Vicky Carr, Author at The Stray Ferret

‘Broken’ system prompts closure of Harrogate hair and beauty training school

A training centre for the hair and beauty industry in Harrogate is set to be wound up after its director said she could no longer work in the “broken” education system.

Intuitions Ltd, previously based in Tower Street before moving to Station Parade, had been working with salons to train hairdressers for almost three decades.

However, Michelle Oliver said she closed the company in January after the Education and Skills Funding Agency reduced funding by 23%.

She said Intuitions had been heavily subsidising functional skills funding for a number of years, and the government had now removed funding for some areas of training including induction, initial assessments, and formal assessments of skills.

Ms Oliver added:

“Despite almost 30 years of trading, gaining a ‘good’ Ofsted result in July 2022 and an excellent relationship with our local employers, I no longer wanted to be part of what I feel is a broken education system with layer upon layer of meaningless bureaucracy that appears to have been put in place to prevent small independent training providers from succeeding.”

Intuitions had moved to Station Parade from Tower Street

The last Ofsted report praised Intuitions’ move to a salon-based approach, offering one-to-one and small group training. As part of this, the company had moved to an office in shared workspace Wizu on Station Parade.

However, Ms Oliver said the number of apprenticeships on offer with local salons had fallen since the covid pandemic, having an impact on the number of students training with Intuitions.

Ms Oliver is one of two remaining directors of Intuitions Ltd, having taken up the post in March 2000, alongside company secretary Berenika Wilkins. The company was founded in summer 1993 by John and Sheila Morton, who resigned as directors following Ms Oliver’s appointment.

She said former Intuitions employees had been given paid notice or made redundant and all had found jobs elsewhere.

Trainees and their employers, meanwhile, were supported to find other training providers.

A meeting of creditors has been called for April 11 at 10am, when liquidators are expected to be appointed.

Ofsted says village school near Ripon ‘requires improvement’

A village school near Ripon has been told to make improvements to its teaching by the schools inspector.

Sharow Church of England Primary School has been rated ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted in its latest report, with three of the five areas of inspection receiving that rating.

Inspectors found the quality of education, personal development, and leadership and management at the school no longer merited the ‘good’ rating previously given to the school. However, they said the early years provision, and behaviour and attitudes, remained ‘good’.

In a report published just before the end of term, lead inspector Paul Martindale said:

“Pupils, including children in early years, enjoy coming to school. Staff provide a supportive atmosphere where pupils behave well and are friendly to one another.

“Pupils are polite, well mannered, and respectful towards staff and their peers. They listen intently to what other pupils have to say and then build on this with their own ideas or comments.

“Pupils feel safe and say that bulling does not happen at school. They are clear about the school rules, rewards and consequences.”

He added:

“Pupils enjoy taking on many different responsibilities. They appreciate being a member of the school council or a well-being ambassador. Their desire to help others is not limited to these roles.

“Pupils have a friendship bench in the playground where they can help their friends. They enjoy spending time in the peace garden.”

Among the areas inspectors praised in the report was a new phonics programme. After visiting the school in early February, inspectors said the programme had been implemented effectively and pupils made good progress with their reading.

They said pupils who were struggling were given support to make more progress.

Inspectors also praised the “well-sequenced plans” used to deliver maths teaching. In both English and maths, they said teachers used effective assessment to get a clear understanding of what pupils knew and what they needed to learn next.

The report said:

“Staff have high ambitions for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff modify their teaching to help pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers, wherever possible.

“In early years, adults know the needs and interests of their children. They use ambitious and accurate language in their interactions with children, and this extends their understanding.”

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However, the report said the standard of education was not as high in all subject areas.

Inspectors found the quality of education was “variable” and learning was “not as deep” in some subjects as others.

Addressing personal development, they said:

“Staff provide pupils with a range of opportunities to support their personal development. This is evident through the different roles that pupils can carry out or the clubs that they can join, such as the lunchtime choir.

“However, pupils’ understanding of British values and protected characteristics is limited. Pupils also have a limited knowledge of religion. They are able to recall general principles, but cannot attribute them to any particular faith. Leaders acknowledge that this is due to previous weaknesses in the curriculum.”

The report acknowledged governors and leaders were aware there were improvements to be made and had begun to do so. It said governors needed to continue their strategic review to ensure they had the appropriate knowledge and skills to hold the school’s leaders to account effectively.

The Stray Ferret contacted Sharow Primary School for a response to the report before the Easter break, but had not received one by the time of publication.

Sharow Primary School has 103 pupils and is federated with Skelton Newby Hall Church of England Primary School, sharing an executive headteacher, Jacqui Palmer, and a governing body.

Skelton Newby Hall Primary School was rated ‘requires improvement’ in March 2020 and is currently under threat of closure by North Yorkshire Council, on the grounds of low roll numbers. Should it close this summer as proposed, the council suggested moving its 10 pupils to Sharow Primary School.

Alleged victims of fraud at Knaresborough car dealership call for more police action

The victims of an alleged fraud involving Porsches in Knaresborough have criticised police for the lack of progress in the investigation.

North Yorkshire Police launched an investigation in summer 2019 after allegations that dealership Gmund transferred ownership of cars worth more than £1 million without the owners’ permission.

A man in his 50s was arrested at the time and released under investigation.

Now, almost four years on, the alleged victims have questioned why there has been no update from police since February 2022. One told the Stray Ferret:

“Beyond the frustration, it is more a case of losing faith in the judiciary system and rule of law.”

Asked for an update, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police last week said:

“There is no update in the investigation into a Knaresborough car dealership previously enquired about. The investigation remains ongoing, one suspect remains under investigation.”

The Stray Ferret first published at story in summer 2020 after speaking to six alleged victims of fraud at Gmund.

One man, Anthony Place, claimed he was never paid the £52,000 he was owed when his car was sold in early 2019. He grew so frustrated that he painted a message asking for his money on the side of his other Porsche – and hired a plane with a banner bearing the same words to fly over the dealership.

Another man contacted the Stray Ferret to say he had bought a car from Gmund and had since been told by police he was unable to sell or modify the vehicle while the investigation continued.

One of the alleged victims, who asked not to be named, told the Stray Ferret last week he was frustrated by the slow progress of the investigation:

“What disturbs me somewhat is how long this has been dragging on.

“The police had advised me to appoint a solicitor. Legal advice means a lot of money and in my case we have nothing to work from except that others have not had the money they are owed.”

Gmund was founded in 2006 and was known for buying and selling classic Porsche cars.

The company, which was based at the Nidd Valley Business Park, was dissolved in 2020 and its owner Andrew Mearns was declared bankrupt.

His wife, the former Conservative councillor for Knaresborough Scriven Park, Samantha Mearns, was company secretary from the time it was founded until December 2018.

Ms Mearns told the Stray Ferret in 2020 she was never interviewed by police in relation to the allegations. In July 2021, she resigned from the council and moved to Wales, citing family reasons.

The administrator’s report from June 2020 found more than £1 million in claims stacked up against the business with only £15,000 in assets.

The alleged victim added:

“The police do not seem to be very active. The police, particularly in North Yorkshire, need to rebuild their reputation.

“Regular updates which had been promised have not been exactly forthcoming. It does not put the police in a good light. Mum’s the word and that is not good enough.”

Voice of the Great Yorkshire Show retires after 38 years

A long-serving and high-profile member of the Great Yorkshire Show team is standing down after almost four decades.

Christine Barber has been working on the main ring at the show since 1985 – and while most people are unlikely to recognise her face, thousands will certainly know her voice.

She has been the commentator in the main ring every year, starting at 8am and going on into the early evening each day.

After almost 40 years, she has decided to retire. However, she won’t be missing out on the fun this summer: for the first time, she hopes to enjoy the show as a visitor and have time to walk around its attractions.

Show director Charles Mills said:

“Christine has been synonymous with the Great Yorkshire show for 38 years and her wonderful commentary will be sorely missed.

“But we look forward to welcoming Christine as a visitor, where she can soak up the magic of the show for the first time ever and we thank her for all of her support and hard work over the years.”

Christine Barber, right, in the commentary box. Photo: Simon Hill

Christine’s association with the Great Yorkshire Show goes back to her youth, when she competed in eventing, show jumping and dressage.

She first began working in the commentary box in 1985, but commentated on the prestigious Grant Cattle Parade from 1989 after her predecessor stepped down.

Among her highlights were commentating during royal visits: the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in 2008, and in 1994, Princess Alexandra, who requested to meet “the voice of the commentator”.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society said she was known for her “smooth, calming and distinctive voice” and said it was sad to say goodbye to her after so many years.

Heaven knows what Morrissey was doing in Harrogate…

Former Smiths frontman turned solo artist Morrissey was spotted out in Harrogate last night.

The singer-songwriter enjoyed a couple of pints in the Harrogate Arms pub and was happy to pose for photos with a handful of fellow drinkers who recognised him.

Chris Russell, who runs Zombie Clothing in Knaresborough, happened to be in the pub at the time and was surprised to see someone so famous.

He said:

“I was just having a beer and he was gracious enough to pose for a pic.”

The visit was also a surprise to staff at the pub. Manager Pete Murphy said:

“We only had four or five tables in, so it wasn’t busy, but a few people recognised him and had photos with him.

“We get the odd Leeds player in, but that’s the first singer I’ve seen. I’ve been running the pub just over a year now.”

Inquest hears Lady Masham died from sepsis

Lady Masham died from sepsis after being admitted to hospital, an inquest has heard.

At the hearing, held this morning at the Coroner’s Court in Northallerton, assistant coroner Richard Watson said Susan Cunliffe-Lister had been admitted to the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton on February 2, feeling unwell and breathless.

She died there on March 12, aged 87.

The initial cause of death given at today’s inquest was sepsis of unknown origin, and myelodysplasia, a rare type of blood cancer where the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells.

The court heard her disability, caused by a riding accident in 1958, was also believed to have contributed to her death. The inquest was adjourned to a later date.

Born Susan Lilian Primrose Sinclair in April 1935, she became paraplegic in the accident, using a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

Until her death, Lady Masham was a prominent disability rights campaigner and founded the Spinal Injuries Association in 1974.

She represented Great Britain in the inaugural Paralympics in 1960, as well as in 1964 and 1968, winning two gold medals, six silver, and two bronze, in swimming and table tennis.

She became Lady Masham on her marriage to David Cunliffe-Lister in 1959, and the couple then became the Earl and Countess of Swinton in 1972 after the death of his father.

She was made a life peer in 1970 as Baroness Masham of Ilton and was the longest-serving woman ever to sit in the House of Lords. She continued to focus on disability rights throughout her life and was patron of Harrogate-based charity Disability Action Yorkshire.

Harrogate school begins search for new headteacher

Harrogate’s Rossett School has begun its search for a new headteacher.

Its current acting head, Pete Saunders, has been in post since January after the departure of Helen Woodcock, following a second consecutive Ofsted inspection which rated the school ‘requires improvement’.

The school is aiming to appoint a new permanent headteacher to begin in September. Its recruitment pack said:

“Harrogate is changing rapidly, with lots of new housing and a younger population bringing renewed energy into our community.

“There are also new challenges and although a town famous for flowers and cream teas, it also has pockets of significant deprivation and a fair share of the social issues that are prevalent in communities up and down the country.

“Our school also has its challenges and the second requires improvement judgement has accelerated our existing plans to join a multi academy trust.”

Governors have already confirmed they are hoping Rossett will join the Red Kite Learning Trust, which is already home to several local schools. Rossett School was a founding member of the Red Kite Alliance, a partnership of local schools, alongside Harrogate Grammar School.

Pete Saunders, acting headteacher of Rossett School, and Richard Sheriff, CEO of Red Kite Learning Trust

In a letter to prospective applicants for the headteacher post, chair of governors John Hesketh said:

“We have chosen to join a trust that shares our values but will also help accelerate our improvement journey and allow us to deliver success for everyone.

“We have listened carefully to the inspectors and have already made changes that have demonstrated our willingness to embrace change for the benefit of the young people we serve.

“We were delighted that inspectors judged the quality of education to be ‘good’, indeed 3 out of the 5 judgements were ‘good’. We are not complacent however and we know that there is much more to do, we are incredibly ambitious for our school.”

Salary up to £95,000

The school’s advert said it is looking for a new head who is “determined and ambitious for every child”, with the highest ethical standards. Professional generosity and kindness are also required, along with a willingness to pull together and to be creative in finding solutions.

As well as experience as a headteacher or deputy, the application pack said the successful candidate will have an “impressive” record of teaching in the classroom.

In line with national pay scales. the school said the new headteacher can expect a salary between £86,040 and £94,898, though it is open to negotiation. Should the school expand as the local population increases, the application pack said this could increase.

Mr Hesketh’s letter added:

“We can offer you the chance to lead a school at a really exciting time, a period when change is desired and where you can make a real difference as a leader.

“Within the trust you will have the support and opportunities you need to help achieve your goals. The trust describes its role as ‘helping you make our schools brilliant’, they don’t put limits on how high you can fly, they just want you to fly safely and sustainably.

“Support also means looking after your wellbeing and ensuring you can enjoy your leadership role and your life beyond the school gates. You will need time to discover and enjoy our glorious Yorkshire countryside as well as all our town and nearby city of Leeds can offer.”

Business Breakfast: ‘Bed bug dog’ proves a hit as pest event returns to Harrogate

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The fourth in our series of networking events, with Banyan Bar & Kitchen, is a breakfast event on April 27 from 8am.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

More than 500 professionals have been in Harrogate for a pest control conference for the first time since early 2020.

PPC Live, hosted by the British Pest Control Association, shared the latest innovations in the industry with visitors from across the UK and Europe.

Held at the Yorkshire Event Centre, it included a demonstration by Brian Leith and Benji the dog, showing how they can identify a bed bug infestation.

Lauren Day, events manager at BPCA said:

“We were delighted to be back in Harrogate and networking with visitors, sponsors and exhibitors from across the industry.

“PPC Live gave visitors the chance to get hands-on with new pest kit, meet the people designing and distributing the latest in pest control technology and of course see interesting demos like Benji the bed bug detection dog in action.”

Harrogate firm secures first council wellbeing award

A council-run workplace wellbeing scheme has given the first level of accreditation to a Harrogate business.

Pemco, based in Starbeck’s Spa Lane, signed up to the Workplace Wellbeing Award through the public health team at North Yorkshire County Council.

The scheme gives businesses a framework to ensure staff welfare is made a high priority.

For Pemco, which offers management support and training services to other companies, this has meant hybrid working, modern office facilities, and team-building events. The company has also committed to not contacting staff by email outside working hours.

Holly Astbury, a partner at Pemco and the company’s wellbeing lead, said:

“The award process has been a fantastic opportunity for us to focus on our employees’ health and wellbeing.

“The support from the Workplace Wellbeing team at the council has been invaluable, especially the opportunity to carry out an in-depth health needs assessment, which gave us an insight into our employees’ needs and allowed us to tailor an action plan to suit them, rather than guessing in the dark about which interventions to implement.”

Design lead Andrew Liddle said:

“Flexible working has made a massive difference to mine and my family’s routine. It takes away a huge headache of having to pick the kids up from school before work finishes.

“The monthly team meals are great for us all to catch up together, as well as the social events outside of work like the picnic and quiz night.”

Established in 2010, Pemco currently has a team of seven, and is recruiting as part of its expansion plans.

NHS places to be lost as Ripon dental practice closure announced

A dental practice offering NHS care in Ripon is set to close in three months’ time.

Bupa’s practice on Finkle Street will shut its doors on June 30, with the national company citing a lack of dentists to provide care.

The Finkle Street branch has provided NHS and private dental care. The Bupa Clock Tower practice in North Parade is unaffected, as are Harrogate’s Raglan Suite and Bupa Dental Care in East Parade – but none of these is accepting new adult NHS patients.

Finkle Street is one of 85 across the country to be closed, sold or merged over the coming months. As well as problems with recruiting, Bupa said rising costs influenced its decision.

Bupa Dental Care general manager Mark Allen said:

“As a leading dental provider in the UK, our priority must be to enable patients to receive the care they need.

“For the majority of affected practices, this decision will allow commissioners to procure local providers for the NHS contract, tailoring services and investment to the needs of the local community, thereby providing a better opportunity for patients to continue access to NHS dental services.”

Bupa said it will hand back its dental contract in Ripon to the NHS, allowing commissioners to find a new provider for NHS dental services.

However, the issue of NHS provision has already raised concerns in the Harrogate district.

It was raised in the House of Commons last month when Daisy Cooper, MP for for St Albans, said only half of children in North Yorkshire had seen an NHS dentist last year.

Last month, the chairman of North Yorkshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee, Cllr Andrew Lee, said he had raised the issue of NHS dental access in the county with the government.

The NHS website does not list any practices in the Harrogate district as accepting new adult patients for NHS treatment. Only two – Bupa’s Clock Tower in Ripon and Boroughbridge Dental Centre – are shown as taking new patients aged under 18 on the NHS.

Previously known as Oasis Dental Care, the Finkle Street practice had five surgeries and employed six dentists, a hygienist, seven dental nurses, a practice manager and two receptionists when the Care Quality Commission last inspected in 2016.

Bupa has not confirmed how many jobs will be lost as a result of the closure, but said it would redeploy staff “where possible”.

Mr Allen added:

“We fully understand the impact today’s decision has on our patients and our people within these practices. This decision has not been taken lightly and closure is a last resort.

“Despite our continued efforts, the dental industry is facing a number of significant and systemic challenges that are placing additional pressure on providing patient care, in particular recruiting dentists to deliver NHS dental care.

“This decision enables us to focus our efforts on high-quality, continued sustainable care for patients across our wider portfolio.”

Andrew Jones to stand for election again in Harrogate and Knaresborough

Andrew Jones will stand to be MP for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency for a fifth time, the Conservative party has confirmed.

The announcement follows a meeting of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Association’s executive committee last night.

There, Mr Jones spoke to party activists and took questions, before a secret ballot selected him as the party’s candidate once again.

After the meeting, in a statement on his website, Community News, he said:

“It is a real privilege to represent the area where I have lived since the 1990s. I have never wanted to represent anywhere else and have never stood for any other parliamentary seat.

“My approach has always been to speak up for our area first, to be active for the community in which I live and to be positive in my campaigns.”

Mr Jones was first elected in 2010, beating the late Liberal Democrat Claire Kelley by just 1,039 votes, following the retirement of long-standing Lib Dem MP Phil Willis.

He increased his majority to more than 16,000 in 2015, and 18,000 two years later. At the last general election in late 2019, it fell to 9,675, though he still polled his second-highest number of votes, at more than 29,000.

The next election will have to be held by January 28, 2025.

Mr Jones will face Tom Gordon of the Liberal Democrats, and Paul Ko Ferrigno for the Green Party. Labour has yet to declare a candidate in the race.

When asked in January whether Mr Jones would be standing again, a spokesperson for the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Association said:

“I think I must have missed something… is there a general election? I am able to confirm that the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough is Andrew Jones.”

This week, reflecting on his 13 years in politics on his website, Mr Jones said:

“I’m really not interested in US-style attack politics where people drag one another down all the time. Where we have differences we should challenge one another respectfully and constructively. It saddens me that too often in local and national politics this doesn’t happen.

“I will keep campaigning for the things people here tell me our area needs building on the successes of the past 13 years. We have more trains to and from London, more services to Leeds and York, the pacers have gone, we have a largely electric bus fleet, our public buildings are being de-carbonised, we have new leisure facilities being built, more electric vehicle charging points are on the way, there is sustained low unemployment and over 10,000 new trees have been planted in the constituency.

“This is only a flavour of our progress locally. There is more to do and none of these things happen because of any one person. They happen because residents, community groups, councillors and the Member of Parliament work together to make them happen. Residents can be assured that my ongoing commitment to those community partnerships is genuine because this is my community too.

“It is an honour to be given the chance to serve our community again.”