Harrogate district covid rate continues rapid fall

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen again today.

It now stands at 1,211 infections per 100,000 people, compared with 1,286 yesterday and 1,487 two days ago.

However, it remains above the North Yorkshire and England averages, which stand at 1,120 and 1,132 respectively.

Today’s figures, from the UK Health Security Agency, show that the district recorded a further 244 infections.

The latest figure for the number of covid patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital is 27. The number is an increase from 23 on last week.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

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18-year-old wanted for serious assault thought to be in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police has put out a second appeal for information on the whereabouts of 18-year-old Luke Gibson, who is wanted in connection with a serious assault.

An appeal for the teenager was first posted in late November but the police are still unable to locate him.

They believe he is in Harrogate or Leeds and are asking anyone who has seen him or has information to come forward.

To give information to the police, call North Yorkshire Police on 101 with reference number 12210245826.

To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Harrogate country sports shop Orvis set to close

Harrogate country sports shop Orvis is set to close as part of a major restructure of the business.

Orvis, which sells clothes for men and women, fly-fishing gear, dog accessories and walking items. has had a store in Harrogate for about 25 years. It was on Parliament Street before moving to its current site on West Park, which is currently operating a closing down sale.

The US-owned company confirmed that the Harrogate store, which has about eight members of staff, will remain open until the end of March.

Orvis has 18 shops in the UK and it is believed all but one, at Stockbridge near Reading, will close.

The company will re-focus on online sales, particularly fly-fishing equipment.

Orvis was founded in Vermont in 1856 by Charles F Orvis.

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Rudding Park launches programme for young aspiring chefs

Rudding Park in Harrogate has launched a new chef development programme for young people aspiring to become a chef.

The 12-month programme is open to graduates, school leavers and entry-level commis chefs or those simply looking for a career change.

The programme teaches students core and advanced culinary skills to allow them to progress in their career as a chef.

The training will be provided by the hotel’s senior head chefs, the executive chef and consultant chef Stephanie Moon.

Kate Robey, head of learning and development at Rudding Park, said:

“In order for us to thrive as a hospitality business and continue to provide our guests with exceptional experiences, it is crucial we invest in the talent of tomorrow – today.

“Matthew Wilkinson, our executive chef and I approached consultant chef Steph Moon, who has a wealth of experience in tutoring in a number of colleges and is a familiar face on the Yorkshire cookery scene. We are extremely excited to launch the programme and nurture budding chefs so they can fulfil their passions, goals and dreams.”

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The trainees will work full-time and earn £21,870 through the year.

Students will work across all aspects of food production and delivery, spending three months in each of the hotel’s kitchens. Areas such as menu inspiration, planning and costing, butchery and supplier visits and food safety and hygiene are covered.

Under pressure Yorkshire Ambulance Service drafts in the military

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has recruited 40 military personnel to offer additional support as it experiences “operational pressures” during the pandemic.

The service said as a result of the Omicron variant it is facing rising numbers of staff going into isolation and calls for help from the public.

This has forced the service to redeploy remaining staff to frontline services and bring in military support for less urgent jobs.

The 40 military personal will be working alongside paramedics to attend minor cases and assist with hospital transfers and discharges.

Nick Smith, executive director of operations, said:

“As part of our resilience planning, we have always had the option of making a request to the military for help and we have now asked for that assistance.

“We will be able to use military personnel to work alongside our staff, enabling us to support patients and get people the treatment they need sooner. This, in turn, will free up our staff to attend to serious and life-threatening cases.”

The new recruits will begin training with the ambulance service next week and are expected to start working with patients within a fortnight.

They will receive training in driving ambulances, manual handling, kit familiarisation and basic life support.

The service has insisted it is still “fully operational” and said it expects the military will assist paramedics for a “number of weeks”.

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The ambulance service is also temporarily suspending some non-emergency transport to general outpatient appointments.

It will, however, continue to offer transport to patients receiving life-saving treatment, such as renal dialysis or chemotherapy, treatment for covid, those being discharged or admitted to hospital or transferred between hospital sites.

Katherine Jenkins visits Knaresborough for Songs of Praise

Classical singer Katherine Jenkins was spotted in the grounds of Knaresborough Castle yesterday filming for BBC’s Songs of Praise.

The Welsh mezzo soprano took part in filming at various locations in town, including Gracious Street Methodist Church.

Gracious Street Methodist Church Knaresborough

Gracious Street Methodist Church

The weekly programme, broadcast each Sunday at 1.15pm on BBC One, is due to feature Knaresborough on February 13.

The programme, which is due out the day before Valentine’s Day, is based on the themes of love and kindness. It also explores the history of Robert of Knaresborough, a 12th century hermit who lived in a cave by the River Nidd.

Ms Jenkins visited the cave yesterday with Peter Lacey, who has written a book about St Robert and his life.

Ms Jenkins also visited the Gracious Street community food store, which was set up using funds from the St Robert anniversary celebrations in 2018.

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St Aidan’s ‘inadequate’ rating prompts debate over its handling of bullying

The release of Ofsted‘s report giving St Aidan’s an ‘inadequate’ rating prompted heavy debate on social media with some agreeing the school needed to improve and others defending it.

The inspection led the Harrogate high school to drop from ‘outstanding’, which it received at its previous inspection in 2006, to the lowest of four possible ratings.

Parents, locals and former students took to social media to give their views on the report’s findings.

Claims bullying wasn’t dealt with proactively 

One comment that was raised by multiple people was bullying at the school, some claimed it often wasn’t dealt with effectively.

One former student, Caitlin Nicole Chang, attended the school between 2004-2011 and said:

“Whilst I am saddened to learn St Aiden’s has been rated inadequate, I was not surprised that the school was let down by its safeguarding measures.

“I was severely bullied and racially abused by one girl whilst at St Aiden’s. When I reported this to the head of year, she got banned from our form room, however the school continued to put me in the same classes as her for a large majority of my subjects. Where was the safeguarding there? Unfortunately, the bullying did not stop, I called her a racist. The head of year said “you can’t just go around accusing people of racism”. Here I was, a young girl, crying for being racially abused, and getting told off for calling the girl who was racist towards me, a racist. I believe if I went to the headteacher, something would have been done.”

This was echoed by another former student, Max Prudames, he said:

“I’m not surprised by St Aidans Ofsted report. Many of my friends and I dealt with bullying during our entire time there and nothing was done about it. It also felt like since many of the bullies took part in representing the school in sports, nothing was done against them since it was ruin the schools image.”

In the report, released yesterday, Ofsted said all pupils inspectors spoke to said bullying was dealt with but on a survey some parents and pupils disagreed.

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A “fantastic school”

However, not all people agreed with the ‘inadequate’ rating. Josephine Mary said the rating would not stop her sending her child to school there:

“The school is a calm, safe and supportive place. They have great support for those with extra needs and have massively supported deaf children in the past. I believe that as Ofsted haven’t been for many years nearly 15 years that the school has had not as much practice in keeping up with records and with the Ofsted requirements.”

Mo Burn agreed adding her granddaughter was enjoying her time at St Aidans:

“My granddaughter has been doing her A-Levels at this school and I think it is a fantastic school. Every school has its faults and problems. She has had fantastic results and the support, care and understanding she has had from her teachers was first class.”

Two people wanted following burglary at Harrogate jewellers

North Yorkshire Police has put out an appeal for information following a burglary at a jewellers in Harrogate town centre.

At 2.30am on Friday last week, Browns Family Jewellers on Beulah Street was broken into.

Police said today they were keen to hear from anyone with information, especially in relation to two people seen on bikes around Station Parade and Beulah Street.

Police are also keen to find the owner of a large black ratchet jack, a tool often used to lift heavy equipment, that was left at the scene.

It is not yet known the value of the items taken.

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To give information, call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for 1523 or email James.Skaith@northyorkshire.police.uk.

To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The crime reference number is 12220003179.

Harrogate district taxi drivers call for 5% fare increase

Harrogate district taxi drivers are calling for a 5% increase in taxi fares to help cover soaring fuel prices and a decline in earnings due to covid.

“Please help us” is one of several messages sent from taxi drivers to Harrogate Borough Council, which will hold a licensing meeting on Wednesday next week to consider the request.

It comes after 2021 saw record costs for both petrol and diesel in the UK, with diesel hitting prices of over £1.50 per litre for the first time in history.

Local cabbies also said rises in vehicle prices and parts and the climbing cost of living had contributed to them asking for a fare increase.

One taxi driver told the council:

“It is sometimes very difficult to strike the correct balance between what is a reasonable fare increase and keeping our loyal customers happy.

“That said, we have witnessed in the past six months an increase of more than 30% in our fuel costs alone and there is a lot of talk that fuel could reach £2 per litre by mid 2022.”

Another said:

“Since the pandemic there has been a huge increase in customers paying by card which attracts card reader fees. Due to card payments there has also been a very significant loss of tips.”

The request from taxi drivers is for a 5% rise on the running mile and waiting times of journeys, as well as an increase in starting prices £3.40 to £3.60.

Harrogate district taxis among the most expensive

According to national trade newspaper Private Hire and Taxi Monthly, the Harrogate district is currently ranked as the 31st most expensive council area in the UK, charging £7 at 2 miles.

And if approved, the proposed 5% rise would move the district to 14th in the table.

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However, taxi drivers have argued Harrogate’s position is not as high for journeys above the two-mile mark.

In November, there were warnings that as many as 50 taxi drivers in the district had quit during the previous lockdowns and that many have now found new jobs with little desire to return to the trade.

This came shortly before the council froze taxi licence fees for the second year running due to the impacts of the pandemic.

Speaking at the time, Gareth Bentley, licensing manager at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Whether we will get a new set of drivers coming to replace the 50 we have lost – only time will tell.”

Low response to consultation

Mr Bentley said in a report to next Wednesday’s meeting that a consultation on the proposed fare increase had been held with 500 taxi drivers, although the response rate was low with only 30 drivers taking part.

He also said while the council’s licensing committee would consider the rise request at the meeting, it would be the cabinet member for housing and safer communities, councillor Mike Chambers, who would make the final decision.

Mr Bentley added:

“The setting of fares is a statutory duty placed upon the council and it is the council’s responsibility to strike a balance between setting a fare that is acceptable to the customer and to the taxi driver.”

St Aidan’s school in Harrogate rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted

St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate has been rated inadequate by Ofsted in a report released to parents today.

The report is highly critical of the school’s leadership and management and says pupils are “at risk of harm”.

It says “leaders, including governors and trustees, have an overgenerous view of the school’s performance” and “because of this, governors and trustees have not held leaders effectively to account for the impact of their work”.

These concerns prompted government inspectors to give the school the lowest of four possible ratings in its first assessment since the school became an academy under the Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust in 2012.

St Aidan’s was rated ‘outstanding’ at its last inspection in 2006.

Chris Ives, acting headteacher, said he “strongly refutes” the inadequate judgment but added the school “will work to fully explore potential improvements” and has “put into place additional external assurance for the areas where inspectors raised serious concerns”.

‘Good’ in most areas

St Aidan’s was rated ‘good’ in four of the five areas assessed during September’s two-day visit. They were: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and sixth form provision.

But its ‘inadequate’ grading for leadership and management meant it automatically achieved the same overall outcome.

The report says:

“Leaders have not put effective arrangements in place to safeguard pupils. Some staff do not understand the range of safeguarding risks that pupils may face, or their responsibilities to take action to protect pupils.

“Leaders have not taken timely action when pupils are vulnerable to harm. The school’s curriculum does not support pupils to develop an appropriate understanding of the safeguarding risks they may face beyond the school.

“These shortcomings in the safeguarding culture at St Aidan’s put pupils at risk of harm.”

The report, which will be put on Ofsted’s website this week, added that inspectors “identified gaps in the recruitment checks made on staff”.

It said “a few parents and some pupils who responded to Ofsted’s surveys do not feel that bullying is managed well”.

And it also said “leaders do not undertake appropriate checks on sixth-form work experience providers to ensure their suitability for students” or “consistently follow statutory guidance when there are incidents of peer-on-peer abuse”.

The school’s response

Chris Ives, acting headteacher, said the trust and the school knew it would be a “challenging inspection” because it was so long since the last one and Ofsted had recently recalibrated its outstanding gradings.

“That being said, the inspectors praised many aspects of school life, including the superb behaviour of pupils, the staff expertise, the overall quality of education and the wonderful opportunities available to all our pupils. Thank you and well done to all in our brilliant St Aidan’s community.

“The team of inspectors, however, felt that St Aidan’s approach to safeguarding was, in some areas, not consistently in line with best practice.

“Although leaders provided the inspection team with evidence in support of the school’s procedures and processes and were able to demonstrate that those measures were effective, the inspection team was not satisfied and drew the conclusion that St. Aidan’s pupils might be at an increased risk.

“Whilst we all strongly refute the inadequate judgement, we cannot ignore the concerns that have been raised. As always, we will work to fully explore potential improvements and we always implement advice that will help us continue to provide care that is of the highest level.

“The trust and school leaders have also put into place additional external assurance for the areas where inspectors raised serious concerns.

“The overall grade is deeply disappointing, and one that we are saddened by. What we find most difficult is that our students were a credit to themselves and our community throughout the whole process. Our staff shone in their classrooms, and our parents and carers couldn’t have done more to support the school.

“We genuinely feel that St Aidan’s is a blessing to be part of – which is why the overall grade sits at such odds with everything we experience on a day-to-day basis. We will, of course, respond fully to the report and build on all our strengths with pace and purpose so that the next Ofsted inspection fully reflects all that we believe is true about St Aidan’s.”

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Praise for teachers

More than 300 parents and carers shared their views of the school with the inspectors as part of the inspection. 98% said their child was happy, 96% said they would recommend the school to others and 99% said their child felt safe at St. Aidan’s.

Ofsted highlighted the positive relationships between pupils and staff, the high expectations for pupils’ academic achievements as well as the calm and purposeful atmosphere around the school. It also praised teachers’ “strong subject knowledge” and passion for their subjects.

Jo Wicks, chair of governors, said:

“It would be fair to say that the overall outcome of our inspection is highly unusual, and fills us with a mixture of pride, bitter disappointment and exasperation in equal measures.

“This is not the judgement we were expecting. We simply do not think it is right to spend significant time and effort on what would be an expensive legal process, and think it is important that the community see the report as soon as we have been permitted to publish it.”

This grading means the school will be subject to more frequent Ofsted visits and will have to publish an action plan detailing how it will respond to the concerns.

The school, which caters for students aged 11 to 18, has about 2,000 pupils in the high school and sixth form.

Ofsted ratings for high schools elsewhere in the district