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01
Oct
Closed primary school near Boroughbridge reopens as nursery
A school between Ripon and Boroughbridge that closed last year has reopened as a nursery.
Little Pippins Montessori Nursery School, formerly Baldersby Park Montessori Nursery, is now based in the former Skelton Newby Hall Primary School building in Skelton-on-Ure.
The school closed in summer 2023 after it struggled with falling numbers of pupils and was eventually forced to close after having just one student enrolled. It has been vacant since then.
Earlier this year, the nursery submitted plans to North Yorkshire Council to change the use of the building.
The nursery, which has been established for more than 20 years, was previously located at Queen Mary’s School in Topcliffe, near Thirsk.
It relocated last month to take over occupancy in the 155-year-old village building.
Nursery owners Victoria and Ian Pollitt have spent the last few months renovating the building, with support from the Newby Hall Estate, and final work on the outside of the building is due to finish soon.
Ms Pollitt, headteacher at Little Pippins, said:
We had a fantastic five years in our old building in the grounds of Queen Mary’s School in Topcliffe, but we needed more space and were therefore delighted to reach agreement with the Newby Hall Estate to lease the former school.
It’s an amazing setting for a children’s nursery with so much internal and external space, so the children will benefit even further from being here.
The former Skelton Newby Hall Primary School building
In the main building there are three large, dedicated rooms for children aged two to three and three to four.
There is also a Montessori classroom to offer one-to-one and small group class work, as well as a kitchen, which means the nursery is now able to offer cooked lunches for the first time.
In a newly renovated space across from the main building, a dedicated room has been established for the very youngest children, complete with a kitchen, sleeping area and garden.
Ms Pollitt added:
Even though it’s only been a few weeks since we moved here, the feedback we have had from parents and the local community has been excellent.
They can see how much more space we now have, which will be of even further benefit to the children on their early years learning journey.
Guy Critchlow, chair of Skelton-cum-Newby Parish Council said:
We are delighted to see children back in the village at Little Pippins Nursery and in a building which has always been an important part of the fabric in the community.
It’s crucial that we continue to attract young families to the village, and having an established nursery with such a good reputation will undoubtedly play an important part in this.
We are grateful to Victoria and Ian for the amazing work they have done to transform the building and for the support of Richard and Lucinda Compton at Newby Hall, who are continuing the long family tradition of ensuring space is available in our village for educational purposes
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