To celebrate Charles III’s coronation, the Stray Ferret and Ogden of Harrogate are holding a competition for children to design two crowns fit for the royal occasion.

The lucky winners will have their dazzling crowns displayed in Ogden of Harrogate’s shop window – showcased alongside Ogden’s very own Imperial State Crown.

We’re inviting school pupils of all ages to get creative. Two winners will be selected: one of primary school age and one of secondary school age.

We will be posting photos of entries regularly across on our social media channels during the competition – so, the more the merrier.

The Ogden Crown: 

Traditional luxury jeweller, Ogden of Harrogate, was founded in 1893 by James Ogden.

The company established its royal connections nearly a century ago, after Prince George, son of George V and Queen Mary, became a frequent customer of the St James’s store in London.

In celebration of George VI’s Coronation in 1937, Ogden of Harrogate’s team hand-crafted two replicas of the Imperial State Crown.

One of Ogden of Harrogate’s replica crowns.

The jewels on the crown mirror those in the Royal crown, including the Cullinan 2 diamond – a cut from the largest diamond ever discovered.

The Ogden crowns boast exact replicas of the diamonds, ruby’s, pearls, emeralds, and sapphires found in the Imperial State Crown.

Robert Ogden, director of Ogden of Harrogate, said:

“It is a treat to have the crown out.

“It is only on display during Royal occasions”.

How to Enter:

To enter: please submit a photo of your crown drawing, painting or creation to our website here.

The competition will run from March 27 until April 21.

The crowns will be on display in the Harrogate store from 28 April until 13 May.

Will you be crowned a winner…?

St Peter’s Church of England Primary School in the centre of Harrogate has completed one of the most substantial refurbishments in its history.

The school, which has 267 pupils, has spent £280,000 removing external fire escapes, creating additional classrooms and a new outside play area which includes parkour equipment.

Built in 1883, St Peter’s was Harrogate’s first purpose-built hospital. The hospital was closed in 1932 and then bought a few years later and turned into a school.

Today it is part of the multi-academy Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust which includes St Aidan’s Church of England High School and a number of other Church of England and community schools in the district.

The refurbishment work meant multiple projects at the same time — all crammed into the summer holidays to avoid disrupting the children’s education during term time.

Headteacher Mr Paul Griffiths said:

“We are delighted to have completed this ambitious schedule over the summer holiday to enhance our facilities for the benefit of children, families and our dedicated and talented staff team.

“With fantastic support from Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust we been able to achieve such a huge amount in a short space of time.

“We love the deep history and period features of our Victorian building with its lovely high ceilings and great picture windows and are delighted to be modernising this historic building for the benefit of children and families.”

Read More: 

• ‘Welcoming’ Spofforth school rated ‘good’ by Ofsted
• Harrogate to host £3,000 pro padel tennis tournament

The school’s business manager Amanda Foster told the Stray Ferret that there was still more to be done at St Peter’s but for this round of work they’d thought hard about their priorities:

“We had to balance what needed to be done in terms of structural work versus what would directly benefit the children – such as the improved play area.

“With a building this old there are still major restoration needs so we are applying for more grants to get that work done.

“The work we’ve achieved this summer will make a massive difference to our pupils”

Part of the new playground area at St Peter’s

A Harrogate therapy centre is launching a support group for pupils moving up from primary to secondary school in the wake of the pandemic.

Created by The Harlow’s new psychotherapeutic counsellor Laura Keay, ‘Stepping Up’ is a programme aimed at providing children with an environment of “listening, sharing and empowerment”, so that they can embrace this change.

Ms Keay works with adults and has a specialism in children and young people at the centre at Cardale Park.

She has worked with people suffering from a wide range of issues including anxiety, stress, social anxiety, exam pressure, harmful eating, self-esteem issues and bullying.

Read more:

• New therapy and coaching centre opens in Harrogate

• Knaresborough mental health group bridges ‘gap’ before therapy

She said:

“Moving from primary school into secondary education can be a huge challenge for young people; even more so when we take into account the last few years of educational disruption due to the pandemic.

“The whole premise behind Stepping Up is to give children the tools to navigate this change and thrive in their new environment.”

Stepping Up will also support parents and guardians. It will help them understand the stages of child development and gain insight into effective language and behaviours that will support the confidence of their child through this key stage.

With a maximum group size of eight – with one parent or guardian per child – Stepping Up involves five two-hour sessions at £20 per session.

For more information call 01423 595000 or email info@theharlow.co.uk.

Harrogate District’s Chamber of Commerce is due to hold its monthly Business Safari event.

The members-only speed networking event will be held next week at St George’s Hotel.

You can sign up to the monthly agenda through the Harrogate Chamber website.

Plant competition for school children hosted by Johnsons of Whixley

Johnsons of Whixley in Harrogate is holding a competition for primary school children.

To celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee and gardening, £250 worth of plants will be sent to the winner’s school, including ten plants for their own home garden. Those in second and third place will also win a plant.

Children under the age of 11 can participate by drawing an imaginative Jubilee Garden. The form can be downloaded here.

Children must create a drawing of a jubilee garden as part of the competition

JW is a three-generation run family business which grows and supplies trees, shrubs and plants to UK-wide planting schemes.

The company plays an active part in the community, having collected donations for Ukraine and providing plants to Baby Rainbow Memorial Garden last month.

Read More:

• Daleside Garage in Pateley Bridge to relocate this year
• North Yorkshire economy recovering from pandemic, says report

Beckwithshaw Community Primary School has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.

The 75-pupil village school on Church Row had been consistently rated ‘good’ by inspectors since 2002 but its latest Ofsted report means the school has now been placed in special measures.

Inspectors found pupils enjoy coming to school, show good levels of concentration and listen to instructions.

They praised the school for its phonics programme and said pupils read with confidence and understanding.

But the report, which was published on Friday, criticised the learning curriculum at the school as “not fit for purpose” and “poorly planned”.

It said this has led to pupils not doing well in a range of subjects.

‘Leadership vacuum’

An interim executive headteacher and interim head of school took up their posts at Beckwithshaw in October 2021.

But the report said a “leadership vacuum” over a period of time has had a negative impact on the quality of teaching at the school. It said staff have suffered from excessive workloads and low morale.

It said that new subject leaders are aware of the “deep-rooted problems” with the school’s curriculum.

However, they “lack the training they need” to make the required changes to raise standards.

Here is how the inspectors came to the overall ‘inadequate’ rating:

• The quality of education: Inadequate
• Behaviour and attitudes: Good
• Personal development: Requires improvement
• Leadership and management: Inadequate
• Early years provision: Requires improvement

Read more:

• Ofsted rates Ripley primary school as ‘inadequate’
• Ofsted indicates Boroughbridge High School’s ‘good’ grade under threat

Special measures

The inspection took place over two days in December last year when inspectors observed lessons, spoke to pupils informally and had meetings with school leaders.

The report said the inspection took into account the covid pandemic and how it impacted the school.

Beckwithshaw has now been placed into special measures to drive up standards.

Special measures schools are given details on how they must improve and are regularly monitored to check that they are on track. Another inspection will take place within 12 months.

The report says:

“In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.”

The school was rated ‘good’ at its last full inspection in 2012. A short inspection took place in 2016 that said the school “continues to be good”.

Beckwithshaw is currently part of a federation of three schools, along with Kettlesing Felliscliffe Community Primary School and Ripley Endowed C of E Primary School.

The school’s response

Robert Ling, chair of the interim executive board at Beckwithshaw Community Primary School, said:

“There are clear areas identified by Ofsted where Beckwithshaw Primary School can be improved and we do have a strong team around the school driving improvements at pace including the interim executive board.

“Inspectors acknowledged that the school has strengths: that pupil’s behaviour and attitude is good; that they happily play together; that they behave well in lessons and understand the importance of tolerance and respect and that children are well safeguarded.

“The phonics programme is planned well; it enables staff to support pupils to develop their phonic knowledge and skills effectively. Pupils learn how to match letters to sounds and blend them in words. The books given to pupils to practise their reading are well matched to their phonics knowledge. They read them with confidence and understanding.

“Pupils’ with an education, health and care plan are supported more effectively because they receive individual one-to-one assistance.

“We are now taking swift action to secure good leadership and improve curriculum planning across all areas of school life.

“We are proud of our pupils at Beckwithshaw and inspectors praised their good behaviour and willingness to learn. They deserve the highest standards of teaching and learning and good quality leadership and we are taking firm steps to put these in place.”

This article is sponsored by Barnard Castle School.

As a parent, choosing the right school for your child can be one of the most challenging and important decisions you will make.

It is also a major milestone for your child, therefore their happiness is paramount.

Tony Jackson, headmaster at Barnard Castle School, recognises this and has moved to reassure parents that “enormous emphasis” has been placed on ensuring every pupil feels a sense of belonging at the school.

He said:

“Only then will they come close to maximising their potential.”

His comments come ahead of a series of open mornings 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 events, which are being held in February and March, are aimed at giving parents and pupils an opportunity to get a feel for the school, inspect the facilities and chat with peers and staff.

Mr Jackson, who has been headmaster at the school, known affectionately as ‘Barney’, since 2018, said:

“It is important your child flourishes whilst at school, which are the most important and formative years of their lives.

“At Barney, our students exceed their academic potential as a result of inspiring teaching, delivered in an easy, open and respectful environment at the heart of which are the caring relationships that exist between the teachers and students.”

Mr Jackson said the school’s recent achievements are a result of the teachers and wider ancillary staff, who spend every day “inspiring, supporting and guiding” pupils.

He said:

“Barney has always possessed a wonderful environment, with happy children and staff at its heart.

“Whilst we are extremely proud of what our students achieve academically, we also recognise the vital importance of preparing the next generation for an ever-changing and increasingly competitive and global marketplace.

“We expect our pupils to work as hard as they can, and do as well as they can.

“However, we tell them that academic success will only open a door; it is what they do when they walk through that door that counts.”

The school has a history that stretches back to the 19th century.

The headteacher said that as a result of this ethos, the school prides itself on its co-curricular activities.

He added:

“It is in these environments that most life lessons are learned. We want our young people to problem-solve, work in a team, demonstrate leadership and have emotional intelligence.

“Resilience and humility must also be at the very heart of our young people. All these attributes are delivered most effectively through extra-curricular activities.

“Be it missing out on a part in a play, or performing on stage, or standing with teammates to defend a goal or a try line; winning and losing.

“All these experiences help develop in our children the attributes they will need, and the more exposure they can get, the better, which is why our activity programme is so varied.”

Beyond the more traditional spheres of music, drama and sport, Barnard Castle School currently offers more than 100 activities to students, which include a bespoke ‘Mind, Body and Soul’ programme for Year 7 and 8s.

Mr Jackson said:

“We often find that a number of our pupils create and lead their own activities as well, demonstrating leadership and innovation.

“We want Barnardians to be the types of people who light up a room when they enter it. This requires confidence, resilience and compassion, all built up over a period of time, and in a variety of ways, both within and beyond the classroom. No leader can achieve anything major without the influence of the staff who make it happen. This is especially the case in our school.

“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.”

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.

Full or flexible boarding options in the school’s friendly, welcoming boarding houses are also provided.

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

• A Prep School open morning is taking place on Saturday, March 19 from 9.30am until 11.30am.
• Senior School open mornings – by appointment only – are being held on Saturday, February 26 and Saturday, March 19.
• Following the success of the school’s recent, oversubscribed Sixth Form information evening, Barnard Castle is delighted to offer personal, private visits for prospective Sixth Form students and their families.

Ofsted has given Kirby Hill Church of England Primary School a ‘good’ rating for the first time since March 2011.

Inspectors published the report yesterday after a visit to the school last month. They rated the 120-pupil school ‘good’ in all areas. ‘Good’ is the second highest of four possible ratings, with ‘outstanding’ the best.

It follows two previous ‘requires improvement’ Ofsted ratings in 2016 and 2018.

Leaders at the school, the report says, have “galvanised the staff team and secured improvements to the quality of education and pupils’ behaviour.”

The report said:

“Pupils enjoy attending Kirby Hill Primary School. The school’s embedded Christian values help to foster pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and to caring relationships.

“Pupils have a strong understanding of diversity and celebrate other people’s differences.

“Pupils behave well in lessons and enjoy playing together at break times. They understand what bullying is but say that it does not happen in their school.

“The school is a caring and friendly place.”

Staff have won praise for the improvement.

Read more:

• Ofsted rates Ripley primary school as ‘inadequate’
• Closure of Boroughbridge High School sixth form to be discussed this week
• Plans revealed to mark 700th anniversary of Battle of Boroughbridge

The report also praises the new curriculum at the school, which it describes as ambitious. It added that teachers explain new learning clearly and address misconceptions effectively.

Kirby Hill Church of England Primary School is about a mile from Boroughbridge.

Emma Lowe, headteacher, said:

“We are all delighted here at Kirby Hill that our hard work and dedication to improve standards has now formally been recognised by Ofsted.

“I am incredibly proud of the whole school community as everyone has played their part – but I am especially proud of our children.

“As always, our children were excellent ambassadors for our school during the inspection.

“They were able to talk confidently and passionately about their love of learning, their desire to challenge themselves and their ambitions for the future.

“I feel very lucky to be part of the Kirby Hill family and I look forward to continuing on our journey. Onwards and upwards – if you can believe it, you can achieve it!”

Plans to merge two Harrogate primary schools have taken a step forward today after county councillors agreed to move proposals to the consultation stage.

North Yorkshire County Council met today to discuss a proposed merger for Woodfield Community Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School, with parents set to be asked for their views when the consultation opens on December 2.

The schools sit just half a mile apart, but have very different Ofsted ratings, pupils numbers and finances.

Grove Road is rated as “good” by Ofsted inspectors, while Woodfield is judged “inadequate” and currently in special measures.

Woodfield has also failed to find an academy trust willing to take it over.

Due to pupil numbers determining the level of funding that a school receives, it is forecasting to be almost £333,000 in debt by 2024 due to the 49 pupils currently enrolled.

At Grove Road, the school is currently operating at capacity with almost 300 pupils and is forecasting a budget surplus by 2026.

Speaking today, councillor Patrick Mulligan, executive member for education and skills at the county council, described the proposed merger as an “exciting opportunity” for both schools and said the authority would listen to all comments during the consultation:

“We are confident it will achieve the best possible provision for all pupils, and importantly ensuring that the Woodfield site continues to be used for education of the wider community.

“The proposed amalgamation would be achieved through the technical closure of Woodfield School, and the enlargement of Grove Road School through future use of the Woodfield site.”

Read more:

• Harrogate nursery currently closed due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’
• Ripon primary school receives ‘buddy bench’ to combat loneliness

A new leadership team was appointed at Woodfield when it was placed into special measures in January 2020 and an Ofsted monitoring report has since said “effective action” is being taken to remove the worst-possible rating.

However, Cllr Mulligan said these arrangements were only ever temporary and that the merger has been proposed as the school still faces an “uncertain future”.

He said:

“The two governing bodies carefully considered the proposals before half term, and both agreed to ask us to start a consultation.

“We have worked together with the schools to assess how education provision within the Woodfield community could best be preserved.

“Families, staff, and other members of the local community will have opportunities to consider the detail of the proposals during the consultation period.”

The consultation will run until January 22 next year before a final decision is made by the county council three months later in April.

If approved, the merger would create a single primary school operating on both school sites from September 2022.

The plans for Woodfield Community Primary School to merge with nearby Grove Road Community Primary School have been met with fierce backlash from some parents.

Woodfield was put into special measures by Ofsted in January 2020. Any school judged “inadequate” by Ofsted is required to become a sponsored academy but Woodfield failed to find an academy willing to take it on.

At the meeting today county councillors will discuss whether the merger should move to a consultation period from December 2. It has already been discussed by the governing bodies of each school.

The consultation stage would last until January 22, next year with a final decision taken by the executive board in April.

Woodfield Primary School has been under-subscribed for years, according to a county council report. It currently has 49 pupils and Grove Road has 292.

New format for the schools

The Woodfield site would initially operate as a nursery for children from both schools while Grove Road would cater for children from reception to year six.

Then from September 2023, all nursery children and reception pupils would be based at the current Woodfield site, which would eventually accommodate all key stage 1 pupils. All key stage 2 children would be based at the current Grove Road site.

The county council report says if the proposals went ahead, there would be 350 primary school places available across the two sites of the amalgamated Grove Road School.

Read more:

• Parents call for Harrogate army college to be closed after abuse claims
• Harrogate nursery currently closed due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’

The report spoke of the future of staff at Woodfield school:

“The county council is the employer for staff at both Grove Road Community Primary School and Woodfield Community Primary School and the Governing Bodies will seek to protect employment as far as possible for staff currently employed at Woodfield.

“A separate HR consultation process for staff and their professional associations will commence in the spring term and the Governing Bodies will most likely propose an internal transfer of staff from Woodfield to Grove Road.”

A primary school in Ripon has been given a new buddy bench to mark anti-bullying week.

Moorside Primary School received the bench from the company Annington, which has been refurbishing former Ministry of Defence homes nearby.

Children who feel sad or anxious can sit on the bench as a signal to others that they need a friend to speak to.

Made with sustainable wood, the buddy bench is engraved with the following poem:

“We sit, we chat and ask each other questions. We leave as friends, with all good intentions.”

Claire Rowett, the headteacher at Moorside Primary School, said:

“It’s so important to create a safe and caring environment for children so that they are able to talk about their feelings, especially during such uncertain times.

“A shy or anxious child may struggle to ask someone else for support, which is why the buddy bench is such a vital tool in teaching the children what to do when they feel lonely.

“We are very grateful to Annington for donating the bench to us.”

The new buddy bench.

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Annington is one of the largest private owners of residential property in the UK, with over 40,000 homes across England and Wales.

Louise Saunders, sales and marketing manager at Annington, said the company strived to support local communities, adding:

“We are proud to gift the buddy bench to Moorside Primary School, and we hope that the children will be able to use it to create new friendships and feel more confident for many years to come.”

Anti-Bullying Week is organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance and takes place from November 15 to 19. This year’s theme is “one kind word.”