Ofsted inspectors praised one of the youngest headteachers in the UK after their first visit to Nun Monkton Primary Foundation School under her tenure.
Lauren Simpson joined the village school as a teacher in September 2016 and became acting head when the previous headteacher left just two laters in September 2020.
She secured the position of headteacher full-time in March 2021 at just 25-years-old.
Not only did Miss Simpson take the school through coronavirus but in that time she also quadrupled pupil numbers — there are now 45 students up from 12 when she started.
Miss Simpson believes the new forest school learning, the new nursery and wraparound care has helped drive up those pupil numbers
Teachers at forest schools regularly take pupils outside to learn through exploration and challenges.
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In recent months, children have built shelters, base camps, fire circles, tyre swings and more. That practical learning has been very attractive to parents looking for something different for their children.
Nun Monkton Primary School.
Ofsted carried out an interim inspection in November 2021 and published the results earlier this week. They said the school continues to be good and added:
“Pupils are very proud of their school. They enjoy school. Pupils have confidence and trust in staff. They know that staff care for them.
“There is a culture of openness and mutual respect that ensures pupils are kept safe.
“Leaders and teachers have high expectations for all pupils. They plan lessons that encourage pupils to enjoy their learning and work hard.”
Miss Simpson, who hopes to earn an outstanding Ofsted report at the next full inspection, told the Stray Ferret:
Man arrested after car found with shredded tyres in Kirk Hammerton“The school has grown massively — it has really gone from strength to strength. So I am really proud of the staff and the children.
“We have a fantastic group of children here. They are a real credit to their community.
“People should be able to look back at primary school as some of their best years. That’s possible when you have a great relationship with teachers and when you make amazing friends.”
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of drug and driving offences after a car was found with shredded tyres in Kirk Hammerton.
Officers found the Land Rover on the A59 in the village in the early hours of this morning.
A man in his 30s from Northumbria was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, drug driving, possession of a class-A drug, dangerous driving and driving without insurance.
He was taken into custody and bailed pending further enquiries, including drug test results.
North Yorkshire Police added in a statement:
“Police are urging anyone who suspects someone of drink or drug driving to contact the force by calling 101 and selecting option 1, or phoning 999 if it’s happening immediately.”
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Local photographer offered free doorstep shoots over lockdown
A photographer has put her skills to good use and given away 150 free doorstep photoshoots over lockdown.
Nikki Mitchell started by photographing her mum and her husband’s parents, and quickly realised the need for families to see their loved ones whilst they couldn’t visit in person.
She began offering shoots locally to her in Kirk Hammerton and gave any donations to Harrogate charity Autism Angels. With the events she would usually photograph on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, Nikki has been offering free photoshoots to key workers.
She said:
“At the beginning of lockdown, I did doorstep photoshoots locally to me – there was a total of 150 families. After that I did a few family shoots locally.
“I arranged a free day of photos for key workers in a park and 15 booked in. But people slowly cancelled and the weather wasn’t ideal so they all got gift cards instead to redeem later on. The free shoots were my way of helping people, making connections and chatting to people.
“At the time, it was important to make people smile. It just escalated and now I know I’ll be secure after all of this.”
Nikki’s doorstep photoshoots helped people see their families when they were unable to in person.
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As lockdown eased, Nikki began to offer socially distant photoshoots in parks and gardens, managing to continue to earn money in a safe way.
“Many of the family shoots take one hour, but I was only doing quick 15 minute shoots for families in a park and they worked really well. School shoots have been popular too, now schools are back – I set a date and time and the parents bring their children along.
“I’ve done newborn shoots, engagements, birth announcements and birthdays. So even over lockdown I’ve been able to capture special moments that were missed by their families.”