Kell Bank Church of England Primary School Archives

Plans to turn redundant primary school near Masham into housingAnother Harrogate district primary school faces closure

Another primary school in the Harrogate district with dwindling attendance could close.

Governors at Fountains Earth CE Primary School, in Lofthouse said today they have made the decision with a “heavy heart” to begin the process of applying to North Yorkshire County Council for a consultation for closure.

The news comes the day after a consultation closed on the proposed closure of Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton.

Last year Kell Bank Church of England Primary School in Masham said goodbye after 200 years.

Baldersby St James Church of England Primary School is due to close next month.

A final decision on Fountains Earth is due next spring.

The school has 11 pupils on its register, with the same figure due to attend in September 2023.

It belongs to the Federation of Fountains Earth and St Cuthbert’s CE Primary Schools.

The closure proposal does not apply to St Cuthbert’s, which is in Pateley Bridge.

11 pupils on register

A press release by North Yorkshire County Council today said the lack of pupils meant sustaining a varied, thorough curriculum was impossible, due to the lack of age-appropriate peers and the wide age range across the class.

Abi Broadley, chair of governors, said:

“Despite the best efforts of our headteacher, staff and governors, we cannot overcome the challenges of having such low pupil numbers.

“Our pupil numbers have been declining over the last few years and we now have just 11 children. We understand there is no sign of the school population growing significantly in the future.

“With such low pupil numbers and no hope of them dramatically increasing them soon, we will continue to have limited children in each year group. Indeed, some year groups are void of children altogether.”

Ms Broadley added the governors had “exhausted all options”, adding:

“A lot of work has been undertaken by our headteacher and team which has improved the situation, but it just isn’t enough due to a lack of pupils.

“These interventions include introducing a more structured curriculum, structured sessions and interventions from subject lead teachers from across the federation, all in an effort to try to meet educational needs; and Federation Fridays to help to address the social and emotional needs of the children.

“Although Federation Fridays are successful in enriching the lives of our children, they can only cover certain subjects such as personal, social, health and economic PSHE education, music and PE.

“This cannot be a long-term solution and further highlights the fact that our Fountains Earth provision alone does not adequately meet our children’s needs.”

The county council will consider the request for consultation. Its executive member for education and skills, Annabel Wilkinson, the Conservative councillor for Morton-on-Swale and Appleton Wiske division, will decide whether to approve the proposal.

If the consultation to close the school is agreed, it is likely to start early in the new academic year. It will consist of a six-week period of consultation through the autumn term, which will include a public meeting.

A final decision on closure would be made once the consultation responses had been reviewed. That decision is likely to be made in the spring of next year.

Fountains Earth CE Primary School will remain open throughout the process.

In depth: Bleak future for Harrogate district rural schools?

Since the turn of the year, it has been announced that two primary schools in the Harrogate district will close.

Both schools — Kell Bank near Masham and Baldersby St James between Ripon and Thirsk — are in rural areas.

Kell Bank closed in summer and if Baldersby’s closure goes ahead as planned, it will be the first academy in North Yorkshire to shut.

Both decisions were attributed to low pupil numbers. But a closer look at the issue reveals a deeper problem in rural communities in our district.

Drop in pupil numbers

North Yorkshire is home to 356 state schools — of which 303 are primary, 43 are secondary and 10 are special schools.

Although most schools in the Harrogate district are in towns and cities, such as Ripon, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham, some are in more remote parts.

Declining pupil numbers in these rural areas has led to questions about the ongoing viability of schools.

Kell Bank, which was run by North Yorkshire County Council, closed in August.

Pupil numbers at Kell Bank Primary School before its closure. Data: NYCC.

The school, which was celebrating 200 years of education at the time, had capacity to teach 50 pupils but just six on the register. Three year groups had no children in them.

The number of pupils had declined from 39 in 2014.

By comparison, nearby Masham Church of England School in Masham town centre had 121 pupils, some of which were out of its catchment area.

It’s a similar picture at Baldersby, which has only 22 pupils.

Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, the academy trust in charge, says numbers “show no prospect of improving for many years ahead” and the school should therefore close.

The figures for Baldersby St James since 2015. The 2021 number has since dropped to 22. Data: NYCC.

Pupil numbers at Baldersby have fluctuated and recovered to 46 in 2017 before declining again.

In both cases, the schools have been victims of changes to population demographics that have seen rural areas become less busy while more people live in towns and cities.

This raises difficult issues for families in rural areas thinking about where to educate their children.

‘A highly charged political issue’

A report by North Yorkshire County Council’s Rural Commission this year laid bare the problems facing rural schools.

According to the paper, eight schools have closed in the county over the past three years – most of which were in rural areas.

The commission said the “continuing fall” in the rural population was the “fundamental challenge” facing small rural schools.

It said:

“While the number of elderly people living in the county continues to increase, the number of working-age families, with young children, continues to fall.

“This results in a significant surplus capacity in many of the small rural schools because there are simply not enough families with primary aged children living in rural communities.

“The cost of the rural housing market discourages young families from living in rural areas.”

The challenge in attracting younger families is compounded by the fact that parents are also thinking more carefully about where to send their children to school.

Department for Education guidance says a primary school aged child should be sent to a school no longer than 45 minutes away from home.

The rural commission report said parents were choosing not to send their children to a local school and instead opting for one further away “because it offers a better-quality education”.

It said:

“An expert on the subject noted that sometimes journey times are longer because children are going to schools other than their local one because of parental preference.”

The sentiment was echoed by Jacqui Palmer, executive headteacher at Sharow Church of England Primary School.

She said:

“Over many years rural life has become different.

“In our village, there is no pub and the post office is only open on a morning.”

Ms Palmer added that it had become difficult for villages to attract younger families.

Impact on communities

The closure of rural schools runs deep in communities.

As noted by the rural commission, the decision to shut a village schools often prompts campaigns to save them.

This occurred in the Harrogate district when within days of the academy trust’s announcement, a group of parents and villagers set up the Save Baldersby St James Primary School campaign.

The group has set up a social media account to help the fight and called on Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi to reconsider the decision.

For the group, the closure would see an end to a school which has served the community since 1850.

Sally Muir, a spokesperson for Save Baldersby St James Primary School, said in a statement:

“In an era where running costs are elevated above all other criteria, it is a shame that a school with both history and potential that has long served the community is now earmarked for closure.”

In response to the difficulties facing schools, the rural commission has called for the Department for Education to revise its national funding formula to support rural schools, in particular spare secondary schools.

It also believes that the formula needs to take into account “the quality of rural roads as well as distance”.

The commission has also backed a “rural stipend” for teachers salaries in order to encourage more teachers into rural schools, but also to bring more younger families into those areas.

But time will tell whether there is the will to act, or whether more cherished schools in remote parts of England’s largest county face uncertain futures.

Kell Bank School pupils bid farewell with a final lap of the playground

Pupils and staff at Kell Bank Primary School near Masham will bid farewell to their school for good with a walk, hand in hand, around the playground.

Today is the last day of term and as North Yorkshire County Council has issued a closure notice for August 31, the 200-year-old school will not reopen.

Over the past few months, the school has been celebrating its history and local impact, culminating in a memory exhibition last week and a ceremony to plant a tree and dedicate a bench yesterday.

The ceremony began with a leaver’s service at St Paul’s Church in Healey before the students, staff and parents walked down to Fearby Village Green.

Beatrice and Rev. David Cleese cut the ribbon to dedicate the bench and tree

An oak tree and bench, dedicated to the school, is now in place. Youngest pupil Beatrice cut the ribbon with Rev. David Cleese, a long-standing governor.

The memory exhibition included items spanning the past 100 years as well as photographs and entries from previous headteachers’ diaries.

School governor Laurie Hoyes, who helped organise the three-day event, said they welcomed around 200 people in total.

Mr Hoyes said:

“Children, parents, staff and governors will be saddened when today comes to a close, but we are pleased we had the opportunity to give thanks for the 200 years Kell Bank School has educated the children of our community.”

Past and present pupils trying out the new bench on Fearby Green.

The six remaining pupils will be moved to different schools; the two Year 6s are going to secondary schools in Ripon and Bedale.

For the younger children’s ease and wellbeing their parents chose similar small, rural schools; two are going to Thornton Watlass Primary School and the other two are moving house so will be attending schools elsewhere in the district.

Kell Bank school to call the register for final time this week

Kell Bank Primary School, near Masham, will close its doors for good on Friday after the county council issued a closure notice.

The school only has six pupils and with two of those set to move on to secondary school in September, North Yorkshire County Council decided it was no longer sustainable.

In 2020 Ofsted rated the school as Outstanding, but a report said its dwindling numbers meant it would likely have fallen into deficit in the coming years.

The school can accommodate up to 50 pupils but after dropping from 15 in September 2019 to six the county council opened a consultation.

At the time, Stuart Carlton, director of children’s services at the council, said the proposal was being done with a “heavy heart”.

One of the images from last week’s exhibition: the Kell Bank class of 1928

The 200-year-old school has educated thousands of children. Governors and staff wanted to celebrate this history and arranged an exhibition of memories last week from past and current pupils.

More celebrations are planned to mark its final week, including an open day on Thursday July 22, followed by a tree planting and bench dedication ceremony that afternoon.

In a Facebook post, the school thanked all those who have worked with it over the years. It said:

“Kell Bank has played such an important role in our community and so many will cherish their memories of their schooldays at Kell Bank.”

The last day of term before the summer holiday is Friday July 23.

Two of the remaining pupils will be going to Thornton Watless Primary School whilst the other two move to schools towards Ripon after moving house for the 2021/2022 school year.

Masham school’s closing exhibition includes 100-year-old memories

Staff at Kell Bank Primary School in Masham are committed to going ahead with a memory exhibition to celebrate the school’s history, before it closes for good next month.

Governors and teachers wanted to bid farewell to the 200-year-old school, which will shut its doors on August 31, but coronavirus has meant the celebration has been delayed.

The exhibition will now be held from July 15 to 17 at Fearby Village Hall, just outside Masham, and will include photographs, old diary entries and poetry books some dating as far back as 1900.

A one-off ‘newspaper’ has been created to combine reports and images shared by past and current staff and pupils, such as 96-year-old Ivy l’Anson, pictured below as a pupil.

On July 22 – the day before the children break up for the summer – the school will host an open day, as well as a tree planting and the dedication of a bench on Fearby village green.

Ivy I’Anson is now 96 years old and has shared her memories of Kell Bank School in a one-off ‘newspaper’ created by staff

With only six remaining pupils, Kell Bank School was handed a permanent closure notice by North Yorkshire County Council.

Laurie Hoyes, a school governor, said:

“The restrictions have set us back slightly but we are still really pleased with the exhibition we have put together.

“We’ve put together a ‘Kell Bank Times’, which people can pick up from the community centre or school. It’s 12 pages of memories including Ivy who’s 96 and our oldest living pupil. She’s shared her treasured memories with us.”

The organisers hope the exhibition and other events will help to highlight the school’s role in local people’s lives.

Kell Bank school prepares to celebrate the end of an era

A celebration tinged with sadness is to be held to mark the closure of a 200-year-old primary school near Masham this summer.

Kell Bank Church of England Primary School can accommodate up to 50 pupils but currently has just six.

Because of dwindling numbers, North Yorkshire County Council has issued a closure notice, which means the school will close permanently on August 31.

Staff want to celebrate the school’s history and, as part of this, are asking people to come forward with their memories and old photos for a commemorative newspaper.

The school has also put out a call to find the oldest former pupil. It is hoped whoever it is will join the youngest pupil at a ceremony in July.

All submissions for the celebration need to be in by June 11.

Laurie Hoyes, a school governor, said:

“Kell Bank School was founded in 1820 to provide an education for the local children of Fearby, Healey and the surrounding villages.

“This wonderful local school, ideally placed to learn from nature, has excelled and achieved so many accolades during its long, educational journey and has provided a safe environment and vast source of knowledge to generations of local people.

“The celebrations in July will be tinged with great sadness, as Kell Bank is to close at the end of the summer term.”

Ms Hoyes, alongside other members of the school community, hopes the exhibition will highlight the key role the school has played in local people’s lives.

School with only six pupils set to close in August

Formal moves have begun to close a primary school in the Harrogate district that has just six pupils.

Kell Bank Church of England Primary School, Healey, near Masham, can accommodate up to 50 pupils aged four to 11.

The number of pupils fell to 15 in September 2019 and is now six, five of whom are girls.

North Yorkshire County Council has now given the go-ahead for publication of a closure notice with a view to the school closing on August 31.

Stuart Carlton, director of children’s services at the council, said the proposal was being done with a “heavy heart”. He added:

“We know the value of village schools but such low numbers cannot financially sustain a school and can have a negative impact on the social and educational interests of children remaining.”

A council consultation on the closure proposal runs until March 5.

Mr Carlton said responses so far “appear to indicate an acceptance of the situation here given only six pupils remain on roll”.

He added the council welcomed any further views before a final decision is made.

The remaining six pupils will have to transfer to other schools.

According to the council, seven other primary schools within reasonable travelling distance have places available.

Anyone who wishes to view the closure proposals or make a representation can visit the council’s consultations page here.

Kell Bank primary school near Masham set to close

A primary school near Masham looks set to close due to falling pupil numbers.

Kell Bank Church of England Primary School would permanently shut its doors this summer, under proposals by North Yorkshire County Council.

The authority carried out a consultation last year on closure and is set to make a final decision in March.

Despite being designed to accommodate 50 children, the amount of pupils at the school has fallen from a high of 39 in 2014/15 to just six this year. The number is not expected to increase significantly in future.

Council bosses believe the low number affects the “quality and breadth” of the school curriculum.

They also fear the school’s Ofsted rating, which is currently ‘outstanding’, would be difficult to maintain due to the low number of pupils.

If closure goes ahead, the intake catchment of Masham Church of England Primary School would be extended to include the area.

A report due before the county council’s executive next week said closure would be in the best interests of pupils. It said:

“The responses to the consultation process have failed to identify a viable alternative option that would secure the school’s future.

“Local authority officers have concluded that closure of the school would be in the best interests of the children at the school and the future education of pupils in the area.

“There are places available at other local schools within a reasonable travel distance. It is therefore the view that there is a strong case for closure, which outweighs other considerations.”

Senior councillors will vote next week to publish statutory notices on the proposal for four weeks and invite representations from the public.

A final decision on closure is expected on March 23.

11 pupils on register

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Drop in pupil numbers

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