Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 440 of 1188

Harrogate High School ‘requires improvement’, says Ofsted

Harrogate High School‘s Ofsted rating has been downgraded from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’ in a newly released report.

Inspectors said the quality of education had declined and older pupils in particular “do not achieve well in external examinations”.

They also said some parents had raised concerns about pupil behaviour and some students with bad attitudes were “not challenged quickly enough” and some truant pupils were “disrespectful to staff and cause disruption”.

However, the report acknowledges new school leaders understood the problems and their actions “have secured improvements in the quality of education”.

It also says arrangements for safeguarding are effective, staff are well trained and leaders have developed an “ambitious curriculum”, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities – and that pupils with additional needs are “well supported in lessons”.

Two-day Ofsted visit

Harrogate High, which was founded in 1973 as Harrogate Granby High School, has more than 700 pupils. It is part of the Northern Star Academies Trust – a partnership of nine schools across Harrogate, Skipton and Keighley. Ofsted visited the school on April 25 and 26.

The report, which the school has released but has not yet been uploaded onto Ofsted’s website, gave it an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’ and awarded the same grade for all four sub-categories assessed: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

The school’s last full inspection was 10 years ago, when it was rated ‘good’ overall. It retained the grading following a short inspection in 2017.

‘Good’ is the second highest of four possible ratings; ‘requires improvement’ is the third highest.

The report says leaders have prioritised improving the curriculum and changed the subjects pupils study at key stage 4 to offer a more broad and balanced curriculum. But it adds “the academic experiences that pupils receive continue to be mixed” and goes on to say:

“Teachers do not consistently check if pupils know or understand what has been taught. As a result, misconceptions are not always identified and addressed. In particular, older pupils, who have not benefited from improvements in the curriculum, do not achieve well in external examinations.”

Ofsted says there is a range of extra-curricular activities but “the wider development of pupils needs to be a sharper focus for leaders”.

It adds:

“Leaders recognise the need to improve behaviour across the school. They are working with external support to implement new systems to tackle poor behaviour.”

The report highlights “there have been many changes in leadership since the last inspection”, which “has led to delays in addressing some of the weaknesses in the school” and although there have been improvements “there is much more work to do”.

‘Exciting time for Harrogate High’

Sukhraj Gill

Responding to the report, headteacher Sukhraj Gill said:

“This is an exciting time for Harrogate High School. Inspectors have recognised the improvements we have already made and confirmed that we are on the right track to make Harrogate High a great school. We have achieved a great deal at Harrogate High School – with a lot more to do.

“We will continue our relentless drive to make Harrogate High the best school it can be for all the young people that we educate.

“We’re especially pleased that inspectors recognised that we provide good support for pupils with additional needs. We value every young person in our school, whatever their needs. Ofsted’s findings are a vindication of our values as a truly inclusive school.”

Jenn Plews

Jenn Plews, chief executive of Northern Star Academies Trust, said:

“Harrogate High School has made massive strides forward under its new leadership. The Ofsted report is clear: leaders’ actions have improved the quality of education. The fact that the school is full and has been oversubscribed is a testament to the work our school and our trust across Harrogate.

“Inspections are always an opportunity to learn from the inspectors’ feedback and recommendations to help us develop and improve. We welcome this report as a positive contribution to continue Harrogate High School’s continuing journey to become a great school”.

Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show set for sell-out

The Great Yorkshire Show looks set to be a sell-out for the third year in a row.

The four-day show takes place from July 11 to 14 and all tickets for the Wednesday have already been snapped up. Standard adult tickets cost £32.

Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the farming charity that organises the event, adopted the four-day format and capped the number of tickets at 35,000 a day during covid due to social distancing requirements but has continued with it since. Tickets are now only sold in advance too.

Allister Nixon chief executive of the society, said:

“We have seen unprecedented demand for tickets, selling out Wednesday already and our membership sold out in April.

“It shows the depth of support and love for the show and we can’t wait to welcome visitors in less than three weeks’ time. At this stage, we have tickets remaining for the Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of the show which we do expect to sell out so please, if you are planning to come along, book now to avoid disappointment.”

Huge range of activities

The Great Yorkshire Showground is always packed with stalls and activities during the event and this year will be no exception.

A new free Great Yorkshire Show app, which will be available to download next week, includes an interactive map and schedule of events.

The Cock O The North competition in the main ring on the Thursday will feature some of the UK’s best showjumpers. The main ring will also host flying Frenchman Lorenzo, who last appeared in 2018.

The best of British livestock will be on show as the Beef Shorthorn, Charolais and Longhorn Cattle Societies all host their national competitions. The show will also feature several thousand sheep, all vying for the top title.

The pole climbing championships is returning and sheepdogs will be held each day .

Business Breakfast: Grantley Hall opens Nordic Spa Garden

Staff well-being and culture have rapidly risen up the priority list for many employers. At the next Stray Ferret Business Club we’ll hear from award winning employer, LCF Law, on how organisations can ensure their teams are productive and happy.

The lunch event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Luxury hotel Grantley Hall has opened a Nordic Spa Garden, which has ice baths and an outdoor steam sauna.

The garden has two ice baths where guests at the 47-bed hotel near Ripon can try cold-water immersion therapy.

The sauna, on the other hand, allows people to enjoy warmth in a picturesque outdoor setting.

Gillian McGraffin, spa and wellness manager at Grantley Hall, said:

“We have worked hard to create a relaxing outdoor area that not only looks beautiful but also provides guests with a range of health benefits.”

Dental practice takes oral hygiene message to schools

Oral health educators from Coppice View Dentalcare have been handing out free toothbrushes, tooth paste and brushing charts in local schools in support of National Smile Month.

The dental practice, on Kings Road in Harrogate, visits schools each year during the awareness-raising month to educate children on the importance of looking after their teeth and gums. We ensure every child at each presentation received a goody bag containing a toothbrush, toothpaste and brushing charts.

Staff visited Rossett Acre Primary School, Oatlands Infant School and Darley Community Primary School during the latest initiative.

Historic Harrogate home up for auction again with slashed asking price

Pineheath, the derelict mansion on the Duchy estate that failed to find a buyer at auction earlier this month, is to be re-offered for sale at a much reduced price.

The 17,000 sq ft, 40-room house on Cornwall Road in Harrogate was earlier marketed for £3.5 million, but will now be included in FSS’ next auction with a guide price of £3 million.

Pineheath was built in the 1890s and from 1927 was the Harrogate home of Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji, a wealthy Indian shipping magnate who been knighted in 1922 after reportedly donating £1 million to the war effort during the First World War.

In its heyday as a family home, Pineheath was fully staffed and had gold-plated taps, a centrally-heated garage of Rolls-Royces, and its distinctive glazed cupola is said to have been covered in gold leaf.

Following the death of Sir Dhunjibhoy’s daughter in 2012, Pineheath was sold for £2 million to developer Jason Shaw.

The house currently has planning permission for conversion into 12 flats, and the lot includes the adjoining former chauffeur’s cottage, which has been refurbished into a pair of semi-detached coach houses yielding rent of £51,000 a year.

Simon Croft, partner at Harrogate estate agent FSS, said:

“The front runners at the June 8 auction have not been able to finalise funding and we cannot delay the sale any further so it has been included, with a much-reduced guide price of £3 million.

“This will, we believe, bring in a fresh impetus of buyers and should also allow parties to potentially sell the two already modernised coach houses if vacant possession is obtained, thus recouping capital and leave them with Pineheath as a standalone project.

“At around £1.6 million this could then be converted to a single residential house, though of course the already implemented planning consent for 12 apartments could also be continued.”

A 0.545-acre parcel of land behind the site, on Rutland Drive, is believed to be the last undeveloped parcel on the Duchy estate, but also failed to sell at auction for its £1.85 million guide price.

Mr Croft said:

“The building plot on Rutland Drive will not be publicly offered at this time as it became clear parties interested in the plot wanted to know Pineheath had sold and would therefore be developed and improved.

“So we will market it again, subject to a successful sale of Pineheath, although a fruitful purchaser of Pineheath will be able to negotiate a purchase of the plot post-sale if desired.”

Pineheath will be re-offered at auction by FSS on July 13.

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Missing Harrogate boy, 12, found safe and well

Police have confirmed that a missing Harrogate boy has been found.

The 12-year-old went missing from his home in Harrogate on Wednesday (June 21).

North Yorkshire Police has since confirmed that the boy has been found safe and well.

Harrogate schoolboys crash: man appears in court

A man appeared in court today charged with causing serious injuries to two Harrogate schoolboys while driving.

Benjamin Oakes, 46, of Tewit Well Avenue in Harrogate, is accused of careless / inconsiderate driving of a Vauxhall Astra on Yew Tree Lane on February 2 this year.

Two 15-year-old Rossett School students, who were walking to school at the time, had to be rushed to hospital following a collision, which occurred at 8.46am.

Today’s brief hearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court was adjourned when it emerged Mr Oakes was only made aware of proceedings yesterday due to a postal problem.

Prosecuting, Melanie Ibbotson said the papers involved in the case were “extensive” and she had no objection to the defence lawyer’s request for an adjournment.

The case is now due to be heard in Harrogate on August 11, when Mr Oakes is expected to enter a plea.

Mr Oakes (left) leaving court today.

Missing Harrogate boy found safe and well

Police have confirmed that a missing Harrogate boy has been found.

The 12-year-old went missing from his home in Harrogate on Wednesday (June 21).

North Yorkshire Police has since confirmed that the boy has been found safe and well.

Harrogate Town to kick-off season with Yorkshire derby

Harrogate Town will begin the 2023/24 English Football League Division Two season with a Yorkshire derby at Doncaster Rovers on August 5.

Town, who today announced Motherwell midfielder Dean Cornelius, 22, as their sixth summer signing, will then entertain Forest Green Rovers in the first home league fixture of the season on August 12.

Today’s fixture list also revealed the other all-Yorkshire clashes will see Simon Weaver’s men visit Bradford City on Saturday, September 16, before Doncaster Rovers visit the EnviroVent Stadium on Saturday, January 6. The home fixture against Bradford City is scheduled for March 23.

Wrexham, co-owned by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, are due in town in November 28 — a Tuesday night.

Christmas in Grimsby

The festive fixture list starts with a trip to Grimsby on Saturday, December 23, before a home match against Accrington Stanley on Boxing Day.

Three days later Harrogate, who finished 19th last season, host Tranmere Rovers, before a New Year’s Day trip to face Morecambe.

Today’s new signing Dean Cornelius

Good Friday sees the side travel to AFC Wimbledon, before an Easter Monday home clash with Gillingham.

The final home fixture of the season takes place on Saturday, April 20 when MK Dons visit Harrogate for the first time.

The final away fixture is at Salford City on Saturday, April 27.

Town’s 2023/24 EFL Trophy Group has also been confirmed, with the club drawn in Group C along with Carlisle United, Accrington Stanley and Nottingham Forest under-21s.

The draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup was also made, with Town set to host Carlisle the week commencing August 7.

Review: The Cripple of Inishmaan brings dark comedy to Harrogate Theatre

Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. Born and raised in Harrogate, Lauren recently moved back to North Yorkshire after a stint in London, where she regularly reviewed theatre – everything from big West End shows to small fringe productions. She is now eager to explore the culture on offer in and around her home town. You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com

Whilst the somewhat indelicate title of this Irish tragicomedy may have you doing a double take, don’t think twice about buying a ticket – it’s a performance not to be missed.

Written in 1996 by celebrated playwright Martin McDonagh, who has since found big-screen success with films such as In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, The Cripple of Inishmaan centres on orphan Billy Claven, a disabled youngster living on the remote island of Inishmaan, off the west coast of Ireland, in 1934.

Plagued by the incessant ridicule of his neighbours, he is referred to by all (despite his protestations) as Cripple Billy.

This even extends to his own foster ‘aunties’, who love him like a son, yet apply the same casual cruelty that is the very lifeblood of this play. Whilst pondering their sickly ward’s future, his aunt, Eileen, doubts he’ll ever be kissed, “…unless it was by a blind girl”.

When a Hollywood film director arrives on a neighbouring island (to film the real-life documentary, The Man of Aran), Billy finally sees his opportunity to escape his miserable existence.

An outrageously dark comedy, the play mixes hilarity, cruelty and kindness with great dexterity, its writing electric, with one uproarious quip after the other.

The Harrogate Dramatic Society cast, under Stuart Kellett’s direction, performing their opening night last night, knew exactly how to deliver every line – particularly impressive for what is a challenging play, jam-packed with dialogue.

This is a pleasingly rounded story with a satisfying arc, but it is also made or broken by the ability to draw its cast of characters, whose absurdity and colourfulness lie at its core; there is no disappointment here, with the HDS’ small yet mighty cast of nine. The Irish accents were out in full force, and the performers’ efforts to maintain these throughout were truly commendable.

Engaging and thoughtfully chosen, the cast proved consistently comic and dependably droll. The play’s sole non-comic player, outcast Billy, was handled by Adam Naylor with great earnestness and vulnerability.

A play like this was made for the simplicity of the studio at Harrogate Theatre. It is one without fuss; a neat piece which hops from scene to scene with real deftness. A clean, no-frills set with few distracting props, this production is really all about its players, who capture both the play’s sentimentality and its more outlandish threads, providing an evening as punchy as potent poteen.

The Cripple of Inishmaan is on tonight and tomorrow evening at Harrogate Theatre, and twice on Saturday. More information is available here.

Harrogate man appointed UK ambassador to Iraq

A diplomat from Harrogate has been appointed the UK’s new ambassador to Iraq.

Stephen Hitchen takes over the role from Mark Bryson-Richardson, who has been in post since July 2021.

On his Twitter feed, Mr Hitchen said:

“Delighted to be appointed as the next UK ambassador to Iraq, really looking forward to getting to know this fascinating country and building UK and Iraq’s partnership.”

The son of a solicitor and Methodist lay preacher, Mr Hitchen has deep family roots in the area, and was a pupil at St Peter’s CE Primary School and Ashville College.

Upon graduation he joined the civil service and worked for the Ministry of Defence for eight years, including 18 months’ full-time Arabic language training.

Following postings to Cairo and Kuwait, he became head of the Iran political team in the Middle East and North Africa directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In 2012 he was made head of Middle East reporting in the same department.

After three years as counsellor regional affairs based in Amman, Jordan, he became the FCO’s director of national security for the Middle East and North Africa, and lastly was appointed director of the counter terrorism department at the renamed Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

In a video post on the British Embassy’s Facebook page, Mr Hitchen, who is fluent in Arabic, said:

“The mission of our embassy is to help our friends in Baghdad and Erbil to strengthen the prosperity, and stability and sovereignty of Iraq. […] I’m hugely looking forward to my arrival in Iraq.”

Mr Hitchen will take up his post next month. Most UK ambassadors to Iraq over the last 20 years have spent two years in the post.

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