forrest Hall has seen a drop from 181 in 2016/17 to 143 now.
Greenfields Primary and Hazlewood Primary
It is proposed to merge these two schools. The Greenfields site will be used to accommodate both sets of pupils and Hazlewood could meet closure. Greenfields currently has a capacity of 525 but only 206 pupils attend and Hazlewood has a capacity of 308 with only 256 children on the books.
The Hazlewood campus has been blighted by weak and brittle concrete which has required the installation of a modular unit on site. The council has estimated the cost to rebuild the school at ÂŁ7m but would require significant government funding in order to achieve this.
Despite lobbying efforts, long term funding for the school has not been achieved.
A consultation has been launched today on the planned closures and mergers which will run until November 13. In addition to the financial pressures and birth rates faced by the schools, the council took into consideration the size and condition of the buildings. Possible mergers also took into consideration local geography, including ensuring dual carriageways were not separating two schools.
A January 2025 census found 26,700 pupils from reception to year 11 in North Tyneside. By September 2034 population projections suggest it will be around 23,800. The council said because funding was calculated per pupil, these numbers affected resources available for teaching.
Currently, 51 out of 57 council schools in North Tyneside have set a deficit budget – meaning they are spending more than they will be receiving – with many using surplus funds to balance the books. In addition, it is not anticipated that mass ongoing housing developments in the borough would boost pupil numbers, with every hundred houses bringing in only 32 pupils.