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10
Apr
Decision made on plans for special educational needs school in village near Harrogate
North Yorkshire Council has approved plans to convert a now-defunct primary school into a special educational needs facility.
Strive for Education lodged a change of use application to the council in February.
It sought approval to convert offices at the former St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Bishop Thornton, which closed in 2016, into a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school.
Sonja and Andy Brown launched Strive for Education as an alternative provision in 2020.
Now an independent specialist school, Strive for Education offers places to children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) and caters to pupils whose needs cannot be met in mainstream education.
The Bishop Thornton site will be Strive for Education’s third facility, in addition to the existing premises in Harrogate town centre and its outdoor learning and vocational construction centre.
The application said all pupils are referred to the specialist school by North Yorkshire Council, adding:
We have a waiting list of local young people who require education and whose needs cannot be met in the local area. By opening an additional site at the former St Joseph’s Roman Catholic School, we hope to add capacity to cater for more North Yorkshire pupils who are referred to us in the future.
The now-approved plans add there would be minimal disruption to existing traffic, as the school has a large car park, but a council report says objectors raised concerns about increased traffic through the village.
The two objections also flagged the potential for more noise and air pollution caused by the new school, as well as concerns for pedestrian safety.
However, planning officers found the facility would not increase the intensity of the site, nor would it result in an unacceptable impact on amenities.
The new school would also operate a shorter day than most mainstream schools; pupils would arrive at 9.30am and leave at 2.30pm.
There would only be two classes at the school, both of which would have no more than seven pupils each, so the facility would also be considerably smaller than most.
Strive for Education hopes to open the new site this September.
North Yorkshire Council approved the plans subject to conditions, including conditions relating to highway safety.
‘There is a huge local demand’ for additional SEND provision
Ms Brown previously told the Stray Ferret her husband was formerly an assistant headteacher at a local primary school and saw the need for additional SEND provision in the area.
She told us at the time:
We are a small specialist school with small class sizes, high staff-to-pupil ratios and pastoral support.
All of our on-roll students have an EHCP, and we also offer a small number of Alternative Provision places which are commissioned by local secondary schools. We have an amazing team of staff who work tirelessly to support our young people.
The Bishop Thornton site would allow Strive for Education to provide additional facilities and opportunities for students that the town centre premises cannot offer, Ms Brown said.
Ofsted would also be required to inspect Strive for Education again and grant approval to open the new school.
Ms Brown added the independent school has a proven track record and excellent results, and she feels there is a huge local demand for more SEND provisions.
The Stray Ferret contacted Strive for Education about the application being approved but we had not received a response at the time of publication.
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