Rossett sixth form to merge with Harrogate Grammar School

Students planning to go to a Harrogate sixth form in September have been told they will instead be taught at another school.

Rossett School has this week told parents that pupils going into sixth form will attend classes at Harrogate Grammar School.

A letter to grammar school parents said the move was “to ensure the breadth of curriculum offer for their current Year 11 students” at Rossett.

Current sixth form students going into their second and final year at Rossett School will be unaffected, the letter said.

Harrogate Grammar School also reassured parents that it would not have an impact on class sizes. It said:

“Typically, each year one third of students in both Year 12 and Year 13 are new students to HGS, joining from a wide range of schools across the region. It is therefore entirely normal for new students to join us in our sixth form.”

It said the school had reached its sixth form capacity of 650 students during and following the covid pandemic, but was now able to accommodate the “small number” of Rossett students who would join this year.

Harrogate Grammar School offers A level and BTEC courses, as well as the extended project qualification (EPQ). Rossett School has offered a similar programme of courses and subjects.

The news comes as the two schools work increasingly closely, with Rossett expected to join the same multi-academy trust as Harrogate Grammar School from September.

Last week, it was confirmed that HGS deputy headteacher Tim Milburn will take over as head of Rossett School.

At the same time, the school is expected to join the Red Kite Learning Trust, which already has a membership of 13 schools, including three primaries and a junior school in the Harrogate district.

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Harrogate Grammar School awarded £50,000 to improve sixth form science

Harrogate Grammar School has received a £50,000 grant from The Wolfson Foundation to improve the sixth form’s science facilities.

The grant-making charity, which focuses on supporting research and education projects, has awarded more than £2 million to organisations in Yorkshire and the Humber in its latest round of funding.

This is the second time the foundation has awarded funds to HGS’ science department.

Five years ago it issues a grant to the main school’s science laboratory facilities.  This second award will be used to refurbish the biology lab, create an up-to-date space for students to conduct all practical elements of their studies and also provide a teacher demonstration area.

David Robson, assistant headteacher at HGS, said:

“I’m delighted that this award will aid the enhancement of our science facilities in sixth form, leading to a more engaging teaching environment. Flexible spaces will enable more effective delivery of the suite of science qualifications.”

Headteacher Neil Renton said:

“It is an honour to receive this funding, recognising our vision to create greater access to modern teaching spaces.

“The plans facilitate effective teaching of both theory and practical elements across the science qualifications”.

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BTEC results delay an ‘unnecessary obstacle’, says Harrogate College principal

Harrogate College’s principal has described a decision to pull BTEC results as an “unnecessary obstacle” for schools and colleges.

Danny Wild, principal at the college, said the college has been able to offer those students who decided to stay with them a place ahead of the results being released and support those heading to university.

It comes as Pearsons, the exam body, decided to pulled its results for the qualification late last night in order to re-grade them in line with A-levels and GCSEs.

Both exams are now being graded via school-based assessments following a U-turn by the government.

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Pearsons has since apologised for the uncertainty that the decision, which is expected to affect 450,000 pupils across the UK, will cause.

Mr Wild said he has not received any further communication from Pearsons today, but added that the college would continue to support its students.

He said:

“It’s an unnecessary obstacle for schools and colleges to have to navigate and it’s massively distressing for students.

“We have continued to communicate with our students and support them.”

He added that those who did a BTEC at GCSE and were coming to the college would continue through the enrolment process ahead of the results being released.

Those who did the qualification equivalent to A-level and are staying on at the college would do the same. But those who are leaving for university will still receive support from the college in areas such as UCAS applications.

The move comes as students across Harrogate received their GCSE results today.

Having not sat exams, the grades awarded were based on centre assessments. So far, there has been much less controversy over the results than last week, which saw more than a third of centre-assessed results in the Harrogate district downgraded by the government’s algorithm.

The process has since been reversed and assessed grades reinstated – but it has left many students still uncertain over their university places.