Schools at risk will undergo a second round of consultation.

Four primary schools in North Tyneside that are facing potential closures or mergers will now undergo a second round of public consultation. The local council has outlined plans for Hazlewood Community Primary School to merge with Greenfields Community Primary, while Monkseaton Middle School is proposed for closure, along with Langley First School being closed and merged with another institution.

The Labour-led council previously highlighted that these schools have unsustainable numbers of surplus places, a situation expected to worsen due to declining birth rates.

Campaigns have been active in search of alternative solutions. Parent and campaigner Laura Stokoe expressed that the communitys commitment to keeping Hazlewood open remains strong. The school leadership also emphasized that, despite the challenges, they remain confident in the value Hazlewood provides educationally, socially, and pastorally to the local families.

Earlier proposals for Monkseaton Middle and Langley First were temporarily paused to explore options such as school expansion or academisation. However, the initial consultation, which ran for six weeks and concluded in November, did not present feasible alternatives for Hazlewood or Ivy Road schools.

The current plan suggests Hazlewood would close on 31 August 2028, merging with Greenfields Primary. The council cited structural issues, including "weak and brittle" concrete at Hazlewood, and projected a deficit of 230,000 by 2028. Additionally, Ivy Road School is proposed to close on 31 August, with Forest Hall School relocating to the Ivy Road site to complete a merger by September. Ivy Road is already under an academisation order following an "Inadequate" Ofsted rating in February 2024 and faces a predicted deficit of over 600,000, while Forest Hall has around a third of its places vacant.

Funding for schools is primarily determined by pupil numbers through the Department for Education. This consultation marks the second recent review of the future of North Tyneside schools.

Residents can submit feedback on the Hazlewood-Greenfields merger and the Ivy Road-Forest Hall proposals until 17:00 GMT on 1 January. North Tyneside Councils cabinet will make the final decision on 12 January, determining whether the closures and mergers will proceed.

Julie Firth, the council's director of childrens services, stated: "We aim to provide clear guidance on how these changes could be implemented and the support available to pupils and families. We recognize this is a difficult period and want to ensure everyones input is considered."

Author: Olivia Parker