Four hundred children from 13 local primary schools will be taking centre stage at Harrogate’s Royal Hall in just over a week for the bi-annual Kids Aloud concert.
The Last Dragon, which is organised by Harrogate Brigantes Rotary, is a musical extravaganza featuring pupils from the Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon areas.
The young performers have written a lot of the music themselves, with help from storyteller Guy Wilson and composer Roland Fudge.
Hundreds of pupils take part. Pic: Charlotte Gale
The children have also illustrated a book to accompany the show, which is available from local independent bookshops, Imagined Things in Harrogate and The Little Bookshop in Ripon.
Some 200 children will be involved each night on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2.
Guy said:
“This is the eighth Kids Aloud concert Harrogate Brigantes Rotary has put on and the first that is entirely original.
“It gives our children a memorable chance to celebrate post-covid freedom with a lung-bursting performance at a full Royal Hall. We’re grateful to all the local businesses who’ve sponsored us and to Arts Council England who’ve given us a Youth Music grant.”
Guy paid particular tribute to This will be the last Kids Aloud for Harrogate primary schools music teacher Carmel Wake.
“As usual, Carmel has brought all her musical and organisational skills to the show. She has sourced and adapted music, conducted performances and coordinated the work of the schools.”
Carmel Wake conducting the choirs in rehearsal. Pic: Guy Wilson
The Last Dragon is a tale of good and evil, courage and victory set in the imaginary country of Rubovernia. It tells how two children, helped by the very last dragon in the country are able to fight off the evil that threatens it.
Any money that’s left at the end will help to fund the next Kids Aloud or go towards local good causes Brigantes Rotary supports.
Tickets are £15 for adults and £5 for under 17s and can be purchased from Harrogate Theatre box office or online here.
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Harrogate district primary school places: Majority of parents get first choice
The vast majority of parents have got their child in to their first choice primary school in the Harrogate district, new figures reveal.
Primary school admissions statistics for entry in September show that 96.6 per cent of children have been given their first preference.
The figures published by North Yorkshire County Council also show that 99.5 per cent of pupils got one of their five preferences.
However, some parents have been left disappointed.
Nicola Njie’s daughter missed out on a place at her first choice school of Killinghall and her second of Hampsthwaite. She was offered her third choice of Bilton Grange, which she says is closer to where she lives, but she works full-time at a nursery in Killinghall.
She plans to appeal against the decision, but said she had to explain to her daughter that she “probably wouldn’t be going to school with most of her friends”.
She said:
“I will appeal and see what happens.”
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Stuart Carlton, the county council’s corporate director of children and young people’s services, said every effort was made to accommodate the families’ preference of school for their child.
He said:
“The handful of children not offered one of their families’ school preferences were offered a place at their local school.
“Families can preference any school, and are encouraged to preference up to five schools.
“Where a school is oversubscribed, the admissions criteria for the school determines the priority for places. In most cases, the deciding factor is the distance from home to school.
“We closely monitor developing areas to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to accommodate the children living in the local area.”
Mr Carlton said parents could appeal here.
Across North Yorkshire, there has been a slight increase of more than one per cent from last year to 96 per cent on the number securing their first choice.
Mr Carlton added:
Teachers call for tighter key worker rules as schools under pressure“We wish all children who start primary school in September all the best and hope they enjoy a happy and exciting start in their new schools.”
A schools leader in Harrogate has called for greater clarity on lockdown rules and guidance on who qualifies as a key worker as demand for classroom places remains high.
Richard Sheriff, CEO of the Red Kite Learning Trust (RKLT), said primary schools in particular have seen far more pupils attending in person than was the case in the first lockdown last year.
While he sympathised with parents trying to balance home schooling with work, he said the pressure on schools was significant – and could mean lockdown measures would not achieve the results needed for restrictions to be eased.
“There’s a big difference between what’s happening in secondary and primary schools. Although there’s some rise in secondary, it’s nothing like the increase in primary. This indicates it’s about the ability of parents to cope with younger children at home and carry on working, or going to work.”
The RKLT is a group of 13 schools, including five in the Harrogate district. As well as Harrogate Grammar School, there are four primaries: Coppice Valley, Oatlands Junior, Rossett Acre and Western. Other schools outside the group have also reported much higher attendance in the current lockdown than last year.
Mr Sheriff said headteachers generally knew which parents were key workers such as doctors, nurses, care workers and others. However, he said the government’s extensive list of jobs which qualify for key worker status meant many people could ask for their child to be given a place at school.
With most children being taught from home, he said teachers needed to spend significant time supporting online learning. However, the number of pupils in schools and the need to keep them in small bubbles was placing extra pressure on staff.
‘Goodwill of parents’
In some cases, headteachers have spoken to parents who had requested a place and found a way for the child to be kept at home. Mr Sheriff said:
“We’re managing with the goodwill of parents in not utilising that place. It’s parents’ goodwill towards schools that’s allowing us to continue to function.
“The pressure on primary teachers at the moment is really significant.”
He added:
“We have managed to talk to parents in a way that has got demand to a level we can meet. If there was significant change, if everybody sent children who could, it would be impossible. We would be swamped.”
Richard Sheriff, CEO of the Red Kite Learning Trust
Mr Sheriff said a review of what qualified as key worker status would help to ease the pressure, and would also help with enforcing lockdown measures. With so many children still in school, nurseries still open and cars on the roads, he said mixed messages were being sent, unlike in the first lockdown.
“This feels very different – almost that the schools are a signal to people about the level of activity. If schools were closed, the indication would be we lock up and stay home. Schools staying open is an indication, ‘it’s OK to be out and while I’m out, I’ll pop in to see so and so or have a chat at the school gates’.”
As well as reducing the number of jobs which qualified as key workers, Mr Sheriff said it would be helpful to have clearer guidance on the number of pupils who should be in schools. After the last lockdown, the government said 20% of students should be in at any one time, allowing schools to place limits on the number of pupils in their classrooms.
The RKLT, meanwhile, has prepared ways in which it could prioritise places in schools if needed. However, Mr Sheriff said with continued cooperation from parents and better guidance from the government, he hoped it would not be needed.
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District parents “delighted” as schools reopen next week
As schools across the district prepare to return next week after more than five months away, some parents have said they’re “delighted” to know their children can return to classroom learning.
Coronavirus forced schools to close in March leaving most children to continue learning from home. Parents in the district have also spoken out about their worries over the educational impact further delays could have.
Schools will look different next month, with ‘bubbles’ in place and regular hand sanitising to prevent transmission.
Laura Berryman, from Bilton is sending her twins into year three next month. She said:
“I am 100% ready for them to go back. They are both excited to see their friends, we are feeling prepared, we’ve been told what to expect by the school hopefully it’ll all be fine. The small risk of getting it is outweighed by the impact of what they could miss out on. I don’t want them to go backwards, the thought of them at home any longer scares me.”
James from Harrogate is sending his son into year 10. He said:
“I’m delighted he’s returning to school, it couldn’t come soon enough. I’ve been disappointed with how the school has handled it. He had little work until three weeks before summer. The school had no idea how to use the technology and that made it more difficult, I don’t know why it was made out to be so difficult. I just hope the schools are using common sense to manage covid, the kids wellbeing is paramount. He’s excited to get back and speak to his friends it’s massively beneficial to have that social interaction.”
Kids walking to school will be a common sight once again as schools gear up to put measures in place.
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Some schools are yet to announce how school buses are to go ahead raising further questions for parents.
Nicola Crebbin has twin boys going into year nine. She said:
Parents and teachers raise concerns over delay in schools reopening“I am ready for them to go back. I have no worries about health risks but it would be good to know more regarding procedures and transport. I am slightly concerned that the children’s education may be held back waiting for others who didn’t (or couldn’t) engage in education during lockdown to catch up, time will tell. Both prefer remote school to being in school, less distracted by other children and lack of peer pressure enabled them to be more creative. Although they did find the work set a little dull.”
One of the central concerns highlighted by the union is the impact on vulnerable children, some children in the district may have struggled over lockdown to maintain homeschooling so could be more at risk of needing to catch up once schools re-open.
The government plan would have allowed for all primary school pupils to return to school for a month before the end of the summer term. This delay is re-opening has increased the concerns for the educational and mental health impact of this decision.
“The impact on children’s education will be immense and many changes will have to be made. The curriculum will have to be adapted, exams looked at and there will need to be the facilities for students to access mental health specialists. There may be students who have witnessed domestic abuse during lockdown who will need support and possibly students who have literally been malnourished – we forget that there is poverty in Harrogate.“Teachers in the Harrogate want to get back to teaching their students but in a safe environment that poses no danger to their students, their selves or their families. It will be challenging for all teachers as they will have to assess students and differentiate accordingly. It may be that extra teachers/support staff will need to be employed for several months to enable students to catch up.”
- It will be a while until classrooms are full again, but teaching staff are preparing for pupils to enjoy a safe return in September.
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“I’m worried about the effect that it will have on our child’s mental health especially for children with SEN as the social aspect of school is crucial for some children. Homeschooling is definitely no replacement for being at school, I hope that the curriculum will reflect the large chunk of time missing from their educations.”
“I’m frustrated that it was ever even mentioned by the government as a possibility. Realistically schools could never have more classes in 15-child bubbles based on space alone. More classes could only have been able to go back if the overall restrictions were hugely lifted. I’m mostly stressed about the detrimental effect 6 months away from education (and perhaps more importantly, peers) will have on the mental health of my child.”
Only a third of North Yorkshire’s primary schools are following government guidance on reopening today as concerns remain over the safety of pupils and staff.
Children in reception, year one and year six could all be back in lessons from today – but not every primary school has chosen to follow the changing advice.
Just 111 schools across the county are planning to reopen to pupils in some or all of those year groups today, according to the county council, and 24 more are expecting to follow next week. Judith Kirk, NYCC’s assistant director for education and skills, said:
“Schools have drawn up a bespoke approach to reopening, appropriate to their circumstances, but we want to reassure parents that when children come into primary schools in North Yorkshire, the first focus will be children’s safety and wellbeing, settling them in and making them feel secure, before we begin teaching the curriculum.
“We are working with schools, headteachers and teaching unions to support each school and the decision made by head teachers and governing bodies.”
Teaching unions told The Stray Ferret last month that they had serious reservations about their ability to keep everyone safe, and it seems those concerns remain. Some schools say they will follow full government guidance, while others say it would not be safe to reopen at all, other than for the children of key workers who have already been attending.
‘Not missing out’
Among those opening for some year groups today is Bilton Grange Primary School in Harrogate, which will welcome back pupils in its reception classes. However, the school has told parents it does not feel it can safely open to years one and six yet – something which has been welcomed by parent Jamie Haslam.
His daughter Erin is in year six at the school, but has been learning at home, alongside older sister Jessica who attends Harrogate High School, with support from teachers and their parents since the start of lockdown. Jamie said he was relieved not to have to make the decision himself about whether it was safe for Erin to return – though he does feel sad she’s missing the final weeks at primary school.
“I remember from last year when Jessica left, it was nice that last bit of primary school. I don’t feel she’s missing out on anything education-wise, she will just miss those nice experiences with her friends.”
Schools across the district will teach pupils taught in smaller groups than usual class sizes. Each small group is being kept apart from others, with measures such as staggered arrival times and breaks introduced, and additional ventilation, cleaning and other measures in place to minimise the risks of infection.
Pupils will be taught in smaller groups, but social distancing will not be enforced within those
North Yorkshire county councillor Patrick Mulligan said:
“All schools have carried out risk assessments looking at social distancing, staffing and hygiene and those that can open safely will be doing on Monday. Not all schools will be open on June 1; we are a large rural county with a relatively high number of small rural schools – including traditional church schools based around small classrooms – where implementing social distancing simply isn’t possible.
“We would like to reassure parents who are sending their children to school that schools are working hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils.”
The county council is also working to deliver home-to-school transport for those pupils who already qualified for it. Parents in need of transport over the coming weeks have been asked to complete a survey on the council’s website.
Is your child’s school reopening today? How do you feel about sending them back? Contact us with your views.