A petition and fundraiser setup to save a Whitley Bay school from closure
Six first and primary schools could close or merge in North Tyneside
More than 4,000 people have signed a petition calling for a Whitley Bay first school to remain open amid new proposals. Langley First School is one of six first and primary schools facing the possibility of closure and merger in North Tyneside.
The Save Langley First School petition on campaigning site 38Degrees has amassed 4,110 signatures, at time of publication, since its launch just three days ago. The petition calls for Langley First School to stay open after council proposals to close the school buildings and have it merge with the nearby Appletree Gardens First School.
The proposals, currently subject to a six-week public consultation, form just part of a wider council proposition to merge a further five primary schools and close Monkseaton Middle School. The move comes amid tumbling birth rates, both regionally and nationally, which equates to 300 fewer births a year in the area since 2018/19.
While Langley and Appletree are currently operating with a financial surplus, both schools are predicted to enter deficits by 2026 and 2028 respectively. However, it is also proposed that the Langley site be taken over by Woodlawn special school.
Katie Rochester, who has two children at Langley and co-chairs the Friends of Langley PTA, said:
“Closing schools needs to be a last resort after considering all alternative options. As yet, we are not satisfied that North Tyneside Council has provided us with enough evidence to back up these proposals.
“Our campaign is focused on uniting our community, whilst seeking to gather the evidence we believe to be lacking in the consultation documents.
“The support from our local community has been overwhelming but not surprising – we have an amazing community here, and we can’t thank them enough for the support we’ve received so far.
“We stand together to protect our children’s education. We stand together to protect our community.”
In an earlier statement, North Tyneside Council’s director of children’s service Julie Firth said:
“We deeply value the strong connections our communities have with their schools, and we recognise how unsettling this process will be for pupils, families, and staff.
“Despite efforts to address falling pupil numbers, we are now at a point where change is essential to ensure our school system remains sustainable.”
£7,458 has been donated so far via a GoFundMe page to mount a potential legal challenge over the council's plans.