Boroughbridge High School agrees to close sixth form

Boroughbridge High School will temporarily close its sixth form in the summer due to issues with funding and declining student numbers.

It means the school will suspend applications for the sixth form from September 2022. All courses and pastoral support will transfer to King James’s School in Knaresborough.

The two schools federated last year, which means they have a single governing body overseeing both schools.

Boroughbridge High School held a consultation with staff, students, parents/carers and governors from mid-November to mid-December 2021 — just three people responded and they all opposed the move.

They raised concerns about increased travel times/cost, the suitability of alternative post-16 education in the area and the loss of relationships between students and teachers.

A letter sent to parents/carers yesterday revealed how the school received “a number of additional responses” ahead of the governing body’s meeting, which they took into account.

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There are currently 12 students in the sixth form — the governors do not believe that such numbers are financially or educationally sustainable.

After two years, the school will hold another consultation on the future of the sixth form.

Malcolm Dawson, chair of governors, said:

“It is not effective educationally for students to be taught in classes of one or two students.

“We have examined the situation carefully and believe this is the best way forward for the communities around Boroughbridge.”

A minibus service operates between the two sites.

Kathryn Stephenson is the headteacher at Boroughbridge High School.

Headteacher Kathryn Stephenson said:

“This is a decision which has not been taken lightly.

“Over the last few years, the school and governing body have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students have access to a high-quality post-16 provision.

“We are extremely proud of the outstanding results our students have achieved, enabling them to access many top universities.

“However, changing demographics combined with funding changes mean it is not viable to continue to operate our sixth form at the current time.”

Concern over level of consultation

Town and parish councillors in Boroughbridge High School’s catchment area have concerns about the level of consultation on the proposed closure of the sixth form.

Boroughbridge Town Council met with a school governor on Tuesday.

According to sources, councillors told the governor they had not been consulted and requested another meeting with more representatives from the school.

They said nearby Langthorpe Parish Council and Kirby Hill and District Parish Council share the same concerns. No meeting date has been set yet.

Former governors call for Boroughbridge sixth form to remain open

Three former governors of Boroughbridge High School have called for the potential closure of its sixth form to be stopped.

It comes as parents await the decision of the federated governing body of Boroughbridge High School and King James’s School in Knaresborough, which met last night.

The school held a consultation with staff, students, parents/carers and governors from mid-November to mid-December 2021. It asked for thoughts on the ‘suspension of the sixth form for up to two years’.

If the plan goes ahead then the sixth form will not reopen in September.

The Stray Ferret asked current chair Malcolm Dawson for the outcome of last night’s meeting but he declined to comment, saying parents would be notified first.

It is unclear when the results will be announced publicly.

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The consultation process and the decision itself has come under scrutiny in the last week.

Dr Ron Nixon, a former GP and one of the school’s founding governors, told the Stray Ferret:

“I just do not understand how this has happened. I do not like the smell of it. If it does close for two years then, realistically, what are the chances of it reopening?

“The closure of the sixth form would not only be a disaster for the school but also the wider community, which has grown rapidly over recent years.”

Brian Dooks, who served as a governor of Boroughbridge Primary School and Boroughbridge High School for nearly 20 years, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am disturbed and alarmed to learn that Boroughbridge High School could be about to lose its on-site sixth form.

“I was one of the governors who fought long and hard for the creation of the sixth form, which was attended by my two daughters.

“My former governors will take some serious persuading that it will not rapidly become a permanent solution to the detriment of generations of young people.

“In the last 10 years the Boroughbridge population has exploded. If there was justification for a sixth form in the 1990s, that must be true in 2022.”

Another former chair of governors, who asked not to be named, added:

“I just want the school to succeed. This was meant to be a consultation with parents but I am struggling to find parents who knew anything about it. They are angry.”

What’s your view of the proposed closure? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Residents petition calls on council to reject Harrogate Tesco plans

Residents living close to the former gas works in New Park have started a petition calling on Harrogate Borough Council to reject Tesco’s application to build a supermarket.

If given the go-ahead, Tesco would build a 38,795 square feet store and a petrol filling station on the site near the New Park roundabout.

Electric Avenue residents have cited various concerns, including pollution, road safety fears and environmental damage,

They say the disused site has become a home to wildlife since Northern Gas Networks moved out more than 20 years ago.

Two days since resident Nicki Balmforth set up the petition, more than 140 people have signed it. In the petition description she said:

“We believe that this new application should be rejected in full due to the time that has passed the abundance of wildlife now thriving on this land, and the certain destruction of their habitats.

“The site is home to and/or feeding ground to the following wildlife, roe deer, badgers, foxes, newts, frogs and toads, squirrels, hedgehogs, owls and more.

“We do not need another supermarket in this area, in a five-mile radius from this site there are 14 food stores including Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Co-op, and express shops. We do understand the need to support the new homes being built, but this is not the right location!”

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Electric Avenue residents are holding a meeting tomorrow night to discuss the plans.

Tesco has harboured ambitions for a new store in the town for almost 20 years. The retailer previously had plans approved in 2009.

The supermarket giant held an online consultation about the plans last year — 187 people responded. Of those, 62% said they supported proposals.

Tesco consultation results reveal support for new Harrogate store

Tesco has revealed the results of a consultation it held for a planned new supermarket on Harrogate’s Skipton Road.

The supermarket giant has lodged proposals to Harrogate Borough Council for a new store, five years after pulling out of a similar development.

If given the go-ahead, it would be built on the former gasworks at New Park and would include a 38,795 square feet store and a petrol filling station.

Tesco held an online consultation about the plans last year and the results have now been released.

According to documents submitted by the company to the council, 187 people responded. Of those, 74% said they wanted to see the derelict site brought back into use.

A total of 62% said they supported proposals for a new Tesco supermarket at the site.

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However, the consultation also saw people raise concerns about the development.

Sixteen respondents “expressed concern that providing access via a roundabout was inappropriate due to the existing roundabout at Skipton Road / Ripon Road”.

A total of 43 respondents also raised the issue of highways and traffic on the local area.

The issue of traffic has been raised by cycle groups, which have accused Tesco of “greenwashing” over claims about reduced car journeys.

Traffic concerns

Tesco has harboured ambitions for a new store in the town for almost 20 years. The retailer previously had plans approved in 2009, but pulled out after opposition from local traders.

Although many people have welcomed the prospect of a new supermarket in the north of Harrogate, some are concerned about the impact of extra traffic on what is already a busy area, plus access to the site.

However, the company has said in transport documents submitted to the council that the site would see fewer car journeys than under previous plans.

The document says that the store would attract a total of 908 fewer car journeys on a weekday peak time and 522 on a weekend compared with its previous application.

Tesco has said there are no “transport-related reasons” to turn the proposal down.

It added:

“This transport assessment has demonstrated that the development proposals will result in a decrease in the number of trips generated by the site compared to the extant permission for the A1 Tesco superstore.”

£10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway will ‘boost business’

The £10.9 million Station Gateway will boost Harrogate businesses by enhancing the town centre, according to those leading the scheme.

An online consultation event last night gave people the first chance to ask questions about the scheme, which aims to transform the area around the bus and train stations and encourage more people to walk and cycle, since the latest designs were revealed this week.

The current proposals would see traffic on Station Parade reduced to single lane and James Street pedestrianised between Princes Square and Station Parade.

Work could begin next summer and last up to a year, causing major disruption to the town centre and reduced parking, which concerns some businesses still trying to recover from covid.

In response to a question about what assessment had been made about the impact of the scheme on businesses, Matthew Roberts, economy and transport officer at Harrogate Borough Council, said it was a case of “short-term disruption for long-term gain”.

He said case studies from similar schemes had shown they could boost trade by up to 40 per cent by making the town centre more attractive and making it easier to access for non-car users.  Mr Roberts said:

“Behaviours are changing and the town needs to evolve with it.

“The mixture of case study evidence and local evidence has led me to believe this will firmly benefit the town’s economy.”

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In a video message to the event, county councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, which is leading on the scheme, said the Station Gateway would provide a “great economic boost to the town centre but also boost sustainable travel”.

Chris Harris, who is leading the design team on the project, said changes to James Street would “significantly the feel of the street for people shopping and moving around on foot” and also enable more features such as trees and plants.

He said the scheme would also “make more of a feature” of the Victoria monument by making it more visible.

Mr Harris added the project had a “tight window” but there was “still an opportunity to update things as we move forward”.

What happens next?

A second online consultation event will be held from 6pm to 7pm on Thursday next week.

People can meet members of the project team face-to-face to discuss the plans at the Victoria Shopping Centre on October 27, October 29 and November 5. There is also a business-only event on November 1.

People can also fill in a form online giving feedback.

Details of the consultation, which runs until November 12, are available here.

Councillor Mackenzie will discuss the scheme with Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce on November 8.

Following the consultation, a final business case will be prepared before approval is sought to deliver the schemes.

What is the Harrogate Station Gateway?

The Harrogate scheme is one of three projects worth a combined £42m in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby funded by the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund, which encourages cycling and walking.

They are being delivered in partnership by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council, Craven District Council and Selby District Council.

It is anticipated that work in Harrogate will begin by the middle of next year.

Half of responses ‘strongly oppose’ Oatlands Drive plan

Half of the responses to a consultation over plans to make Oatlands Drive in Harrogate one-way were strongly against the proposal, according to a new report.

Of the 2,298 people who responded to North Yorkshire County Council’s consultation, 50% indicated they ‘strongly oppose’ the scheme, while 38% said they supported or strongly supported it.

The scheme proposes making the road one-way southbound, towards Hookstone Drive, to create more space for cycle paths and widened footpaths.

It has already proved controversial, with more than 1,600 people having signed a petition set up by resident Anna McIntee opposing the plans. Opponents have cited the impact on school buses and the increasing creation of a ‘rat run’ on surrounding residential streets at peak times.

However, Harrogate and District Cycling Action said roads including Oatlands Drive need to be made safer for cyclists in order to reduce traffic around Harrogate.

Kevin Douglas, chair of the HDCA, told the Stray Ferret:

“The main aim is to get people cycling for short journeys into the town centre. We hope to have segregate cycle lanes on all the arterial routes.

“Some think that we want the roads to be car free but we just want to be able to share the roads safely.

“Even the most experienced cyclists feel unsafe with big lorries passing them close by and would feel much safer with a segregated lane.”

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In a report due to be considered by NYCC’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee next week, network strategy officer Louise Neale said:

“In total, we assessed over three hundred potential schemes to put forward as part of our bid for tranche two [funding from the Department for Transport] in August 2020.

“The criteria of the funding was particularly stringent and with a relatively small amount of funding available only a handful of schemes were deemed suitable for this round of funding. Three of the five schemes included in the bid were in Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

As well as the Oatlands Drive scheme, the consultation asked for people’s views on plans to introduce cycle lanes and crossings on the A59 near Harrogate Golf Club, and to improve cycling and pedestrian infrastructure on Victoria Avenue near Harrogate Library.

Both of those schemes proved more popular in the consultation, with 44% and 43% respectively supporting or strongly supporting them.

Full details of the responses to the consultation have not yet been released, but NYCC said it will take the feedback into account. In her report for the area committee, Ms Neale added:

“The first round of consultation focussed on the corridors for the routes rather than detailed design. The feedback from the first round of consultation will be collated to inform more detailed consultation plans.

“The second round of consultation is planned to take place in late March.”

Harrogate Turkish Baths: decision on same-sex sessions due next year

Harrogate Borough Council is set to decide next year whether to end same-sex sessions at the town’s Turkish baths.

The council, which runs the baths, told the Stray Ferret today it planned to publish a report based on its recent consultation by early next year.

The council has said a timetable consisting entirely of mixed sessions would reflect “equality and balance”.

It opened an online consultation in July seeking views on the possible axeing of same-sex sessions. The consultation, which ran while the baths were closed, has now finished.

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Harrogate’s Turkish baths remain closed for sessions but have been open since August for treatments only.

A spokesman for the council said it would publish its report on the consultation “in December of possibly January”. A decision will be taken shortly afterwards.

The baths stopped male-only sessions back in 2011 in the wake of reports of “inappropriate behaviour,” only to bring them back five years later.

It is unclear when a new timetable, if implemented, would happen. The government has not indicated when saunas or spa rooms are set to reopen.