King James's School Archives - Page 2 of 3

Five traffic lights stolen at roadworks in Knaresborough

Five sets of traffic lights have been stolen from one of the busiest junctions in Knaresborough.

The lights were taken from the junction of York Place and King James Road, close to King James’s School.

Northern Gas Networks is carrying out roadworks at the junction. Work is due to end on Friday next week.

The theft of the lights was not reported to police until at least 14 hours after it happened.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“The theft of five temporary traffic lights in Knaresborough was reported at 2.38pm on Monday.

“It happened on King James Road and York Place between 11am on Sunday, July 30 and midnight.”

The Stray Ferret asked how much the lights were worth. The spokesperson replied “thousands of pounds”.

Councillor Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council, said the theft was both unusual and unwelcome. He added:

“It has caused disruption, delays and additional costs to the works.

“I am working with officers on how repeat occurrences can be prevented and a reduction in the town’s vandalism and anti-social behaviour.”

Anyone with information can contact the police by dialling 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The police reference number is NYP-31072023-0313.

Drummer hopes to inspire young musicians at Knaresborough concert

A percussionist performing in Knaresborough next month is hoping to inspire other young women to follow in her footsteps.

Sophie Mullender is an accomplished musician and will be playing percussion with the Knaresborough Choral Society.

She hopes seeing her perform on the drums will help girls in the audience to realise that the instrument is open to everyone.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“I did try out pretty much every instrument. The reason I stuck with drums was because, growing up, I never saw anybody that looked like me playing drums.

“It was a bit of a duty to show it’s possible. Every time I perform, I think, ‘if one person looks at me and says, if she can, maybe I can, I’ve made a difference’.

“There are plenty of women out there doing it, it’s just finding ways for them to gain exposure. Social media has been great for that.

“We’re making progress, but I still think fundamentally there’s a lot of work to do.”

She only moved to Harrogate in 2021 and works for the Diocese of Leeds as a fundraiser and in its music department.

In her spare time, she often accompanies choirs at concerts – but the Knaresborough event on July 8 is particularly special.

She will be joining her boyfriend, conductor William Bruce, for the performance, and it will feature some of her favourite songs.

Under the title The Great American Songbook, the choir will perform songs by Duke Ellington, Rogers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and More.

Sophie said:

“I’m a jazz drummer by trade, but I also did quite a lot of musical theatre growing up. I haven’t had much opportunity to play it since moving to Harrogate.

“It’s a very varied, lively, upbeat programme. I think it will uplift everybody that comes to see it.”

Knaresborough Choral Society will perform The Great American Songbook at King James’s School on Saturday, July 8 at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £12 for adults, and free for under 18s and essential companions and carers.

Knaresborough man wins Ivor Novello award

A man who grew up in Knaresborough was among the winners at this year’s Ivor Novello Awards, which honour the best in British songwriting and screen composition.

Composer and voice actor Grant Kirkhope was named alongside the likes of Harry Styles, Raye, Florence Welch and Sault as winners at London’s Grosvenor House,

Mr Kirkhope, Gareth Coker and Yoko Shimomura won best original video game score for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope.

The former local band member has created the soundtrack for video games that have sold in excess of 40 million copies.

He now lives in Los Angeles and has worked on major video game productions including Golden Eye 007 and Donkey Kong 64. But his formative years were in Knaresborough, where he lived from the ages of five to 33 and attended King James’s School.

Grant Kirkhope in his Knaresborough days

He talked to the Stray Ferret about his North Yorkshire upbringing and winning an Ivor Novello. He said:

“My music teacher at King James’s was Mr David Turmeau, who was an absolute legend and saw something in me that I didn’t.

“I didn’t work for any local firms as I played in bands from the age of 22 — after graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music in 1984 — to 32.”

Back in his band days

Mr Kirkhope enjoyed a successful music career before working on video games. He says:

“I played for York band Zoot and the Roots, who were a pretty big live band playing all over the country and Europe. Then later I played for Scarborough band, Little Angels.

“Little Angels had a number one album in the UK and did a lot of headline tours there. We also played as the opening act for Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Bryan Adams and ZZ Top, those tours were gigantic, playing arena shows to 70,000–90,000 people.

“I moved down to Ashby-de-la-Zouch to work at the video games’ company Rare Ltd in 1995, I still came back regularly as my mum was still there. I married my wife Suzanne in 2000 and she’s from Whitby.”

Mr Kirkhope’s brother Gary lives in Starbeck and he travels back to the UK each year to catch up with family.

Mr Kirkhope now lives in Los Angeles

He has been nominated for numerous awards, including a BAFTA, but last week’s Ivor Novello topped the lot. He says:

“I’m still on Cloud 9 really, there’s something very different about the Ivor Novello Awards compared to other awards.

“It’s very much about the actual art of song writing/composing. The panels who do the judging take a long time over it and really go over the music note by note.

“The ceremony itself is closed doors so the acceptance speeches are very personal, you really feel like it’s a room full of like-minded people who really want to hear about your experience as a composer/song writer.

“I don’t think I understood how prestigious it was until I got there, I don’t think I’m ever going to get over this one, it really is the highlight of my career so far!”

Knaresborough junction to be closed from this weekend

Four weeks of roadworks will begin in central Knaresborough this weekend as Northern Powergrid installs new electricity cables.

The work will take place on King James Road and York Place from Saturday, May 27.

With a trench set to be dug in the carriageway on King James Road, its junction with York Road will be closed until Monday, June 5.

Temporary three-way traffic lights will be installed, with a barrier around a temporary footpath, at the junction.

Work will also be carried out on the pavement between the pedestrian crossing and the footpath towards the cemetery.

From June 5, the junction will be reopened under four-way temporary lights until the expected completion date of Tuesday, June 20.

Northern Powergrid’s connections delivery project engineer Richard Appleyard said:

“Investment work is vital to connect customers to our network and although unavoidable, we do appreciate it can be very disruptive and every effort will be made to keep this disruption to a minimum.

“Our teams will endeavour to ensure access is maintained to properties in the area at all times and we thank local residents and the local community for their patience and co-operation whilst the connection work takes place.”

The company said it had notified nearby customers, including King James’s School and Knaresborough Swimming Pool, about the plans.

The new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre is currently under construction adjacent to the existing swimming pool, with work expected to continue until its opening date in November. The old pool is set to be closed in September for the final phase of the project.

For more information about the road closures, contact Northern Powergrid on 0800 011 3332 or email generalenquiries@northernpowergrid.com.

Headteacher of King James’s School in Knaresborough leaves after 15 years

Carl Sugden, headteacher of King James’s School in Knaresborough, will leave tomorrow after 15 years in charge of the secondary school.

Mr Sugden first came to Knaresborough as deputy headteacher aged 33 in April 2000.

He left in 2005 before relinquishing his role as head of Sherburn High School, at Sherburn-in-Elmet to succeed David Hudson as headteacher of King James’s in 2008.

The 1,575-pupil Knaresborough school was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted this year.

Clare Martin, principal of Bradford Girls’ Grammar School, will succeed Mr Sugden as head at the start of the summer term on April 17.

Mr Sugden said he had totted up that he had done about 600 assemblies, 400 staff briefings, 13 founder’s says, 80 prize-givings and 2,500 bus duties, adding:

“And I even managed to keep teaching history until just about the end. That is what I will miss the most, being in the classroom with our young people.”

Mr Sugden said:

“The school is a great community and there is a special history and ethos here, which I have tried to nurture and to maintain.

“I’m immensely proud of what this school has achieved, with the support of many great colleagues, over the past few years. In particular the challenges of the pandemic, and the post pandemic, which stretched us to the limit.

“When you look back at the last three years it is incredible what we all dealt with; lockdown, key workers’ children supervision, online learning, lateral flow tests, bubbles, centre assessed grades, masks and vaccinations.”

He said that for all the challenges, he didn’t regret a moment:

“It has been fulfilling and I am grateful to have worked in such a vibrant education community. I am not retiring, I will continue to work in education, but I plan to have a little more time to do some of the things I enjoy.”

Mr Sugden praised colleagues for “doing a pretty amazing job, going above and beyond to deliver a very high quality of education and enrichment opportunities” despite “extreme funding pressures”.

He wished Ms Martin well.

“Clare and I worked together back in the early 2000s, when she was, like me, a young teacher at King James’s.

“She has a strong track record as a deputy head and headteacher in schools in Leeds and Bradford. I wish her all the very best in the new role.”

Knaresborough teacher assault: all 4 girls arrested released without charge

All four girls arrested after a teacher was assaulted at King James’ School in Knaresborough have now been released without charge.

North Yorkshire Police said in an update today a 16-year-old who was arrested several hours after the incident on suspicion of affray had now been released on bail.

Police previously said a teenage girl arrested for an alleged assault on a female member of staff and criminal damage shortly after the incident had already been released on bail.

They also revealed two other teenage girls arrested for breach of the peace had been “de-arrested and taken home”.

None of the girls who were arrested is from King James’ School.

Police were called to the school at 3.10pm on Monday when a gang of girls from another school caused a disturbance.

Today’s update said investigations were continuing.

Headteacher Carl Sugden (pictured above) wrote to parents after the incident saying the girls “came onto the school site with the clear intention of causing trouble”.

Mr Sugden added:

“Our staff were on hand to stop them, they did not gain access to the building, but unfortunately we needed some police support to remove them.

“There were a number of police vans on site at the end of school and this caused some disruption to the end of the day.

“I can assure you that none of our pupils were involved in this poor behaviour and these young people are not known to us.”

Knaresborough teacher assault: fourth girl arrested but still no charges

A fourth girl has been arrested following yesterday’s assault on a teacher at King James’s School in Knaresborough.

Police were called at 3.10pm yesterday when a gang of girls from another school caused a disturbance.

A teenage girl was arrested for an alleged assault on a female member of staff and criminal damage but in an update this morning, North Yorkshire Police said she had since been released on bail.

Two other teenage girls who were arrested for breach of the peace had been “de-arrested and taken home” and would be “interviewed at a later date”, police said.

Today’s update also said a 16-year-old girl was arrested last night, several hours after the incident, on suspicion of affray and remained in police custody.

None of the girls who were arrested is from King James’ School.

Carl Sugden King James' School headteacher

Headteacher Carl Sugden (pictured above) wrote to parents yesterday saying the gang of girls were “not connected to King James’s School” and “came onto the school site with the clear intention of causing trouble”.

Mr Sugden added:

“Our staff were on hand to stop them, they did not gain access to the building, but unfortunately we needed some police support to remove them.

“There were a number of police vans on site at the end of school and this caused some disruption to the end of the day.

“I can assure you that none of our pupils were involved in this poor behaviour and these young people are not known to us.”

Police enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information can make a report via the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101, option 1.

The crime reference is 12230050161.

Teenage girl arrested after teacher assaulted at Knaresborough school

A teenage girl has been arrested for an alleged assault on a female member of staff at King James’s School in Knaresborough this afternoon.

The girl is also being questioned by officers about criminal damage following today’s incident.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement:

“Police were called to King James’s School, King James Road, Knaresborough, at 3.10pm on Monday (20 March 2023) following reports of a disturbance involving a group of youths.

“Officers attended and arrested a teenage girl for an alleged assault on a female member of staff and criminal damage. She has been taken into custody for questioning.

“Two other teenage girls were arrested to prevent a breach of the peace.

“None of those arrested attend King James’s School.”

Carl Sugden, headteacher at the 1,575-pupil school, also told the Stray Ferret he could categorically say none of the pupils involved in the incident was from King James’ School.

In a letter to parents, Mr Sugden said:

A group of young people, who are not connected to King James’s School, came onto the school site with the clear intention of causing trouble.

“Our staff were on hand to stop them, they did not gain access to the building, but unfortunately we needed some police support to remove them.”

The police statement said “enquiries are ongoing to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the incident” and urged anyone with information to get in touch on the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101 and selecting option 1.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Quote reference 12230050161.

King James’ School, which has 1,575 pupils, is federated with Boroughbridge High School.

Knaresborough head responds to Ofsted report

The headteacher of King James’s School in Knaresborough has responded to the publication of the school’s latest Ofsted report this week.

Government inspectors visited King James’s School for the first time in six years in January and, in a report published on Monday, rated it once again as ‘good’ – a status it has maintained for over 20 years.

Ofsted described the 1,575-pupil school as a “caring environment where pupils learn well” with “a strong focus on ensuring that everyone feels welcome”.

It said the “vast majority of pupils are keen and engage confidently in their learning” and bullying is rare.

Headteacher Carl Sugden said:

“The strong curriculum, the expertise of the teachers and the caring environment are highlighted in the report.”

Mr Sugden also noted that King James’s, in common with other schools, was still dealing with the educational and social impact of the covid pandemic, adding:

“I believe the report reflects the hard work and commitment of the staff at King James’s. It also reflects well on our wonderful pupils, the vast majority of whom work hard, show great resilience and humour and reflect our community values.”

He added the school acknowledged the areas of improvement identified by Ofsted and was already addressing them.

Ofsted said more should be done to provide support for the weakest readers, and more opportunities should be provided for pupils to experience the world of work.

Mr Sugden said:

“We agree with these priorities and had already started working on these before the inspectors arrived.”

King James’s was founded in 1616 by a charter from King James I, and is the Harrogate district’s second-oldest secondary school, after Ripon Grammar School, which was founded in 1555.

Teachers’ strike: Closures across the Harrogate district

Teachers at schools across the Harrogate district will not be in the classrooms tomorrow in the first of a series of days of industrial action.

The strike has been called by the National Education Union (NEU) in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The union argues a 5% pay rise in 2022 was insufficient to combat the impact of inflation at 10%, leaving many teachers effectively facing a pay cut.

It argues low pay has been a significant factor in many teachers choosing to leave the profession, and has deterred others from joining it. The result, the NEU says, is more pressure on those who remain, particularly since the pandemic.

The union’s points were supported yesterday by Harrogate Grammar School headteacer Neil Renton, who appeared on BBC News to discuss the situation.

He said he was “torn between [his] head and heart”, seeing the difficulties faced by teachers while also wanting to keep the school gates open for pupils.

The issues the NEU raised, he said, affected schools directly too: a recent advert for an English teacher at HGS attracted just one applicant. He added:

“If this continues and we are not able to work with government and ministers to create an education for the future I would, as an educator, want to take steps to make sure we make a much brighter education for our children.”

The following schools across the Harrogate district have confirmed some of their teachers will be on strike and released details of how they will operate tomorrow.

Harrogate Grammar School

The school said it is prioritising students taking exams this summer, and those identified as vulnerable.

Years 11 and 13 will be in school, along with children from other year groups who have been contacted individually.

Remote learning from home will be offered to years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12. Some live lessons will be led by teachers who are not on strike.

King James’s High School, Knaresborough

The school will be open to pupils in years 11, 12 and 13. Other year groups will be provided with online learning.

The school said it would liaise directly with parents of students with an EHCP about the possibility of provision in school.

Outwood Academy Ripon

The school will be open to year 11 and vulnerable students, while all other year groups learn from home.

Ripon Grammar School

Years 7 and 11 will be in school, but students are advised to bring additional work and reading material in case lessons cannot be taught by the subject teacher.

Students in years 8,9, 10 and 12 will learn from home, including some online lessons with teachers who are not on strike.

Year 13 students will be able to work in school if they wish, or revise and join live online lessons from home.

Any students with an EHCP, as well as boarders who can’t go home, can go into school as usual. There is also provision for students whose parents are critical workers.

Rossett School, Harrogate

The school is open to students in years 7, 11, 12 and 13.

Where usual subject teachers are on strike, younger students will have lessons covered by members of the school’s senior leadership team. Older students will carry out independent revision or private study in the sixth form centre.

Students in years 8,9 and 10 will have online lessons available to access from home.

St Aidan’s Church of England High School, Harrogate

Years 7 and 11 will be in school, with years 8, 9 and 10 asked to learn at home.

Sixth form students can work at home or use a supervised study area, if they tell the school they plan to do so.

Students in any year group with an EHCP can attend.

St John Fisher Catholic High School, Harrogate

Years 7 and 11 will be in school, with years 8, 9 and 10 asked to learn at home.

Sixth form students can work at home or use a supervised study area, if they tell the school they plan to do so.

Students in any year group with an EHCP can attend and will spend the day doing activities to develop their social skills, life skills and wellbeing. The school said there may not be sufficient staff available to have one-to-one provision for all students.

Details of how other secondary schools are affected will be posted as we get them.

The next strike date to affect the Harrogate district will be at the end of February.

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