High Borrans Outdoor Education Centre set for closure amid mounting costs
High Borrans Outdoor Education Centre is ‘no longer financially viable’ and is set for closure, North Tyneside Council has confirmed.
North Tyneside Council, which owns the centre in Windermere, has stated that the facility will close in November 2026 due to mounting maintenance costs. The facility, in the council’s hands since the 1960s, requires a £3m investment at a time when the local authority, like councils nationwide, is experiencing financial pressures.
Recent attendance figures also indicate that the centre has been used by just 1,255 pupils from Years 5 to 8, out of a potential cohort of 9,300. The centre will close in November this year.
Rebecca Wall, director of children’s services at North Tyneside Council, said: “The council has taken the difficult decision to close High Borrans Outdoor Education Centre following a detailed review of its usage, costs and long-term sustainability. We know how valued the centre is and the important role it has played for many years.
“However, like councils across the country, we are facing significant financial pressures. The level of investment required to maintain and modernise the centre, alongside the ongoing subsidy needed to support each visit, means it is no longer financially viable.
“We recognise the impact this decision will have on our dedicated staff team and on schools with existing bookings. We are committed to working closely with them to provide support and ensure a carefully managed transition.”
Back in 2018, the Local Democracy Reporting Service recorded that local school bosses were urged to continue funding High Borrans during a review of North Tyneside Council’s school forum finances. At the time, the forum contributed £95,000 to subsidise school trips to the facility.
Contemporary figures indicated that without the subsidy, the average cost of a week-long school trip for a whole class could rise from £8,000 to £10,000. High Borrans started life as a summer sporting lodge for the Durning-Holts, a wealthy Liverpool shipping family, in the 1880s. Part of the original estate was sold to the Tynemouth Borough Council in 1967.