This article is sponsored by Barnard Castle School.
Barnard Castle Prep School is where the foundations of children’s learning are laid.
It is here that children enjoy an inspiring and nurturing experience that sets them on a rewarding and happy journey in education.
Ahead of this major milestone, parents and children are being invited to learn more about where “Barney’s” school journey begins.
An open morning is being held at the co-educational independent day and boarding school in County Durham, which has a history that stretches back to the 19th century.
The event on October 1, which also includes the Senior School, is aimed at giving parents and pupils an opportunity to get a feel for the school, inspect the facilities and chat with peers and staff.
Barnard Castle School’s Prep School headmistress Laura Turner said:
“We tell our parents that our collective role, as parents and teachers, is to arm our children with the tools with which to clear the path ahead of them, not to clear the path for them.
“This means we have to allow them to fail at times, in a supportive environment. If we do that together, we are doing our best to prepare our young people for the challenges ahead.”
Pupils at Barnard Castle School.
The Prep School, which ranges from reception to Year 6, offers creative curriculums in each year group allow children to be engaged and become independent learners and thinkers.
These are practiced alongside a robust, wide-ranging extra-curricular activity programme, including regular lessons in Forest School.
Ms Turner said:
“In the pupils’ final year at Prep School, we focus on preparing the children for transition to Senior School whilst maintaining the safety and security of a familiar class environment.
“As an alternative to SATs, Barney’s Year 6 Achievement Award provides a focus for the children, fostering in them a more mature, ambitious and independent approach to study and recognising their commitment right across the curriculum.
“We place enormous emphasis on ensuring each and every pupil feels a sense of belonging at ‘Barney’; only then will they come close to maximising their potential.”
The school has a history that stretches back to the 19th century.
The Prep School also offers junior boarding, which boasts a “wonderful community of pupils” and a “family feel”.
Ms Turner added:
“Boarders at Barney become rounded, independent, and responsible Barnardians. They develop empathy and kindness for their peers, as well as a true appreciation for the family environment, mutual trust, and respect.
“Our boarding family is a wonderful community of pupils from a variety of countries, with the largest percentage coming from UK-based families.
“Our team have created an environment that pupils aspire to part of; it is one of warmth and nurture, enthusiasm and House spirit and, overwhelmingly, a sense of family.”
Situated on the outskirts of historic market town of Barnard Castle, an extensive transport service is operated from across the North East and North Yorkshire to the school.
To find out more about what makes education at Barnard Castle School so special, contact a member of the admissions team on 01833 696030 or email admissions@barneyschool.org.uk
North Yorkshire gets less than half national average for special schoolsEducation bosses at North Yorkshire County Council have revealed the county only receives 46% of the national average funding to build and extend special schools.
The authority says it receives the country’s lowest level of funding per pupil for special schools despite data evidencing the county has significantly less specialist provision than is available in an average local authority.
As a result, North Yorkshire County Council says creating a school to support young people with significant SEMH needs in Hambleton and Richmondshire has become “an urgent priority” for the Government as it considers how to distribute its £2.6 billion programme for expanding special school provision.
A meeting of the council’s executive on Tuesday looks set to see councillors approve a bid for a share of the funding to cover a new 120-place academy-run special school at former school site on Grammar School Lane, in Northallerton.
The same meeting will also see the leading councillors consider increasing day places at Brompton Hall School, Scarborough and add provision for Special Educational Needs pupils at Caedmon College, Whitby to add to the provision it offers at Forest Moor School, near Harrogate.
Since 2015 North Yorkshire has seen a 131% rise in pupils with Educational Health Care Plans compared to a national increase of 97%.
Read more
- Starbeck dad says ‘unreliable’ buses are making daughter late for school
- Closure notice published for Harrogate school
An officers’ report to the executive states the relatively limited funding it has received to build or extend special schools has left the authority facing a challenging task in expanding provision for SEMH pupils.
It says the council’s two specialist schools for SEMH pupils, Brompton Hall and Forest Moor, are both “a considerable daily travelling distance” from the Northallerton and Richmond and that talking to parents about sending children is challenging as both the schools are currently rated inadequate by Ofsted.
The report states:
“Consequently, we have been placing youngsters with SEMH needs in independent special schools with places in those provisions typically costing £60,000 to £70,000 per annum compared to an annual cost per place of £23,000 in the council’s special schools.”
The report states the new school in Northallerton for children aged eight to 16 would enable the authority to support more pupils in appropriate local specialist provision while reducing the ongoing financial pressure on the high needs revenue budget.
The authority says it is “well aware that there are sensitivities within the local community” about how the Grammar School Lane site is used and developed, and that “it is entirely appropriate that those views are factored into the future plans for the site”.
The report concludes:
Closure notice published for Harrogate school“Our site development work indicates that the scale of development we are proposing would not require the full site to be assigned to the school development, with this assessment taking into account the need to rectify the shortfall in outside space currently available to Mill Hill Primary School on the site.”
North Yorkshire County Council has published a closure notice for Woodfield Community Primary School that proposes to shut the school for good on December 31.
The document, which is available to read here, said governors have “exhausted all options” to keep the school in Bilton open.
It gives reasons that led to the decision, which it says began when the school was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2020 and placed into special measures.
The rating meant the school had to become a sponsored academy, but it failed to find a backer.
A proposed merger with Grove Road Community Primary School fell through this year.
The notice says there were 36 pupils enrolled at the school as of July 4, as well as 9 children in its nursery.
Just four applicants put Woodfield as their preferred school for reception entry in September.
The notice also proposes that should the school close, the catchment areas of Bilton Grange Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School would be expanded to include the current Woodfield school catchment area or parts of it.
A consultation will run until October 6 on the closure. Comments can be made to schoolorganisation@northyorks.gov.uk
Read more:
- ‘No option’ but to close Woodfield school, says council
- Fears more Harrogate schools could follow in footsteps of closure-threatened Woodfield primary
Free school meals children will not face stigma, says North Yorkshire County Council
Parents struggling to make ends meet during the cost of living crisis have been told their children can have free school meals without facing any social stigma.
North Yorkshire County Council’s director of children’s services, Stuart Carlton, said the authority was talking to both parents and schools as part of a drive to improve the 78% take-up from those entitled to free school meals.
It comes amid concerns that increasingly large numbers of those eligible will not take up the support.
A meeting of the authority’s executive heard concerns were mounting over the rate of take-up. It comes as the number of those eligible for the meals is set to significantly increase in the coming months as inflation and soaring energy bills leave family budgets increasingly stretched.
Ripon Ure Bank and Spa division Liberal Democrat councillor Barbara Brodigan questioned what the authority was doing to find out the reasons behind more than one in five of eligible children’s parents not accepting free school meals.
She also pressed the council’s leadership about what was being done to encourage take-up and what support was being offered to those just outside the criteria to qualify.
Read more:
- Harrogate teen becomes youngest ever to complete French Alps trail run
- Ripon student wins University of Oxford translation prize
The council’s executive member for education, Conservative councillor Annabel Wilkinson, said the 15.4% of pupils already eligible for free school meals was forecast to rise due to the cost of living crisis.
She said:
“We have recognised that there have been some barriers and sticking points in the application process and we have addressed those to make it easier for people to apply and been promoting that extensively.
“As schools go back I’m sure that they will encourage that because obviously they get the pupil premium from people that receive free school meals.”
She said the council was also offering other support, such as its Local Assistance Fund, to those facing financial difficulty and had also simplified the process for applying for free school meals.
Mr Carlton added while the take-up of free school meals had remained at about 20% below the number available for some years, there was a concern “with the numbers going up so significantly with the parents who have not had to access this before”.
He said:
Harrogate independent school offers free places for Ukrainian refugees“There are issues of this feeling like a stigma and something that they are embarrassed about. We have talked to our schools and have worked with our catering service to make free school meals non-stigmatising.
“I would say to any parent if you are entitled to a free school meal please please take it up. If you are worried about any stigma or embarrassment please just talk to your school. It has changed from what it was like 20 years ago. Children can access a free school meal and no one would know any different.”
A Harrogate independent school is offering free places to Ukrainian children displaced by war in their home country.
Brackenfield School, on Duchy Road, has already welcomed one child and another is set to join in September.
Staff are giving them extra support to make sure they feel safe and comfortable in their learning environment and “have a fair opportunity to thrive”.
Joe Masterson, headteacher at Brackenfield, said:
“We are privileged to welcome these extremely brave and resilient children into our school community and are doing all we can to ensure our new pupils are as much a part of school life as every other child.
“Everyone deserves an education in a safe and caring space and we’re proud to be hosting Ukrainian children in our school and making them part of the Brackenfield family.”
Read more:
Mr Masterson said it was also a valuable learning opportunity for other students.
He added:
“They can learn and ask first-hand about Ukrainian culture, gain a better understanding of the world around us and see with their own eyes that giving a helping hand makes everyone stronger.”
It’s believed that 2.5 million children have fled Ukraine since the start of the war, many leaving everything behind and being displaced for months before arriving in a safe country.
Deputy head Paul Jenkins with pupils.
Brackenfield is one of seven independent schools owned by Forfar Education to welcome Ukrainian refugees.
John Forsyth, chief executive of the Forfar Group, said its schools had a moral duty to support Ukrainian families as they settle into UK life.
He said:
“Forfar had taken the decision to offer free places to Ukrainian children fleeing conflict at the time the war broke out, so we’re proud to be leading the way for other independent schools considering doing the same.
“It’s important to show solidarity in times of crisis. We believe everyone has the right to a good and safe education, which is why we have opened our doors to those who need it most exactly when they need our help.”
Forfar has offered places in all of its schools, with no limit of the number of spaces available.
‘No option’ but to close Woodfield school, says councilNorth Yorkshire County Council has “no option” but to press ahead with plans to close Woodfield Community Primary School in Harrogate, local authority officials have said.
Senior county councillors on the executive today agreed to publish formal closure notices from September 2022 ahead of a final decision to close the school from December 31.
Stuart Carlson, director of children and young people’s services at the county council, said although it was “regrettable” that it had to close the school, the authority had no alternative.
He said:
“It is regrettable and with heavy hearts that we come to this decision.
“But there is no further options available to us now other than to move to the recommendations.”
Mr Carlson added that a “thorough consultation” was carried out into the closure and that it had exhausted all options available to it.
He denied that the executive of the council would be “ignoring” parents by going ahead with the closure plans.
Mr Carlson said:
“I don’t think we have done [ignored parents]. We have conducted a thorough consultation, we have looked at all the proposals that have been put forward and we have indeed tried our hardest working with the governing body and other schools to find a solution.
“But they are no longer available to us.”
Read more:
- Woodfield school parents ‘frustrated and upset’ after merger U-turn
- Woodfield school closure ‘an absolute disgrace’, says union
Liberal Democrat councillor Monika Slater, who represents the Bilton Grange and New Park division, said she believed pupils at Woodfield should have been given greater priority for places as she also urged the council to learn lessons for the future.
She said:
“Part of the issue comes down to the fact neighbouring schools have been allowed to become oversubscribed.“
“And I was disappointed to hear that children were going to be treated the same as any other child in the area who wished to move given their situation is somewhat different when we are potentially looking to close the school.
“I really feel these children should have been given a higher preference on their choices.”
Conservative councillor Paul Haslam, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on the county council and is also a governor of the school, called for a “post-mortem” into the downfall of Woodfield school.
A motion from Harrogate Borough Council asking to keep the school open was also considered.
But councillors said they had no other option but to move ahead with the closure plan.
Failure to find academy
The school was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2020 and placed into special measures.
The rating meant the school had to become a sponsored academy, but it failed to find a backer.
A proposed merger with Grove Road Community Primary School fell through this year, prompting the county council to open a consultation on closing the school in the next academic year.
The school is also faced with a cumulative deficit of £229,000 in 2023/24 due to low pupil numbers.
Union bosses in North Yorkshire previously described the move to close Woodfield as an “absolute disgrace”.
The publication of the statutory notices will include a four-week period for objections to be made to the council by October 6.
Should a final decision to close the school be approved in October 2022, it would include expanding the catchment area of Bilton Grange and Grove Road Primary Schools to cover the Woodfield area.
Harrogate Grammar School unveils new £1.3m building and gardenHarrogate Grammar School has unveiled its new McHugh building and garden, which were built as part of the school’s expansion.
The development consists of three new classrooms, an atrium and garden.
The elevated ‘classrooms on stilts’ have also created space underneath for students to meet.
The stilts are steel pillars, inscribed by children of key workers and vulnerable students who attended school during the pandemic.
The £1.3 million project was built during the pandemic to accommodate the 2,000-pupil school’s growing numbers.
The McHugh building takes its name from Jim McHugh, of the Red Kite Learning Trust, which oversees the school.
His history with Harrogate Grammar School began in 1975 when his wife Pat started teaching there. He became a governor in 2004 and later became chair of governors.
Read more:
More recently, Mr McHugh was integral in establishing the Red Kite Learning Trust as its chair.
He said:
“I was speechless when I found out new building was being named after me. It’s a wonderful 70th birthday present.
“Above all, it’s so rewarding to see the amazing improvement here at Harrogate Grammar School. Not only with an outstanding Ofsted report, but also in creating such a lovely space for students to meet, to learn together and communicate.”
An aerial shot of the new student garden at Harrogate Grammar School.
Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, added:
“Jim and Pat McHugh stand for commitment to children, for collaboration and positivity, so this is a fitting tribute to them both.
“This whole project also shows what happens when we come together with a vision to provide the very best for children. To achieve this, especially in the middle of covid, is something we are immensely proud of.”
Unveiling the plaque
The interior of The McHugh Building.
St Aidan’s Church of England High School has appointed an interim headteacher who will start in September.
David Thornton, an experienced head who has led five schools, will join the school on a temporary basis until a permanent appointment is made. He will be the school’s third headteacher in the last 12 months.
Mr Thornton will replace Chris Ives, who has been acting head since Chris Burt left in December 2021 due to health reasons.
Mr Ives has been offered a post as head of an international school in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Mr Thornton will spend some time at St Aidan’s before the summer holidays start. A school spokesperson said he does not want to be considered for the role permanently and it will be recruiting for another headteacher.
Read more:
- St Aidan’s school in Harrogate receives ‘good’ Ofsted rating
- St Aidan’s new 3G pitch set to be open until 8pm
Yesterday, St Aidan’s announced it had received a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted after being rated ‘inadequate’ in January.
The previous report was critical of the school’s leadership and management but the latest report said leaders “have acted swiftly to address the concerns raised at the previous inspection”.
St Aidan’s has shared with the Stray Ferret a letter its governors sent to parents about the change in leadership. It says:
Ofsted praises North Rigton primary school“Mr Thornton is a very experienced head and teacher of history who has led five schools in his career. From establishing a new school in County Durham to supporting the development of new school leaders while in interim roles, his expertise and experience shone throughout the process. We have every confidence that he will be an excellent addition to our school community.
“Alongside his impressive track record, most recently at a school in the south east, Mr Thornton also demonstrated the values that are so important to St Aidan’s. One line from his application really stood out to us, and he evidenced throughout our discussions that he wants to be, ‘Of service to young people and their community and deliver an outstanding inspirational educational experience for all.’
“We remain enormously grateful to Mr Ives for all that he continues to do as acting headteacher. During this extraordinary year he has led the school in a calm and purposeful manner which has undoubtedly been of significant benefit to staff and students alike. While we know Mr Ives will be hugely missed by us all, we are also excited to be welcoming Mr Thornton to St Aidan’s.”
Schools inspector Ofsted has praised North Rigton Church of England Primary School following a recent visit, giving it a ‘good’ rating.
The school has been a part of life in North Rigton, as well as nearby villages such as Huby and Weeton, since 1851 and was rated ‘good’ in 2015.
It became an academy in 2016 and is part of a fellowship with All Saints CE Primary School in Kirkby Overblow. The school is part of Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust.
Inspectors said pupils “are polite, well-mannered and respectful” and were supported by teachers “who are clear about what they want pupils to know”.
‘Proud of the school’
Inspectors said the 100 pupils at North Rigton are “very proud” of attending the school, enjoy playing with friends and have “great confidence and trust” in staff.
One pupil told an inspector that staff are “exceptionally understanding, support them and always want the best for pupils.”
The report added:
“Pupils are kind and respect each other. They understand that people should be treated equally. When learning is challenging, they persevere and enjoy helping each other to succeed. Pupils strive to achieve rewards such as yellow and white ribbons for good work and contributing to school life.”
Read more:
- New Ofsted report finds ‘extremely happy’ children at Kirkby Malzeard Pre-School
- Ofsted praises ‘small school with big ambitions’ in Nidderdale
Skillful teaching
The report said reading is “at the heart” of the curriculum at the school with staff also teaching phonics well. It said overall, books are well matched to pupils’ ability.
It adds that teachers are clear about what they want pupils to know and they check and assess their levels “skillfully”.
It said there is a “strong culture” of safeguarding with vigilant staff who know how to keep children safe.
On things to improve, it said the school has gone through “flux” in leadership and staffing this year which has left some leaders having their workload increased. It said leaders should take steps to ease the burden on staff.
‘Very pleased with the outcome’
Headteacher Amber Andrews said:
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi visits Harrogate school“Everybody at North Rigton CE Primary School is very pleased with the outcome of our recent Ofsted inspection and the judgement that our small village school continues to be ‘good’. We would like to thank all our pupils for demonstrating to the inspectors what a warm and welcoming place our school is and our parents and carers for their continuing support.
“We also thank all our staff for their hard work, our Governors for their dedication and Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust for their commitment to keeping small village schools at the very heart of their community.”
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi visited New Park Primary Academy on a trip to Harrogate yesterday.
Mr Zahawi, who was a speaker at the Local Government Association conference at Harrogate Convention Centre, made a surprise visit to meet staff and children.
New Park Primary Academy is part of the Northern Star Academies Trust, a group of nine schools across Harrogate, Skipton and Keighley.
Academy headteacher Robert Mold said:
“At first I thought it was a hoax when the secretary of state’s office called to say he would like to visit New Park. It’s not a call you get every day.
“The secretary of state spent time with many of our children and even joined in a class making mosaics as part of an art project.”
Read more:
- Opposition councillors call for Woodfield school to be saved
- ‘Go for it!’ says Harrogate district apprentice on Women in Engineering Day
During his visit, Mr Zahawi joined year five and six pupils for an art lesson in mosaic making.
Jenn Plews, chief executive of Northern Star Academies Trust said:
“It was great for children to meet a cabinet minister in their own school and to be able to ask him questions.
“Our pupils care deeply about protecting the environment, which is a strong part of our curriculum.
“They told the secretary of state what they are doing in school to be more sustainable and he encouraged them to keep up their work to protect our environment. It was a great experience for our children.”
Call for Zahawi to intervene in Woodfield
Mr Zahawi’s visit came at a time when a consultation is being held over the future of Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton is being held.
The school, which is just a mile away from New Park Primary Academy, is at risk of closure after an academy sponsor for the school was unable to be found.
North Yorkshire Unison called on Mr Zahawi to “intervene to save Woodfield school” while he was in Harrogate.
On the day the Education Secretary @nadhimzahawi was about a mile away from Woodfield School we call upon him to intervene to #SaveWoodfieldSchool #SaveOurSchool https://t.co/wJxdEn6onw
— North Yorkshire UNISON (@NYUnison) June 30, 2022