Two more Harrogate schools report strangers harassing children

Parents are being urged to be vigilant after two more schools in the Harrogate district reported recent incidents of children being harassed on the way home.

Police revealed yesterday that an 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted while walking home from school at the junction of King’s Road and Chatsworth Grove in Harrogate on Tuesday.

The girl, whose school has not been revealed, was upset and shaken by the incident.

It has since emerged that a man in his early 20s chased year seven pupils on their way home from Harrogate High School last night.

The pupils, who were walking on Skipton Road, hid and the man ran past.

Lucy Greenwood, head of school at Harrogate High School, wrote to parents last night alerting them to the news. Her message said:

“It is worth reminding your children to be extra vigilant and to make their way directly home.

“We have reported the incident to the police and we will be making all students in school aware and to remind them to be extra vigilant on their way home.”

A school spokeswoman told the Stray Ferret the incident happened shortly after 2.25pm.

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Willow Tree Community Primary School has also reported two incidents to police that occurred late last week.

One involved a man dressed in black following people home and another involved a black Jeep driving backwards and forwards past a small group of pupils travelling to and from school.

Helen Davey, headteacher of Willow Tree Community Primary School, wrote to parents:

“I have been in touch with the police today to get further information about their response to this.

“They  have asked that anyone who is concerned that they have seen something suspicious should ring 101.

“Although they are able to have officers in the area, anything of concern should be reported so they can build a picture of what is happening.”

Ms Davey told the Stray Ferret the incidents took place in a ginnel near Saint Andrew’s Road at the back of the school.

“It’s a shock and a bit of a wake-up call.”

She added she did not know if there was any link between all the reported incidents.

Police advice

North Yorkshire Police has not issued any further updates and did not say whether it believed the incidents were linked.

Sergeant Alex Sellars from the Harrogate Neighbourhood Policing Team said yesterday that “incidents of this nature are rare in North Yorkshire”.

Sergeant Sellars added:

“There are some very simple steps that we can all take to help us feel safer when we’re walking home, such as walking in a group or with a friend, letting someone know what route you’ll be taking, when you are leaving somewhere and when you expect to be home and walk along main routes and well-lit areas.

“Please be assured that we take reports of this nature very seriously and our officers are committed to ensuring public safety.”

Five Harrogate district schools to benefit from £2 million carbon funding

Five schools and a care home in the Harrogate district are set to benefit from £2 million worth of carbon funding.

North Yorkshire County Council has secured the cash from the government to help meet its target of reaching carbon zero by 2030.

The money will go towards projects at county council buildings across North Yorkshire.

It will see the buildings improved by fitting replacement windows and making them more energy efficient.

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In the Harrogate district, the following schools and care home will benefit:

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said: 

“Climate change is a real threat to our region and collectively we need to take action to mitigate and reduce the effects.

“Opportunities such as the public sector decarbonisation fund are very welcome to help us to improve our buildings and infrastructure. We want to send a clear message that we are committed to improving our own buildings and reducing carbon from our activities.”

More than 20 schools across the county are expected to benefit, as well as council-run care homes in Pickering.

The funding will also support a study of options for environmental and energy efficiency initiatives at the authority’s office buildings.

This could include initiatives such as electric vehicle charge points, generation of renewable energy on buildings and other carbon-saving measures and building improvements.

It follows similar decarbonisation projects which have been announced by Harrogate Borough Council.

The authority was awarded more than £2.4 million for two projects at the Harrogate Hydro and the Harrogate Convention Centre.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital was given £14 million by government to reduce its carbon footprint by 25 per cent.

Stray Views: How many Harrogate parents got their first choice of school?

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. 

The criteria for secondary school places

Come to Harrogate they say. Pay an inflated house price for the quality of local schools, low crime levels and green spaces.

Let’s face it, the majority of parents choose to live in Harrogate for access to outstanding schools. That’s why we moved here. But that is all well and good if you can actually access these schools.

When March approaches, parents continuously press the refresh button on their email to see if they live close enough to or have been committed enough to their faith to secure a place at the nearest ‘outstanding’ community faith school.

Disappointingly, this year the computer said No. My friends felt confident that their commitment to church, alongside their proximity to St Aidan’s would secure them a place.

Instead, they were offered their fourth choice, and although North Yorkshire County Council claim 90 per cent of children got their first choice school, I wonder how many children from Harrogate this applied to?

What frustrates even more, is when a child who lives less than a mile away is overlooked for a child who lives more than 10 miles away, even though both parents have shown the same amount of commitment to their faith. Surely the council have some environmental principles by giving places to those who can walk to school over someone who needs transport to get there.

As a family who show commitment to our faith, alongside paying an inflated price for our house, we are now not convinced that living here is worth both of these things.

Kate Tiffen, Harrogate

Simple, cheap ideas to boost Harrogate

Now is not the time for Harrogate to rest on its laurels. The old saying ‘a business stood still is a business in decline’ is true. It’s not until you live in the town centre that you realise just how many visitors we have every week.

Some places, like Glasgow and Liverpool, have changed dramatically over recent years, catching up Harrogate for attractions and facilities.

These and other towns are giving Harrogate stiff competition for the exhibition and events industry, which has been the lifeblood of the town for the last 50 years. Our hotels and the supporting service industries rely on visitors to survive but what have we done and what should we be doing to keep Harrogate ahead of the competition?

The simple photo opportunity picture frame at the top of Montpellier is a good example of catering for the tourists that didn’t break the bank.

We need 50 more suggestions as good as that and implement the best 20 ASAP. The following ideas have been thought of before but would still be an asset.

Illuminated fountains at the Prince of Wales Christchurch and New Park roundabouts – any one entering the town from North South East or West would be impressed with their visit even before they got out of the car.

Rename the town Harrogate Spa with welcome signs a mile or so before each roundabout saying Welcome to Harrogate Spa.

Having directed tourists to Bettys they were impressed by the war memorial area and commented how lovely it was – at night it’s black – why isn’t the column floodlit to form a centre of attraction that would enhance the overall impressions of the town?

The war memorial illuminations, along with stone cleaning the column, should be given priority. The council’s park department does a great job throughout the town. I am just concerned that if we don’t ring the changes quickly visitors to the the town will dwindle and so will we.

David Birtles, Harrogate

Birk Crag litter hero and villains

My family and I walked through the woods at Birk Crag on Sunday. I was really disappointed at the amount of litter, particularly beer bottles, drinks cups and cartons up there on the crags and in the woods.

I was wishing I had a bag and gloves, when we met a family whose son was picking litter for his Duke of Edinburgh Award. He cleared all the litter at the top of the crag. I went from cursing my fellow citizens to congratulating this family. Well done to them.
Perhaps those of us who care should follow their example.
To those who left the litter, take this advice: ‘leave only footprints, take only memories’. It’s only unspoilt if you leave it that way.
John Brown, Harrogate

Got an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Teachers need vaccine says Harrogate union rep

A Harrogate teacher is supporting calls by a union to ensure teachers are vaccinated alongside other frontline workers.

Sharon Calvert, teacher and the national executive member of NASUWT for the Harrogate area, believes teachers need to be vaccinated for their own health and to ensure schools can safely reopen.

The government has said 88% of all covid fatalities are from vulnerable groups making it necessary to prioritise the vaccine for those most at-risk.

When schools reopened in September many introduced a bubble system to reduce contact between students and staff. Some age groups were told to wear face masks in corridors.

Ms Calvert supports her union’s campaign ‘Vaccinate to Educate’. The union launched a petition which has reached almost 460,000 signatures and is set to be debated in parliament tonight.

Ms Calvert said:

“Teachers are frontline workers! We have seen whole year groups sent home and many in the schools in the Harrogate area struggle to maintain a safe environment. It would be prudent for all educational staff to be tested and prioritised to be vaccinated to ensure that staff will be protected.”

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Many teachers are still heading into school to teach vulnerable or key worker children.

Ms Calvert said specialist schools are also open and, due to the children’s needs, teachers are unlikely to be able to maintain a safe distance or wear face coverings:

“Special schools are still open to all students. Staff at these schools are working with vulnerable young adults who may need personal care, certainly a two meter distance is not achievable so the staff need to be prioritised as caregivers as well as teachers.

“This will also protect those vulnerable students.”

How Harrogate’s snow day unfolded and caused chaos

Heavy snow across the Harrogate district has caused chaos on the roads and for schools today.

We kept track of school closures, kept an eye on the roads and updated this story as we went along.

The snow started at around 8am this morning and did not stop for a moment until after sunset.

It seems that ice will follow the snow, after a Met Office warning over freezing temperatures from midnight until 11am tomorrow.

5.15pm – Gritters head out onto Harrogate district roads

Gritters will be out overnight and tomorrow morning trying to clear the snow and ice from the Harrogate district’s roads.

North Yorkshire County Council said its team has been out on “priority roads” today.

We've been #gritting priority roads throughout the day and will continue to do so overnight and tomorrow morning.

Please only travel if essential and take extra care if you do. Remember, gritting does not guarantee an ice or snow free surface.

More ⬇️https://t.co/6cnhGrxFu6 pic.twitter.com/0q8bKPhqoU

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) January 8, 2021

5.10pm – Harlow Carr to remain closed after snow

RHS Harlow Carr has confirmed that it will remain closed tomorrow due to the heavy snow.

Anyone who has booked tickets for Saturday has been urged to send RHS an email on harlowcarr@rhs.org.uk.

**Closed Saturday 9th January **

Unfortunately due to today’s heavy snowfall, RHS Garden Harlow Carr will be closed on Saturday 9th January.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you have paid for tickets, please contact harlowcarr@rhs.org.uk for a refund. pic.twitter.com/ozwwrJ2jIK

— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) January 8, 2021

5pm – Harrogate district buses start running again

The Harrogate Bus Company has now confirmed that its number 36 buses are now able to run from Leeds, to Harrogate and onto Ripon.

That covers the full route so it is back to normal but the bus company has not yet revealed the return any of its other routes just yet.

Our buses on #The36 are able to run between Harrogate and Ripon now as well as to Leeds, so we're back along the whole route.

If you're joining us on the bus this evening, track your bus on our app #TransdevGo, to make sure you know when it's coming – https://t.co/p6IyPgyQvx pic.twitter.com/P5biQVE5zS

— The Harrogate Bus Company (@harrogatebus) January 8, 2021

4.45pm – Public toilets closed across Harrogate district

Harrogate Borough Council has closed down the district’s public toilets due to the “adverse weather conditions”.

When questioned by a resident on Twitter the authority explained that it was because workers are unable to clean them.

4pm – Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal close

The heavy snow has forced Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal to close its doors tomorrow.

It may also have to close on Sunday, but it will make that decision on Saturday depending on how the weather condition progress.

*Important Notice* Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal will be closed on Saturday 9 January due to heavy snowfall. If you have booked a ticket to visit that you'd like refunded please call 0344 2491895.
We'll be making a decision on opening on Sunday 10 January tomorrow.#staylocal pic.twitter.com/u2u5kg0Wsq

— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) January 8, 2021

2.30pm – Ice to follow snow in district

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice from midnight tonight until 11am tomorrow.

North Yorkshire County Council has told people to only travel if essential and urged people to take extra care on icy surfaces.

⚠️ The @metoffice have issued a yellow #weatherwarning for #ice form midnight tonight until 11am tomorrow.

Please only travel if essential and if you need to go out take extra care on icy surfaces.

Keep up to date with the forecast here ⬇️https://t.co/mYeNomwbja pic.twitter.com/0C6j8P6o3D

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) January 8, 2021

2pm – Volunteers brave the snow

Volunteers have braved the snow today to take care of vulnerable people, including a homeless man in Harrogate.

The Resurrected Bites team said its team of helpers have kept up with its deliveries of food to those that need it most.

“I just want to let you know what heroes we have. We have called all of today’s customers to see if they can wait until Monday and those that can’t have had food delivered on foot.

“One of them has also been out to get food to the homeless man and his dogs on Montpellier Hill. I couldn’t ask for a better team. I am so grateful for all of them.”

1.45pm – Waste and recycling centres close

North Yorkshire County Council has confirmed that some of its household waster recycling centres have closed.

The local authority said that the Harrogate and West Harrogate centres needed to close because of the snow.

12.30pm – Harrogate hospital praises staff in snow

Harrogate District Hospital has praised the efforts of its staff who are battling the snow to keep it running today,.

“Thank you to Matthew from Estates, James from Car Parking and the rest of the team from our Harrogate Integrated Facilities who are busy battling the elements to keep the hospital site safe.

“Well done and thank you to all colleagues for efforts to get in today. And to patients for making it in too!”

We’ve got a fair bit of snow in Harrogate today! Huge thanks to Matthew and James & the rest of the team who are busy battling the elements to keep the hospital site safe. Well done & thanks to all colleagues for your efforts to get in today. & to patients for making it in too! pic.twitter.com/Dfcj4D3fHI

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) January 8, 2021

11.50am – More school closures across district

If we have missed any school closures off our list then please get in touch through email on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

11.40am – Bus company starts gritting roads

The local bus company has started to grit roads in Harrogate to try and rescue its buses and other vehicles.

Alex Hornby, CEO of Transdev, tweeted today that “we appear to now be The Harrogate Gritting Company.”

We appear to now be The Harrogate Gritting Company to help rescue our buses and other vehicles on the roads. pic.twitter.com/UylVYml6SG

— Alex Hornby (@alexhornbybus) January 8, 2021

11.05am – Traffic ‘at a standstill’

Roads in all directions around Harrogate are at a standstill because of the heavy snowfall.

Traffic on the A61 north of Harrogate at Killinghall, and south towards Pannal, has ground to a halt. Conditions are also reported to be poor on other roads, including Otley Road and Jenny Field Drive.

North Yorkshire County Council said it was gritting all priority one and two roads in the district overnight, which includes bus routes. However, it is advising people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

Traffic on the A61 in Killinghall

Traffic on the A61 in Killinghall

10.40am – RHS Harlow Carr closes gates

RHS Garden Harlow Carr has closed to visitors today because of the weather conditions.

With Otley Road reportedly difficult to navigate, the RHS said anyone who has booked tickets can get in touch for a refund.

10am – Harrogate Bus Company pauses buses

The Harrogate Bus Company has paused all of its buses that are currently out on the road this morning due to the snow.

It said in a tweet this morning that the buses will get running again “once the very heavy snow has cleared”.

“So we can keep everyone safe in this weather, we’re pausing our buses that are currently out on the road.

“We’ll confirm when we’re able to get back up and running again, once the very heavy snow has cleared.

“If you need any help, just send us a message here.”

10am – Council calls off waste and recycling collections

Harrogate Borough Council has called off its waste and recycling collections this morning due to the snow.

The local authority said it would do its best to catch-up in the coming days but said the safety of its crew is paramount.

As you’ve probably seen, it is now snowing quite heavily across the #Harrogate district. Waste and recycling collections have now been stood down as the safety of our crews is paramount. We will do our best to catch-up in the coming days, where we can. pic.twitter.com/NA1oMfaEUS

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) January 8, 2021

9:45am – School closures

Schools across the Harrogate district are closing to all, including the children of key workers as a result of the snow.

9.30am – Trouble on the roads

The snow is causing major issues on the roads around the Harrogate district this morning.

A brief update on the roads throughout North Yorkshire. Please take care if you are out & about, drive to the conditions & check in on elderly & vulnerable neighbours pic.twitter.com/h3DkE8A5IO

— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) January 8, 2021

Traffic reports on Google Maps is showing heavy congestion around Harrogate and Knaresborough.

 

Union says New Year plans for Harrogate district schools ‘inoperable’

A Harrogate teachers’ union rep has described government plans for school reopening in January as “inoperable”.

Ministers published new guidance four days ago saying most secondary school students will begin the spring term learning online.

Only vulnerable or key workers’ children and those in years 11 and 13 can return normally on January 4 — other students will return the following week.

The delay is intended to give schools time to set up covid testing schemes.

Testing is not mandatory but the government hopes as many schools as possible adopt it to clamp down on the virus after the Christmas break.

The plans, which were suddenly introduced just before term ended, have caused controversy.

Sharon Calvert, who represents the Harrogate association of the NASUWT teachers’ union, said the plans would force many teachers to spend the holidays organising testing operations:

“Teachers in the Harrogate district have been working hard since March, many head teachers will not have had a day off since then. The last thing that should be asked of educators is to be working and putting in to place another new system over the holidays.

“The chaotic and rushed nature of this announcement, the lack of proper guidance, and an absence of appropriate support means that the government’s plan in its current form will be inoperable for most schools and colleges in the Harrogate area.

“They simply do not have the staffing capacity to carry this out themselves in a safe and effective manner.”

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Ripon Grammar School has sent a letter to parents detailing how some pupils will return as normal on January, 5 but the majority of pupils in year 7 to 10 and 12 will study remotely. All students are expected back the following week.

The letter adds a decision on testing will be taken in January.

Harrogate independent school Ashville College said in a statement:

“We will be reviewing the government guidelines and looking at a return to school in the New Year that will continue to ensure the safety of our pupils and staff.”

North Yorkshire County Council said it supported schools delaying a full return of pupils and will be holding a webinar in January to discuss testing.

Richard Webb, corporate director for health and adult services at the council, said:
“We are asking secondary schools and colleges to put in place a staggered return, providing full-time remote education for the first week of term with face-to-face education starting on January 11.
“Vocational exams scheduled for that week will also go ahead as planned.”

Other schools in the district contacted by the Stray Ferret said discussions about arrangement has begun but they were unable to comment further.

The government guidance says:

“To support public health efforts during the return to school in January 2021, we are offering secondary schools in England access to additional coronavirus testing from the first week of January.

“This will help deliver the national priority of keeping as many pupils and teachers as possible in school beyond the start of term, minimising the spread of the virus and disruption caused by coronavirus cases arising in education settings.”

 

North Yorkshire schools told to not close early for Christmas

Schools in North Yorkshire have been told to not close early for Christmas, despite fears over the potential spread of coronavirus.

Two schools approached North Yorkshire County Council requesting early closure but their bids were rejected.

Most schools in the county will close on Friday, although 45 will finish a day earlier so they can hold a teacher training day.

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at NYCC, said at a coronavirus press briefing today:

“We had two schools discussing whether they would close prior to this date. We have discouraged them from doing so.

“They should only close because of close contacts and isolation reasons so we are really pleased that the majority are staying open.”

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School attendance in the county is currently at about 89%. This figure has remained consistent over the last couple of weeks.

The briefing also revealed 19 schools are partially closed to year groups or bubbles.

It also emerged there are 184 patients in hospitals in North Yorkshire, with 22 of them in Harrogate.

While the county-wide bed numbers are 17 lower than this time last week, there was an increase of 10 patients yesterday.

The Harrogate district recorded a further 36 coronavirus cases today, the highest figure since November 23 when there were 37 cases.

King James’s School spending £7,000 a week on covid

King James’s School in Knaresborough is spending an extra £7,000 a week tackling covid, Parliament was told yesterday.

Covid has imposed additional costs on all schools, such as paying for supply teachers to cover teachers who are isolating.

But the scale of the problem at one local school was laid bare during a Commons education debate.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, asked if the government would take into account variable infection rates when planning education budgets for tomorrow’s Spending Review.

Mr Jones said:

“The highest levels of infection lead to the highest levels of people having to isolate, including teachers, so there are increased budgetary costs from having to backfill teaching staff.

“King James’s School in Knaresborough, a secondary school in my constituency, briefed me that this is running at £7,000 a week, so schools are facing a significant challenge.”

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Paul McIntosh, acting headteacher of King James’s School, urged ministers to help. He told the Stray Ferret:

“In the present climate, it is unsustainable to keep spending the extra money on resources like additional cleaning and supply teachers in order simply to maintain the school functioning in a relatively normal capacity.

“We would greatly appreciate the government giving serious consideration to providing schools with additional funding in order to support us through these difficult winter months.”

Gillian Keegan, the skills minister, told the Commons debate the government had provided £75,000 additional funding for “unavoidable costs that could not be met from their existing budgets”.

She added:

“There will be a further opportunity later in the year for schools to claim for eligible costs that fell between March and July.”

 

Harrogate and Knaresborough schools ‘could be forced to axe teachers’

Schools in Harrogate and Knaresborough could be forced to lay-off teachers because of spiralling debts, a councillor has warned.

Cllr Geoff Webber, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire County Council, said schools may be forced to act after new figures showed debt increasing.

A council report published last week on schools in Harrogate and Knaresborough showed four schools are projected to have debts totalling £1.6 million by March 2021.

By March 2023, this is forecast to have risen to five schools with total debts of £1.6 million.

Cllr Webber told the Stray Ferret:

“The schools will start off with an overspend one year and will not be able to bring that debt back under control. It just spirals from there.

“When the schools are in debt the only way for them to save money is to make staff redundant. It’s usually the more experienced ones that go first.”

The financial situation is bleak across the county: 37 schools in North Yorkshire have total debt of £7.2 million.

This is expected to soar to 93 schools with total debt of £18.3 million by 2022/23. This would mean 40 per cent of schools in the county will be in debt.

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Two primary schools, one secondary school and one special needs school are currently in debt in Harrogate and Knaresborough. The council paper does not name them.

The government has frozen education funding in recent years.

North Yorkshire misses out

The funding formula focuses on deprivation. So schools in more affluent areas like the Harrogate district tend to miss out.

The report says:

“North Yorkshire secondary schools are placed 133 out of 149 local authorities in terms of funding.

“On average, a school in North Yorkshire will receive £5,151 per pupil in 2020/21 compared to a national average of £5,496.

“Comparing the funding for a 1,500 pupil secondary school this equates to a difference in funding of £0.5m.”

Cllr Webber said the council should use its reserves to plug funding shortfalls if the government does not increase funding.

Cllr Patrick Mulligan, the Conservative executive member for education and skills at the council, who represents Airedale, told the Stray Ferret:

“I do sympathise with the schools. It has been difficult for them since the funding was frozen with austerity. This puts us in a difficult position.

“We have been lobbying MPs to ask for more school funding. We had a 3% rise in funding per pupil this year and hope that continues.”

‘Act now before a child is killed’

A primary school headteacher and parents are calling for urgent speed measures in Killinghall before a child is killed or seriously injured.

Sarah Bassitt, headteacher of Killinghall Church of England Primary School, spoke out after a fruitless two-year campaign to tackle speed outside the school.

Traffic hurtles downhill along Otley Road into the village at a 60mph limit, which only reduces to 30mph about 200 metres from the school. Often cars are doing at least 40mph when they pass the building.

Ms Bassitt said many schools had 20mph limits outside and traffic calming measures, such as speed humps.

But two years of writing to North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire Police have not led to similar outcomes in Killinghall.

Ms Bassitt said:

“The criteria seems to be that you have to have a child killed before anything is done.

“That hasn’t happened mainly because of the vigilance of parents and teachers.

“It’s very dangerous and different to what happens at other schools. It feels like we are hitting out heads against a brick wall.”

Ms Bassitt said some parents were so exasperated they had even used fake speed guns to encourage drivers to slow down.

Otley Road, outside the school in Killinghall.

Parent Gary Donoghue, who has led the campaign, said children were scared to walk to school.

Mr Donoghue said there should be a 20mph limit outside the school.

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He also called for the 30mph limit coming into the village to be moved back to the junction with Lund Lane to allow traffic more time to slow down before passing the school. He added:

“We are looking for prevention rather than repercussions. We don’t want something to happen to our children so they are the ones who bring about change.

“There seems to be a lack of acknowledgement that there is a problem. But when your child is scared to walk to school that is an issue. I wish someone from the council would come and speak to us.”

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire County Council several times for comment but did not receive a response.