Harrogate district school unable to find new teacher for five years

A Harrogate district school facing closure has found it impossible to recruit a single permanent teacher for five years, according to North Yorkshire Council.

The council has recommended consulting on whether to close Fountains Earth Church of England Primary School in Lofthouse, near Pateley Bridge, on March 31 next year.

Elected councillors will vote whether to accept the recommendation next week.

The council claims the decision is largely due to falling pupil numbers, and with no children remaining on the roll the decision appears a formality.

But villagers claim they have been let down by the council and the Upper Nidderdale Federation, which the school is part of, and say closure will rip the heart out of Lofthouse.

The federation also includes St Cuthbert’s in Pateley Bridge and Glasshouses Primary School. The three schools share one headteacher.

A report by council officers ahead of next week’s vote said “it has not been possible to recruit a permanent teacher” for the last five years.

It attributes this to the school’s remote location as well as difficulty finding someone capable of teaching a wide range of ages and abilities from reception pupils to year six.

The report adds:

“Staff retention has also proved difficult with a high turnover of staff over the last five years resulting in use of agency staff which comes with increased staffing costs.

“The school is just over six miles from Pateley Bridge at the top end of Nidderdale which, by virtue of the local road, can be a slow journey as part of a longer commute for staff.”

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The report added supply staff only need to give a day’s notice, which caused further disruption.

It said:

“Recruitment of the right people is a time-consuming activity which has required a substantial amount of the federation’s senior leadership team resource over the past few years.”

Rated ‘good’ at last Ofsted

Fountains Earth was rated ‘good’ at its most recent full Ofsted inspection in April 2017.

The school’s governing board recently approached the council to request consultation on a proposal to close the school after all pupils had transferred to other schools by the start of the current academic year in September.

Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, the council’s Conservative executive member for education, learning and skills, will decide whether to trigger a five-week consultation starting in November.

Cllr Wilkinson said:

“North Yorkshire maintains more small, rural schools than any other local authority in the country. Sadly, the reality is that many of our schools, particularly those in rural areas, are seeing pupil numbers reduce year-on-year.

“Fountains Earth Primary School is among the rural schools finding itself in a difficult position, particularly around pupil numbers and funding, and I will consider these issues carefully when deciding if a public consultation should proceed.”

 

‘Remarkable’ and ‘inspirational’ Ripon woman Sylvia Grice dies

One of Ripon’s most remarkable and best-loved residents has died at the age of 90.

Sylvia Grice taught an estimated 250,000 people to swim, including Olympic diving champion Jack Laugher, over the space of 50 years.

She died yesterday — three months after celebrating her 90th birthday.

Sylvia, who lived in Littlethorpe, devoted much of her life to teaching people to swim in a city that has three rivers and a canal. She was awarded an MBE in 2010 and given the Freedom of the City of Ripon in 2019.

Daughter Helen Mackenzie announced the news on social media this morning. She said:

“While we are thrilled she is now at peace, we are distraught at the thought of life without her. Rest in peace Dame Sylvia – you were loved by many and will be missed by all.”

Sylvia with Olympic champion diver Jack Laugher.

Hundreds of tributes have already been paid on social media — many by people Sylvia taught to swim.

The messages included “such an amazing and inspirational lady who will be missed”, “Sylvia was a remarkable lady, she was respected by everyone who knew her”, “One of the most incredible and impactful woman I have ever had the joy to meet” and simply “What a Ripon legend”.

A life helping others

Speaking to the Stray Ferret at her mum’s 90th birthday party, Helen said Sylvia broke her leg at the age of three and was in traction in hospital until she was eight.

She added:

“She learnt to swim when she was 15 and married my dad, Jim, the love of her life, when she was 20.

“When my sister Alison and I came along she regularly took us to swim at Ripon’s Spa Baths and caught the eye of the manager Fred Windsor.

“He encouraged her to become a qualified swimming teacher and over the years she went through all of the grades to become an Amateur Swimming Association tutor and then a Fellow of the Institute of Swimming Teachers.”

Sylvia used her qualifications to help people of all ages and abilities, from toddlers having their first visit to the pool to her mother-in-law Florrie, who learnt to swim when she was 58.

She taught people to swim at Ripon Grammar School and at Ashville College in Harrogate, where she set up Triton Swimmers and away from her busy teaching schedule, found time to run the Spa Gardens cafe, be an active member of Ripon Lions and raise money for numerous charitable causes.

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Harrogate’s Rachel Daly ranked 10th best player in world

Harrogate-born Rachel Daly finished 10th last night at the prestigious Ballon d’Or awards in Paris.

The Aston Villa striker was one of two England Lionesses to make the top 10.  Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps was fifth.

Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati, who helped her side defeat England in the World Cup final, was first.

Former Rossett School pupil Daly was top scorer in the Women’s Super League last season and named PFA Players’ Player of the Year.

She was also a member of the England side that won the 2022 European Championships.

Daly’s astonishing achievements have yet to impress North Yorkshire Council, which continues to ignore a petition by Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club — the club where she started her career — calling for a civic honour. The Stray Ferret is supporting the appeal.

None of the four England players on the 30-strong shortlist were able to attend the ceremony because they are international duty. England play Belgium in the National League tonight.

The top 30 was decided by the votes of 100 journalists, who come from the countries which make up the top 100 of the FIFA rankings.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi beat Erling Haaland for the men’s award.

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Harrogate Tea Rooms closes immediately

The Harrogate Tea Rooms in Westminster Arcade has closed with immediate effect.

Owners Carrie and Tony Wilkinson, who have run the business for 13 years, announced the news “with heavy hearts” on social media last night.

They said the day-to-day running costs were not translating into profit.

Their post said:

“We are as sad and shocked as some of you will be.

“Our tenancy with the new landlord was up for renewal, but with increased rent, energy and food costs, lower than ever footfall, our out-of-the-way location and possibly the ever increasing amount of new coffee shops near us, it has forced our decision to unfortunately not be able to move forward with the business.

“It is truly a challenging time for many small businesses.

“We have a massively supportive team of thousands of followers but it is the day to day running costs and effort that is just not translating into profit.

“Obviously that is not sustainable, so we have had to take the decision to walk away.”

They added they tried to sell the business “but there is currently no market for the many local tea rooms/cafes up for sale”.

The post thanked customers and added they will continue to make scones for delivery.

The Harrogate Tea Rooms was featured in The Harrogate Crime Series by Malcolm Hollingdrake.

Mr and Ms Wilkinson said DCI Cyril Bennett, one of the main characters, will live “in our hearts and memories”, and ‘will forever be drinking tea from a China cup”.

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Starbeck library celebrates £6,000 refurbishment of children’s area

Starbeck Community Library celebrated a £6,000 refurbishment of the children’s section on Saturday.

The building faced closure in 2017 when North Yorkshire County Council withdrew funding from smaller libraries.

Thanks to the support of volunteers, it has continued to operate but needed to find new revenue streams to upgrade facilities.

This year the library secured a £6,000 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards for All programme. Starbeck Post Office boosted the total by £500.

The income enabled Starbeck-based Amara Jane Furnishing to refurbish the children’s area.

The refurbished children’s area.

Tina Harper, a volunteer who looks after the children’s area, said local people had indicated the “faded and jaded” area was most in need of improvement.

The funding has paid for a new rug, sofa and shelving and enabled the section to be brightened up.

Julia Moseley, one of the volunteers that helped save the library when it faced closure, cut a ribbon to mark the refurbishment at Saturday’s celebration.

You can find out more about the library here.

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Call to close Harrogate’s army college after Parliament reveals cost

A campaign group has called for the closure of Harrogate‘s Army Foundation College after Parliament revealed how much it costs to run.

A question by Labour shadow justice minister Alex Cunningham discovered the annual running cost of the college, which provides basic training for 16 and 17-year-old junior recruits, is £85.5 million.

A separate question by SNP defence spokesperson Martin Docherty revealed it costs £133,000 for each trainee that completes the college’s 49-week junior entry course.

The questions were asked by the MPs on behalf of the campaign group Child Rights International Network.

Jim Wyke, coordinator for national security policy at CRIN, said the figures confirmed its suspicion that it costs more to train a 16-year-old at the college on Penny Pot Lane than it does to put an adult through the same process.

Mr Wyke said younger army recruits took longer to train (16 months vs. six months for the infantry) and were more likely to drop out (33% vs. 23%).

He also said the annual running cost of an average secondary school was £5 million, whereas the Harrogate army college costs £85.5m — 17 times more.

Mr Wyke said:

“The Army Foundation College is an incredibly expensive institution to run with an appalling track record on welfare and drop-out rates.

“It’s educational offerings fall well short of those available at a civilian college, while costing 17 times as much to run and with a record on sexual violence that would see any civilian college shut down.”

The college entrance on Penny Pot Lane.

A British Army spokesperson said:

“The Army Foundation College Harrogate trains over 900 junior soldiers annually and has exceeded 85% retention for the short course and is on track to exceed previous retention for the long course in February 2024.

“The full annual cost of the college delivers an excellent product at great value, with Ofsted rating all elements of provision such as facilities, infrastructure and resources as ‘outstanding’.

AFC Harrogate is a national employer, therefore it is disingenuous to compare it to a civilian college or secondary school.

“AFC Harrogate has very strong safeguarding mechanisms to ensure junior soldiers have the right support. The army is committed to stamping out all forms of inappropriate behaviour and has a zero-tolerance policy on sexual offences; personnel convicted of a sexual offence will be dismissed.”

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Boy, 16, arrested after teenager beaten-up at Hornbeam Park

A boy has been arrested after a youth was beaten-up at Hornbeam Park in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police today appealed for witnesses to the attack, which happened at Hornbeam Park railway bridge at about 3pm on Monday 23 October.

According to police, a victim in his mid-teens was assaulted by two suspects.

A force statement added:

“He was punched a number of times and needed medical treatment.

“One boy, aged 16 from the Harrogate area, was arrested in connection with the assault. He has been released on bail while enquiries continue.”

Anyone with information can email Ruby.Rutter@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101 and ask for PC511 Rutter.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The incident number is 12230201575.

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‘Multiple cracks’ detected at Ripon leisure centre

An investigation into movements at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon has discovered multiple cracks up to 10mm long.

A £3.5 million scheme to stabilise the site began in June following the discovery of a “void” in the sinkhole-prone area. It brought the cost of the leisure centre to £18 million — £8 million above budget.

The work, which was due to end in spring, was paused this month when land movements were detected.

North Yorkshire Council, which owns the site, said on Friday its checks had revealed cracks have appeared.

It said the cracks have affected the “weathertightness of the building and the operation of doors and windows” but added specialists had said there were no safety concerns.

Nevertheless, the estimated completion date and project costs are now “under review”.

Work at the site.

It means members will continue to use a temporary gym in the car park and attend group classes at Hugh Ripley Hall in the city centre indefinitely.

The new building, which includes the swimming pool, sauna and steam room, has remained open throughout.

Damage mainly ‘aesthetic’

The council said in a statement on Friday:

“Following the site inspection of the original section of Ripon sports centre on Friday, September 15 by a technical specialist it was observed that in general, the degree of damage that has occurred to the building since the original inspection last year as a result of the compaction grouting operations would be classified as aesthetic.

“The exception to this was the ground floor internal wall near to the main ground floor entrance at the north end of the building.

“Here there are multiple cracks up to 10mm wide which are classed as serviceability issues, affecting the weathertightness of the building and the operation of doors and windows.”

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The statement added:

“Specialists have confirmed that none of the cracking observed during the site visit would be cause for concern from a safety point of view.

“The building is currently weathertight and cracks will be assessed at the end of the project and appropriate repairs made.

“A system of level monitoring has been installed within the building so that it can be monitored for movement and grouting adjusted or stopped when certain movements are reached.”

Grouting work resumed at the site on October 13. Asked whether the latest issues had affected the completion date or cost of the project, the council said:

“The estimated completion date and project costs are currently under review.”

‘Far from ideal’ situation

Cllr Andrew Williams, a member of the Conservative and Independents group at North Yorkshire Council and the leader of Ripon City Council, said last year it was time to stop “throwing good money after bad” and to “look for a suitable location for a new leisure centre to be built on sound land”.

Asked about the discovery of cracks, he said:

“The building is under very close monitoring to ensure that there is no movement as the works progress, if there is movement then the position will have to be reviewed in the light of that information.

“The situation is far from ideal and I hope that it will prove possible to complete these works because the bottom line is that Ripon needs a functioning leisure centre.”

High levels of faecal bacteria in River Nidd confirmed

A second round of water sampling on the River Nidd has confirmed high levels of the faecal bacteria E.coli.

Volunteers tested for E.coli levels along the length of the Nidd as part of a clean-up campaign amid concerns about the state of the river and reports of bathers at Knaresborough Lido suffering sickness and diarrhoea.

The first round of sampling took place in August and the laboratory results of the second round, which took place a fortnight ago, were released last week.

David Clayden, chairman of Nidd Action Group, which coordinated the sampling, said the latest results confirmed the previous findings, which showed concentrations of E. coli bacteria were above acceptable limits.

He added the locations identified as E.coli hotspots in August once again produced the most concerning results.

Tributaries in the middle and lower Nidd catchment, including Ripley Beck, Oak Beck and Crimple Beck, had the highest concentrations of E.coli, with Bilton Beck the worst.

Sampling at Oak Beck in August.

In general, concentrations of E. coli were much lower in the upper catchment of the river from Pateley Bridge to Birstwith, than in the middle and lower catchments.

Knaresborough sampling locations revealed concentrations above the levels deemed sufficient for inland bathing water.

The Nidd Action Group committee met on Friday to talk about next steps, which will include organising a second public meeting to discuss progress and plans for 2024.

Mr Clayden said the meeting will be held in Knaresborough in early December and would follow a similar format to the one staged in March this year.

Meanwhile, Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, is expected to submit a bid to the government in the next few days to designate bathing water status on the Nidd.

If accepted, agencies will be obliged to undertake measures to clean the Nidd, as has happened on the River Wharfe in Ilkley.

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Vandals damage scarecrow trail in Knaresborough

A scarecrow trail created for children to enjoy during half-term has been vandalised in Knaresborough.

The trail, which began today, encourages people to hunt for 18 scarecrows in the town centre.

But Knaresborough Business Collective, which represents independent traders and organised the initiative, said in a social media post some scarecrows were damaged last night.

It said it was “absolutely heartbroken” but pledged to carry on with the trail.

The group, which was co-founded by Natalie Horner and Annie Wilkinson-Gill, said:

“We have spent weeks planning, two days in the pouring rain putting them all up and businesses have spent a huge amount of effort making these by hand.

“To now have to get up at 7am to come and fix the mindless vandalism some people think is acceptable is so upsetting. Lots of items have been stolen that we now have to spend money on being replaced.

“The Knaresborough Scarecrow Trail is put on entirely by us volunteers and brings so many people in to town and gives families something to do during half term, this is so good for our town and all these people are doing is ruining it before it’s even started.”

The post ended by saying the group would “do all we can to fix them all this morning so you can enjoy the trail”.

To take part in the trail, visit Ye Older Chymist Shoppe on Market Place to buy a £3 map revealing the locations of 18 scarecrows.

Anyone who finds them and fills in a form on the map will then be entered for a £50 prize draw.

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