Whitley Bay HS's admissions process criticised

WHITLEY Bay High School's admissions process has been criticised by a government body in the light of the closure of neighbouring Monkseaton High.

- AUSTEN SHAKESPEARE

A report from the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, sparked by an anonymous complaint, has found Whitley Bay High School (WBHS) must revise its admissions arrangements after they were branded "unfair" and in breach of the school admissions code.

The report was written in the midst of the closure of Monkseaton High School, which threw the future school of students, including the further education of Year 8 pupils, into doubt.

The report stated: "It seems clear... from the information shown in the table that, had all the parents of children living in the WBHS catchment area applied on time with a first preference, they would all have been offered a place.