A bus operator has responded to concerns raised by Boroughbridge parents about a new service serving schoolchildren.

East Yorkshire Motor Services Ltd, which trades as East Yorkshire Buses, this week took over the 22 service, which French-owned Transdev ran between Ripon and Boroughbridge.

The move, funded by North Yorkshire Council, means Boroughbridge High School pupils now have to use the 82 or 83.

However, parents claimed they were “not informed” about the change of operator and pupils’ pre-paid Transdev tickets were no longer valid.

The Stray Ferret put these concerns to East Yorkshire Buses. A spokesperson yesterday said:

“East Yorkshire Motor Services commenced operation of several public service routes on April 8, 2024, following a contract award from North Yorkshire Council. On our first day of operation of one of these services which calls into Boroughbridge High School, we became aware that some customers possessed period tickets issued by the previous operator which were yet to expire.

“To prioritise customer satisfaction and ensure a smooth transition, we took immediate action to accommodate these existing tickets for a grace period of one week. This decision was made to afford customers ample time to transition onto our service offerings seamlessly.”

Duncan Gray, whose granddaughter is a pupil at the school, told the Stray Ferret some children were “were initially refused to travel” with Transdev tickets, but after “protests from parents” they were permitted.

The spokesperson said in response:

“We have not been made aware of any reported instances where customers were denied travel due to possessing tickets from the previous operator. In fact, during the inaugural journey to Boroughbridge High School from Ripon, all such tickets were accepted without issue, as confirmed by our managing director who was present onboard.

“To further reinforce this commitment, a senior staff member was onboard the service this morning, and all legacy tickets were once again accepted without hesitation. We have also reiterated this message to our drivers and controllers to ensure that there are no issues.”

Another parent Tasha Newcombe, who also expressed concerns to the Stray Ferret following the change of operator, today said ticketing was “not the issue” now — instead the problem is “how late the bus is running”.

She added:

“On Tuesday they arrived at school at 9.30am as it was so late, and yesterday after school the children were waiting for 40 minutes to be picked up. It’s just ridiculous, some of these children, I believe year 7, have had exams this week which they have been late to.

“The timings really need sorting as this is going to impact on their education, and being late after school means missing clubs etc.”

Mr Gray reiterated Ms Newcombe’s concerns, adding his wife is driving their grandchildren to school this week as the bus has been “15 to 20 minutes late in the mornings”. He also said:

“The situation has to change otherwise the kids will be late every morning!”

East Yorkshire Buses said its priority was the “provision of reliable, efficient and customer-centric transport solutions”.

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Parents at Boroughbridge High School have expressed concern about the lack of information on changes to a Boroughbridge bus service.

Duncan Gray, whose granddaughter is a pupil at the school, contacted the Stray Ferret after the number 22, which formerly took students from Ripon to the school, ceased operating.

French-owned Transdev, which operated the route, has handed over the service to East Yorkshire Buses. According to East Yorkshire Buses’ website, the changeover has been funded by North Yorkshire Council, and pupils now must use the 82 or 83 to get to school.

The new service runs between Ripon bus station and York, via Boroughbridge and surrounding villages.

However, Mr Gray said parents were “not informed” about the change of operator and he added pupils’ Transdev tickets were no longer valid on the new service.

He said:

“The timetable has changed, meaning the kids arrive at school five minutes before start time. My granddaughter and dozens of other kids didn’t get to school until 9.30 today.

“There was no consultation on this transfer of service.”

Mr Gray also said pupils with Transdev tickets were initially refused to travel on the new service. However, after “protests from parents” the pupils were eventually permitted, he added.

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Another parent, Tasha Newcombe, also expressed concern about the short time pupils now have to catch the bus after school.

She told the Stray Ferret the changeover had been an “absolute shambles”, adding:

“I know that on pick-up in the afternoon the new bus gets there slightly earlier, meaning the children are now having to rush as soon as the end of the day bell goes.

“The [new] bus is smaller, so on the way home yesterday the kids were all stood up all the way back on country lanes.

“There were a lot of anxious children yesterday when they saw the new bus and were told their pre-bought tickets were not valid for the new bus.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Boroughbridge High School to ask about the new service, including whether the school was aware of the change, but it declined to comment.

We also approached Transdev and East Yorkshire Buses about the move, but neither firm replied by the time of publication.

The news comes after major changes to several Harrogate district buses were announced last week. However, the termination of the 22 was not included in the listed changes.

Boroughbridge High School could close its sixth form permanently, depending on the outcome of a consultation requested by its governors. 

North Yorkshire Council is due to discuss the proposal to change the age range at the school by closing the sixth form at a meeting on Tuesday, January 9. If approved, the new arrangements would come into effect on August 31, 2024. 

The sixth form at Boroughbridge High School has been temporarily suspended since September 2022. 

The school has worked in collaboration with other schools since 2016 to try to maintain sixth-form provision.

Initially, it worked with Easingwold and Thirsk Schools, but this collaboration ended when Easingwold School joined the Outwood multi-academy trust. Since then, the school has collaborated with King James’s School in Knaresborough, and the two schools federated in January 2021. 

But due to the demographics of the area, pupil numbers at Boroughbridge High have decreased by more than 40% – from 756 in 2013-14 to 438 in 2022-23. During the same period, numbers in the sixth form have plummeted by 97%, from 131 to just 4, according to figures published by the council. 

Consequently, the federated governing board of Boroughbridge High School and King James’s School suspended the sixth form at Boroughbridge from September 2022. 

The latest request by the board would make that arrangement permanent. 

A council document published ahead of the meeting notes that “the school population is now stabilising and is projected to increase in future”, partly due to housebuilding in the area. But the school’s the governing body does not feel that numbers would be large enough to attract enough government funding that would enable a financially viable sixth form. 

The consultation as proposed would open on January 19 and close on March 1, and a final decision on the sixth form’s fate would be made by North Yorkshire Council on May 28 or June 18. 

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Boroughbridge High School requires improvement, according to a report published by Ofsted today.

Government inspectors visited the school, which was previously rated ‘good’, on May 4 and 5 this year.

The 440-pupil school was assessed as ‘good’ for quality of education and personal development. But it received ‘required improvement’ ratings for behaviour and attitudes and leadership and management, as well as for its overall grading.

The report praises the “positive relationships between pupils and staff” and says most pupils enjoy attending.

It says “teachers have secure subject knowledge and apply this well in lessons” and the majority of staff are happy and proud to work at the school.

But it says some pupils are disruptive, some do not attend regularly enough and some teachers do not ensure all pupils are actively involved in lessons.

The report says:

“Not all teachers have high enough expectations of pupils’ behaviour and do not routinely challenge low-level disruption in classrooms.

“Although many pupils feel safe in school, some do not. Some pupils in lower year groups say they are worried or concerned about the behaviour and conduct of some older pupils.”

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Inspectors also said some teachers “accept pupils shouting out answers” and therefore “too few pupils have their subject knowledge routinely checked”.

School behaviour is described as “not always calm and orderly” and inspectors said “a small proportion of staff do not feel well supported to manage behaviour”.

Headteacher Kathryn Stephenson said:

“We are pleased that inspectors recognised many strengths within our school including the positive relationships between staff and students, effective safeguarding and the high quality of education for all students.

“We are determined to ensure that all aspects of our school are of the highest standard and we look forward to working with our students and their families to achieve this.”

Boroughbridge High School is part of a federation with King James’s School in Knaresborough. The two schools have the same governing body.

The sixth form is currently suspended and a small number of students in Year 13, who are still on roll at Boroughbridge High School, travel to King James’s School for Year 13 lessons.

Festive spirit will be flowing in Boroughbridge tonight as the town hosts its annual late-night shopping, Christmas tree lights switch-on and a visit from Santa.

The event, organised Boroughbridge and District Chamber of Trade, will see shops stay open until 8pm.

The night will begin with the official Christmas tree lights switch-on in Hall Square at 5.30pm, followed by carols from three school choirs — Boroughbridge Primary and High School and Roecliffe Primary.

Boroughbridge Lions will host Santa and his sleigh and there will be community stalls, children’s rides and a donkey and miniature horse.

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Festive food and drink will include the Scouts’ roast chestnuts and Brighter Boroughbridge’s mulled wine and mince pies stall. There will also be a hog roast.

The shop window display competition theme this year is A Christmas Panto, with entries to be judged tonight,

The lights on the Christmas tree will be switched on by BBC Radio York’s Georgey Spanswick and the Mayor, Sean Hynes.

Chamber president Derek Hufton said:

“Anyone coming along will find the town buzzing.

“There will be lots of great independent shops to browse and buy Christmas gifts from.

“Santa and his sleigh, along with the kids’ rides, will be big attractions to the younger generation. But wrap up warm!”

Concerns have been raised about the absence of a secondary school in plans for a new Harrogate district town of up to 4,000 homes.

The proposed town, called Maltkiln, will be built in the Hammerton and Cattal area and will include a GP surgery, shops and two primary schools — but not a secondary school.

According to a North Yorkshire County Council report, the scheme proposes to expand Boroughbridge High School, which has about 600 students, to meet demand for secondary school pupils.

Land in Maltkiln has also been “safeguarded” for a high school, but this would only be built in future should it be required.

Green Party councillor Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn, told a Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee meeting today that plans to expand Boroughbridge High School to meet demand would generate its own problems.

He added that local residents were surprised the development did not have its own secondary school given that thousands of homes are expected to be built.

Cllr Warneken said:

“This is a massive impact on this community and everything needs to be in place that is going to address that impact.

“The pupils are not just going to come from the Maltkiln development, they are going to come from places like Whixley, Green Hammerton and Tockwith as well. All of those have experienced big developments as well.

“I am concerned that we are asking, as a result of Maltkiln, for a school to be further developed in Boroughbridge when I believe that Boroughbridge has its own set of problems in terms of levels of development and the number of pupils that will generate.”

Boroughbridge High School.

Officials at the county council said in a report that it was “not expected” that the size of the development would “generate sufficient pupils” to require a new secondary school.

Sue Turley, strategic planning officer in the county council’s children’s and young people service, said the council had forecast that Boroughbridge High School would be able to meet the demand for secondary school pupils from the new town.

She said:

“In terms of the secondary provision, it is expected that Boroughbridge High School would be expanded because there is sufficient space at the school and to grow the school, which is part of a federation with King James School.

“However, it is important to realise that there is safeguarded land within Maltkiln for secondary provision as indicated should this be required in the future. There is that provision there and I think that everybody wanted to see that there was that provision in that development plan for the site, which is now being consulted on.”

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Cllr Pat Marsh, chair of the area committee, raised concern that the move did not meet the sustainable aims of the development.

She said:

“Why are we saying this is a sustainable community and yet expecting children to travel at 11 to Boroughbridge?

“Then this joining with King James becomes problematic because Knaresborough itself has got over 1,000 new houses and where is the secondary school there? It’s King James.

“So there is going to be a major issue with secondary schools.”

Extension of consultation

Harrogate Borough Council has agreed to extend a consultation into  Maltkiln until November 25.

Council officials launched a six-week consultation on October 3 into its draft new settlement development plan document, which sets out a 30-year vision and policy framework on how the town is designed and developed.

However, Cllr Warneken, who represents Ouseburn on North Yorkshire County Council, called for an extension amid concern that the planning process was being rushed ahead of the new North Yorkshire Council coming into being.

He issued the plea after it emerged the consultation documents had been changed midway through — without people being told — and raised the prospect of a judicial review.

You can take part in the consultation over the new town here.

Schools across the Harrogate district are handing out GCSE results to their Year 11 students this morning.

After a tumultuous two years in their education, the 15 and 16-year-olds sat formal exams for the first time earlier in the summer.

Today’s results will confirm whether they can go on to their planned next steps in education or training.

Keep checking our live blog for the latest news and results from schools across the Harrogate district.

5.10pm Harrogate Grammar School celebrates results

HGS headteacher Neil Renton praised students and teachers for their hard work over the last two years.

92% of students at the school secured grades 9 to 4 in both English and maths. Almost half of all grades were at 7, 8 or 9, with students in biology, chemistry, computer science, product design, music, and physics achieving between 20% and 35% of grades at the top level 9.

Mr Renton said:

“These exceptional results reflect the tenacity of our students and their own unique story during the pandemic. We would like to thank our teachers, who have worked tirelessly during such an exceptional time, and fully appreciate the support that parents have provided during their children’s time with us. It is this partnership between home and school which continues to be the foundation for our success at HGS.”

Stan Gambrill

Alesha Ndikumana

Mia Felstead and Baha Sabet

5.07pm Outwood Academy in Ripon celebrates ‘inspirational’ students

4.01pm Photos: Rossett School

Another selection of happy faces on GCSE results day – this time from Rossett School.

George Papadopoullos and Matthew Jarvis

Patrick Fleming

Yael and Matan Braunstein with their parents and, right, Rossett headteacher Helen Woodcock

3.44pm Young actress heads for stage school after GCSE results

Talented young actress Izzy Kirby will be heading to the prestigious Tring Park Performing Arts School in London after collecting her exam results today.

The Ripon Grammar School boarding student has her sights set on becoming a stage star, and scored a 9, three 8s, a 7 and five 6s to send her there.

Izzy has already starred as Tracy Turnblad in Upstage Academy’s hit musical Hairspray at Harrogate Theatre, as well as taking the role of Babette in her school’s production of Beauty and the Beast. She said:

“I am so happy with my results, especially my 9 in art and 8 in music. I sing but I don’t play an instrument so music was a challenge to begin with, but I have learnt so much.

“I am so excited now to be pursuing my dream of a career as an actress and learning all the skills required for performing in musical theatre, hopefully eventually on the West End and, if I am very lucky, Broadway.

“My dream roles include Sophie in Mamma Mia, Velma in Chicago or the title role of Mary Poppins in the musical.”

Having trained with Upstage for the last four years, Izzy was offered places with three other drama schools but chose Tring as her preferred destination. Its past pupils include actress Lily James, singer Ella Henderson, and Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley.

3.28pm Photos: Ashville College

Harriet Sammon with her parents

Luca Issacs

Lucy Parkinson

Seb Bate

3.21pm Adult learners also collecting results today

Adult learners across North Yorkshire have also been collecting their GCSE results today.

North Yorkshire County Council’s adult learning and skills service offers English and maths courses to help adults improve their key skills.

In maths, 85% of students achieved grade 9-4 and in English language, the results were 100% at grade 4 or above.

North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, said: “Congratulations to all young people and adult learners in North Yorkshire receiving their GCSE and equivalent results today.

“Students, adult learners and teaching staff should be very proud of their achievements today. I would especially like to thank our schools, colleges and adult learning providers for their outstanding commitment and support to this cohort of students during what has been a very difficult time.”

North Yorkshire County Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education and skills, added:

“Huge congratulations to all young people in North Yorkshire receiving their GCSE and equivalent results today.

“I have been very impressed by their resilience, hard work and commitment to their studies throughout the ongoing challenges brought by pandemic, their achievements today are well deserved. Good luck in whatever you choose to do next and well done!”

3.07pm ‘Success for everyone’ at Rossett results day

The headteacher of Rossett School in Harrogate has highlighted the achievements of all students, not just those scoring the top grades.

Helen Woodcock said the “many, many individual success stories” should all be recognised in the wake of two years of covid disruption.

She added:

“Each student has had their own individual experience of working towards their GCSEs through the pandemic.

“They have had to be self-disciplined, deal with anxieties, and rebuild their resilience. Some have also had to navigate bereavement, personal medical challenges and changes in family circumstances.

“And yet, they returned to school and exam preparation with real commitment for study and for being involved in wider activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, clubs and competitions.

“We are unbelievably proud of them all.”

Although it has not released statistics, the school said its results are “significantly higher” than the national average across all measures, including the number of grades 9-7 awarded to its students.

Among those to have scored particularly well were Yael Braunstein and George Papadopoullos, who achieved 13 grade 9s and 10 grade 9s respectively. The results – some of which were awarded in previous years, place them in the top 0.1% in the country.

Yael, whose younger brother Matan has just achieved a grade 8 in GCSE Latin at the end of year 9, has received a scholarship to study maths, history, chemistry and further maths.

Patrick Fleming achieved grades 9 and 8 across all his subjects and will return to Rossett’s sixth form next month to study maths, physics, computer science and further maths. Lucie Cliff, meanwhile, will use her four grade 9s, four 8s and one 6 to study sciences and psychology as she aims to get a place on a medical degree.

Deputy head Peter Saunders, who is in charge of quality of education, said:

“This year’s fantastic results fulfil the school’s aim of ‘success for everyone’, which we achieve through the strength of our tailored curriculum that allows students to develop their own individual strengths and talents.

“We are absolutely delighted for all our students. Their achievements in the light of the particular impact of covid on their studies makes their results today all the more remarkable.”

2.44pm Photos: Harrogate Ladies’ College

A few more photos now – these from Harrogate Ladies’ College, where students were greeted by delighted principal Sylvia Brett.

Ilene Andisheh-Tadbir and Beatrice Nolan

Principal Sylvia Brett with delighted GCSE students

2.39pm Top results shared by students at Borougbridge High School

Two students shared the honours of top results at Boroughbridge High School today.

Toby Naish and Melody Neale each achieved eight grade 9s and one grade 8 in their GCSE results.

Headteacher Kathryn Stephenson said:

“It has been an absolute pleasure to congratulate students today on their excellent achievements.

“We are incredibly proud of the way in which they have approached the challenges of the last couple of years, showing great resilience throughout.”

2.12pm Strong performance in key subjects at St John Fisher

The core subjects of English and maths showed great results at St John Fisher Catholic High School today.

Across the year group, 86% of students secured at least grade 4 in both subjects.

The school said the results showed the students’ “diligence, commitment and tenacity”. Headteacher Steve Mort said:

“It is a privilege to work with young people who have such high aspirations, and it is wonderful to see them excelling academically as well as witnessing their spiritual and personal growth during their time with us.

“We now look forward to welcoming the majority of them back into our excellent Associated Sixth Form. For those students who are moving on to other post -16 establishments we wish them the very best with their future endeavours and thank them for their contributions to life at St John Fisher school.

“My thanks to our dedicated teaching and support staff. They have worked incredibly hard, under unprecedented circumstances, to enable our students to progress on to their post-16 studies.

“The support of our parents and carers has been crucial too. They have worked in close partnership with the school to enable us to provide high quality learning and pastoral care during the pandemic.”

St John Fisher student Archie Gray, who has been in the Leeds United first team squad while studying for his GCSEs, is also reported to have done well. The club posted on its Twitter account today:

https://twitter.com/LUFC/status/1562787833261133824?s=20&t=_905is3jWHLGkJ6O1TCq3Q

2.04pm Top results at Harrogate’s Ashville College

More than half of the students at Ashville College achieved grades 9 to 7 in today’s results.

A third of them achieved the top two grades, while the school said its ‘value added’ measure of progress over the last two years showed a score of 0.8 per grade, per subject.

Headteacher Rhiannon Wilkinson said:

“We are delighted with the excellent results our Year 11 pupils attained, and I congratulate them on their success.

“They rose admirably to the challenges of the last two years, and their hard work and determination has certainly paid off with over half our results attaining the top grades of 9 to 7.

“Ashville pupils, families and staff are celebrating the fact that in 2022 we have seen the best ever progress made by GCSE pupils in GCSE examinations.”

Among those scoring highly was Annie Meehan, one of just 188 students across the country to achieve eleven 9s, who will go on to the school’s sixth form as she prepares for a medical degree.

Seb Bate scored nine 9s and two 8s, Lucy Parkinson got nine 9s alongside and 8 and a 7, Ethan Marshall achieved eight 9s, two 8s and a 7, Anna Jackson got four 9s, five 8s and a 7 and Luca Issacs scored six 9s, three 8s and a 7.

For Harriet Sammon, who has dyslexia, support from the school’s learning support team helped to achieve a 9, four 8s, two 7s and a 6, along with a value added score of just over two grades per subject. She said:

“They have been amazing and thanks to them I never gave up. I’m really pleased with my results and can’t wait to start sixth form.”

Lucy added:

“I’m absolutely delighted with my results, and one has come as a real shock – In my mocks I got a 6 in physics and I have passed it with a 9!

“I’m really looking forward to my A levels, studying the subjects I love in more depth, and then hopefully going on to university.”

1.38pm Pictures: Results day at St Aidan’s

Some photographs of delighted students collecting their results at St Aidan’s today.

1.24pm Results at St Aidan’s ‘over and above’ expectations

Students at St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate are celebrating their GCSE results today.

The school said its pupils’ progress was “over and above expectations” and that they had achieved “remarkably well” in today’s results.

Acting headteacher Chris Ives said:

”These results are testament to the fantastic group of students we have had in Year 11. For the last two years they have not only had to embrace the demands of their GCSE courses, but also handle the uncertainty and pressures of the pandemic.

“We are immensely proud of each and every one of them. They have been there and supported one another through a great deal.

“After not being able to have students pick up their results up in person for the last two years, it is truly amazing to see them celebrate together as a community today.

“Our staff have also given so much of their time to help and support these young people – using their knowledge and expertise in their subjects, and providing assurance and guidance through an examination process that these students will not have seen their peers go through over the last few years.

“The support we have all felt from our parents and carers has also been incredibly heartening.”

The school has not released any statistics publicly, but said a “large number” of students would return to sixth form in September.

12.11pm Top grades set young farmer on path to future career

A young farmer has scored top grades in his GCSE results despite juggling the challenges of school with his work on a local farm.

Despite getting up before dawn and going to bed long after sunset, Will Jarvis managed to achieve nine grade 9s and two 8s.

The Roecliffe teenager, who attends Ripon Grammar School, is also a keen Yorkshire Academy rugby player and trombone player in the school brass ensemble. He said:

“I choose to work long hours, alongside my school life, because I have always had a huge passion to educate people where their food comes from, as well as produce the food they are about to eat.

“Farming is more of a way of life than a career, whether it be through the constant work required to keep livestock fed, watered, bedded, and healthy and happy too, or the working of land to prepare, plant, and maintain healthy growth of crops that will then be used the following year.

“I love my job because it varies hugely, no two days are the same, even if I am driving the same tractor or working with the same cows and calves.”

Will plans to return to school in September to study A levels in biology, chemistry, maths and geography, before taking a gap year to work as a cattle rancher in Australia then silaging and large-scale harvesting in New Zealand and America, before beginning university.

11.28am Hundreds of top grades for Ripon Grammar School students

More than 600 top grades have been handed to students at Ripon Grammar School today.

The GCSE students achieved a total of 601 grades 8 and 9 in their results, with 69.9% of all grades being 9-7 and 94.5% being 9-5 – equivalent to a B or above under the old system.

Among the highest achieving were five students who achieved 10 or more grade 9s.

Headmaster Jonathan Webb said:

“We are delighted for our GCSE students who have worked so hard during two years of disrupted education and I would like to congratulate also the teaching staff who supported students through the lockdowns with an effective online programme which left them well-placed for exams this summer.”

11.11am Nidderdale High School sends students on to next steps in education

Nidderdale High School is singing the praises of its students, who have overcome the challenges of the last few years to achieve their GCSE and BTEC results.

Across all subjects, a third of students achieved at least one top grade of 9, 8 or 7.

Among those celebrating top results are Jeevan Shergill, whose 11 results were all graded 9-7, and Martha Wood who achieved 10 out of 11 results at grades 9-7.

Ethan May had nine 9-7 grades, while Elspeth Raw and Dylan Sawyer both achieved eight grades 9-7. All four will now study A levels in local sixth forms.

Across the year group, students are also going on to sports scholarships, apprenticeships and college places.

Headteacher Kath Jordan said:

“It is difficult to put into words just how challenging the past few years have been for this year group, from choosing their options during live online lessons, to returning to school with limited movement around the building, weekly lateral flow tests, disruption to internal mock exams and periods of absence for students and staff.

“This coupled with the uncertainty about what would be tested, how much information would be released to support preparation and how exams would be graded, has required the very highest levels of determination, resilience, flexibility and commitment from students.

“It has also seen exceptional levels of support from staff and families. We are proud of everything our school community has done to overcome the many obstacles and ensure success for our students and help them to take their next steps towards their future studies and careers.

“Many of our Year 11s have been role models for the kindness and respect that is so important to who we are as a school. We hope that they have felt that both when things are going right and in times of difficulty, we have been there for them and now we wish them all the very best for their future.”

9.52am Promising athlete achieves top grades despite dad’s cancer diagnosis

A high-flying athlete whose father was diagnosed with cancer six weeks before he sat his GCSEs is celebrating top results today.

Isaac Henson achieved five grade 9s, three 8s and three 7s, having also competed in the Yorkshire track and field championships while preparing for his exams.

His father Ant was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April, just before the exam period began at Ripon Grammar School. Isaac said:

“My dad being poorly really put things in perspective for me, and spending many hours a week training for athletics has made me determined to do my best.

“But it’s been hard work and I could not have done this without the dedication of my teachers. They are passionate about their subjects, which really helps.”

Isaac was crowned triple Yorkshire champion in shot put, discus and 100m hurdles, winning silver in javelin and pole vaulting too. Since sitting the exams, he has won the Northern regional javelin competition, as well as silvers in pole vault and discus.

He now plans to study A levels in art, biology, chemistry and maths, before applying for sporting scholarships to study chemistry in the USA.

Mum Fiona said:

“We are over the moon with all his achievements and are so proud. We can’t thank the school enough for all their help and guidance.”

Alongside his studies, Isaac continues with his sports, including being selected for the School Games national finals at Loughborough University next week, with the national pole vault and octathlon championships later this year.

Having been the North Yorkshire U15 indoor pentathlon champion, he’s now working towards competing in the decathlon.

Although he only took up pole vaulting recently, he is currently placed sixth in the country in his age group.

Isaac, who received his results on his phone while working at a local cattery and kennels, added:

“I can’t thank my English teacher Miss Levhan enough for helping me get grade 7s as I struggle with it so much; she has been a fantastic teacher.

‘Chemistry is my favourite subject as my teacher Dr Grime has drummed into me that it’s the best subject in the world!”

9.48am Top results for Harrogate Ladies’ College pupils

Results at Harrogate Ladies’ College today are the best achieved by the school since the new GCSE grading system began five years ago.

The number of top grades of 9-7 – equivalent to A**-A in the old system – increased to 64%, with 24% of all grades achieving the highest possible score of 9. In six subject areas, all of the grades were 9-7.

School principal Sylvia Brett said:

“Once again these are a fantastic set of results which reflect our talented and hard-working pupils.

“These are the highest set of grades we have seen since the new national grades were introduced 5 years ago, and we have incredible success across a huge range of subjects including languages, creative arts and sciences.

“I was particularly pleased to see how well the girls have performed in the sciences, but equally that pupils who opted for languages and humanities have performed so well.

“They should all be very proud of their success today.”

Among those celebrating is Ilene Andisheh-Tadbir, who achieved seven grade 9s and four grade 8s, and Beatrice Nolan who achieved five grade 9s, three 8s and a 7.

Emily Walker scored five grade 9s, two 8s and three 7s, while Harrogate’s Emily Reid achieve five grade 8s and four 7s.

Ilene said:

“I’m thrilled with my results and feel overjoyed at the thought of coming back to school in a few weeks to start my A levels and then think about university choices. I’m really, really pleased with the results.”

Beatrice added:

“I’m really delighted with today’s results and want to thank everyone at school who supported me and now I can’t wait to start the next chapter at school and think about what my future holds.”

Parents of children at Boroughbridge High School have criticised Transdev after they claimed the bus company didn’t tell them a school route had been cut.

The V22 Vamooz service took children on the outskirts of Ripon to and from the school in Boroughbridge.

Vamooz is owned by Transdev, which operates several bus services in the Harrogate district, including the 36.

Two parents today told the Stray Ferret they were not told by Vamooz or Transdev that the service was being withdrawn, which meant children were left waiting this morning for a bus that never arrived. They called the situation “chaotic”.

Shanagh Brown’s 15-year-old daughter was unable to make it to school today from her home in Wormald Green.

Ms Brown said she had struggled to get any information about what alternative bus routes to the school there were for her daughter. She feared her child would have to catch a 36 bus into Ripon at 7.15am in order to get to school on time.

Ms Brown said:

“My daughter is upset, she’s just had Easter and wants to get back to school to start revising for her GCSES. 

“I found out from another parent that Transdev were withdrawing the service due to low passenger numbers.

“It’s a nightmare and I’m stressing out.”

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Philippa Graham’s 12-year-old son also goes to Boroughbridge High.

He has caught the V22 from Lead Lane for the past two years but returned home this morning after the bus never arrived.

Ms Graham said she was not aware the service had been cut, which she said led to a stressful day for her family.

“Our son came back home having gone to catch his bus and said ‘it’s not turned up mum’.”

“It’s utterly chaotic.”

‘No longer sustainable’

Vamooz’s website says children who normally catch the V22 are able to catch the 36 bus to Ripon from their usual stops before getting another bus, the 22, from Ripon Bus Station.

A Transdev spokesperson said bus passes for the V22 are valid on the 36 and 22. They said all school bus passengers were told that the service was being withdrawn.

They added:

“Less than 10 customers per day used this bus, which was obviously no longer sustainable, and each were contacted via email to make them aware of alternative buses they could use or take up the opportunity of a refund.”