£2 million contract awarded to adapt Harrogate schoolStill no decision on future of Woodfield school site

A decision has still not been taken on the future use of the Woodfield Community Primary School site.

The school in Bilton will officially close on December 31 but has been empty for some time.

There has been no event to mark the closure, unlike Kell Bank Primary School near Masham, which organised several activities celebrating its history when its doors closed for the final time last year.

North Yorkshire County Council, the local education authority, said in a statement in October:

“The county council will be exploring whether there are alternative educational uses for the school buildings. There are controls around the reuse or redevelopment of school sites, and any alternative uses that are proposed will be the subject of consultation.”

The county council-owned site also houses Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Harrogate Bilton Children and Family Hub and Oak Beck House, which remain open.

After Woodfield school’s final term ended, the Stray Ferret asked the council for an update on its plans for the site.

A council spokeswoman said:

“There is no update from our last statements. We are still in discussions about the future use of the site.”

Read more:

 

Council to explore ‘alternative educational uses’ for Woodfield school

North Yorkshire County Council has said it will consider “alternative educational uses” for Woodfield Community Primary School‘s buildings after it closes.

Councillors confirmed this week the 56-year-old Bilton school will close on December 31.

The council claims it has “exhausted all options” to keep the school open after years of falling pupil numbers and an inadequate rating by Ofsted.

But the move has angered local families who do not understand why the school, in a densely populated area of Harrogate, needs to close.

Following this week’s decision, the Stray Ferret asked the council about the future of the site, which includes substantial playing fields as well as the school building.

We asked what discussions have taken place about the use of the school site, what the options are and what the timescale for a decision is likely to be. We also asked whether the council had ruled out using the site for housing.

Read more:

The council replied in a statement:

“No discussions have taken place on the future use of the site, ahead of a decision being made on the school’s future this week.

“The site is owned by the county council and also houses Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Harrogate Bilton Children and Family Hub and Oak Beck House. All of these services remain open and unaffected by the school closure.

“The county council will be exploring whether there are alternative educational uses for the school buildings. There are controls around the reuse or redevelopment of school sites, and any alternative uses that are proposed will be the subject of consultation.”

No further details have been released.

‘Badly let down’ Woodfield school closure confirmed

The 56-year history of Harrogate’s Woodfield Community Primary School is set to come to an end after councillors confirmed its closure today.

The school in Bilton will shut on December 31 despite complaints that pupils and parents have been “badly let down” by education bosses at North Yorkshire County Council.

But the council claims it has “exhausted all options” to try to keep the school open after years of falling pupil numbers and an inadequate rating by Ofsted.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s executive today, ward councillor and school governor Paul Haslam repeated his objections to the closure which he blamed on an “unfounded allegation” about the school that was posted on social media several years ago. Cllr Haslam said”

“Today is a sad day. We have allowed social media and its consequent impact to close a perfectly good school.

“This cannot be allowed to happen to another school and it is only a failure if we do not learn from this sad event.”

Read more:

Cllr Haslam, who represents the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division, added that the closure will “rip a large hole in this community” as he also called for a review into how it happened.

Paul Haslam

Stuart Carlton, the council’s corporate director of children and young people’s services, responded to say he “could not compel” other education bodies to discuss the issues around social media, but that he would meet with Cllr Haslam. He said:

“These are always very difficult decisions, but we have followed all the processes.

“The problem nationally of social media is one that isn’t unique to ourselves or particular schools here – it is something that plagues out across the country at times.

“I’m more than happy that I commit with my assistant director of education to meet with councillor Haslam and the chair of governors to talk through that point.”

Conservative councillor Annabel Wilkinson, the executive member for education and skills, also said the decision to close the school was made with a “heavy heart”.

Today’s decision comes after pupil numbers at the school dwindled from 155 in 2018 to just one earlier this month.Woodfield Primary School entrance

The inadequate rating by Ofsted inspectors came in 2020 and meant the school had to become part of an academy, however, it failed to one to secure its future.

Woodfield Community Primary School, which opened around 1964, then held merger talks with the nearby Grove Road Community Primary School, but these fell through.

Financial troubles have also hit the school, with debts forecast to reach almost £100,000 by the end of 2022/23 set to be absorbed by the county council.

The closure will also mean the Woodfield catchment area will be shared with both Bilton Grange Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School.

Closure notice published for Harrogate school

North Yorkshire County Council has published a closure notice for Woodfield Community Primary School that proposes to shut the school for good on December 31.

The document, which is available to read here, said governors have “exhausted all options” to keep the school in Bilton open.

It gives reasons that led to the decision, which it says began when the school was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2020 and placed into special measures.

The rating meant the school had to become a sponsored academy, but it failed to find a backer.

A proposed merger with Grove Road Community Primary School fell through this year.

The notice says there were 36 pupils enrolled at the school as of July 4, as well as 9 children in its nursery.

Just four applicants put Woodfield as their preferred school for reception entry in September.

The notice also proposes that should the school close, the catchment areas of Bilton Grange Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School would be expanded to include the current Woodfield school catchment area or parts of it.

A consultation will run until October 6 on the closure. Comments can be made to schoolorganisation@northyorks.gov.uk

Read more:

 

Bilton has ‘sufficient primary places’ if Woodfield school closes

Education officials have said there should be “sufficient primary places” in Bilton if Woodfield Community Primary School closes, even though most nearby schools are full.

A report to councillors today will recommend they approve beginning a consultation on closing Woodfield by December 31 this year at the earliest.

The report recommends the consultation is shortened from the usual six weeks to four weeks because of “the urgency of the position and the need to provide as much clarity as possible to parents before the summer holidays”.

It says parents and carers of the 37 pupils remaining at Woodfield will be asked to apply for the preferred school that they would like their child to transfer to in the event of closure, adding:

“Once the full picture of all preferences is known, the local authority would liaise with the schools regarding potential allocations, and seek to meet the highest stated preferences wherever possible.”

Read more:

Woodfield has a capacity of 150 pupils — 113 more than it currently caters for. Many parents have moved their children amid the ongoing uncertainty.

Nearby schools full

Nearby Bilton Grange Primary School, Grove Road Community Primary School and Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School are all currently operating beyond capacity, the report says, while St Robert’s Catholic Primary School is one pupil below capacity.

Woodfield’s closure would therefore put pressure on nearby schools but the report to councillors at tomorrow’s North Yorkshire County Council children and young people’s service committee says:

“There are no significant housing permissions within the Woodfield school catchment area, although there are several housing developments underway or planned in neighbouring school catchment areas.

“If the closure proposal went ahead, there would be a reduction of 150 primary school places available in the local area.

“Given current forecasts, including the likely demand from new housing, and current patterns of parental preference, there would appear to be sufficient primary places available in the local area, should the closure of Woodfield school be approved, as overall birth rates are falling in Harrogate district, and pupils living in the Woodfield school catchment area already attend a wide variety of primary schools.”

The report says pupil numbers determine school funding and Woodfield is forecast to have a budget deficit of £97,000 this year and a cumulative deficit of £229,000 by 2023/24.

Future of site unclear

A decision on the future of the school site has yet to be made. The report says:

“The county council owns the school site, which also accommodates Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Harrogate Bilton children and family hub, and Oak Beck House.

“Decisions about the future use of the school premises will be taken after the closure proposal has been determined.”

Woodfield was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2020. It subsequently failed to find an academy sponsor and a proposed merger with Grove Road fell through this year.

County council ‘would give Woodfield school more time to improve if it could’

North Yorkshire County Council  says giving Woodfield Community Primary School more time to improve is out of its hands, and plans to amalgamate it next year with the nearby Grove Road school are likely to go ahead.

The council says amalgamation is necessary because Woodfield has been unable to find an academy willing to take it on since it was rated inadequate by Ofsted in January last year.

Woodfield would be effectively swallowed up by the bigger Grove Road, which would operate as a split-site 280-pupil school.

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

A six-week consultation is set to start on December 2 and a final decision taken on April 19.

The Stray Ferret spoke to North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for education and skills, Cllr Patrick Mulligan, about how Woodfield got to this point, and whether the decision to close the school could be changed.

Why isn’t NYCC giving the school more to improve given that its latest Ofsted visit recognised significant progress being made in a short space of time?

It’s out of our hands. Because of the system, when Ofsted finds a school is inadequate, it has to become an academy.

We tried to find a multi-academy trust to take on Woodfield but we couldn’t find anyone. The school was then faced with possible closure.

I don’t think people understand how little influence we have in the academy system. It’s frustrating. We get into a process where we can’t keep a school open even if we wanted to. The system is flawed. 

What were the reasons no academy trust wanted to take on Woodfield?

We can make suggestions to the trusts and ask them and come and look at school, but they do their due diligence and see declining numbers, financial difficulties. If it’s too risky they don’t take it on.

Parents have a choice now. If a school is deemed to be inadequate by Ofsted. You get into a downward spiral [and numbers of pupils then decline].

Would NYCC give Woodfield more time to improve if it had the power to?

We would probably give it more time and send our school improvement team to turn it around.

We’ve had a lot of discussions with governors over many years. We’ve been working with them to find a solution. We wanted an academy to take it on but none would.

Sometimes you get beyond that downward spiral.

We do everything we can to support schools. There’s another issue that we don’t receive enough funding to cover these small schools. We have good schools but the system is corroding it.

Read more:

Can the decision to close Woodfield be changed?

It is now with the regional schools commissioner.

We had a school in Ryedale. It had 20 kids and was facing closure. We had a public meeting and the community was in uproar. Unlike Woodfield, it did not have an academy order.

Parents formed a community group and they created a business plan to make the school sustainable. It was robust and looked at other things such as housing. It paused the process of closure. 

But over the summer, Ofsted came in and gave an inadequate judgement. In the following September, just six children came in, which was depressing. The school closed.

[The parents in Woodfield] could try to do that, but once an academisation order is in, it cannot be reversed.

What are the projected financial savings of this merger?

I don’t have that to hand. It’s not something that has come up in discussions. Grove Road school has done its due diligence and deems it can be successful. 

Is it possible that the Woodfield site could eventually be sold for housing?

That’s a very good question, that would be out of our hands. It would be a decision for the regional schools commissioner to take. 

One Woodfield parent has concerns about the proposed ‘walking bus’ from one school to the other. It does seem a long and not very safe route.

We have school transport and if it is deemed to be unsafe, we’d provide transportation. 

It’s just over half a mile and we’ll look at it very carefully. I can promise we’ll look at it very carefully. We’ll abide by the process.

It all depends on the results of the consultation.

Woodfield school receives £28,500 to improve street safety

Woodfield Community Primary School in Harrogate has been awarded £28,500 to improve road safety.

Speed limits either side of the school will be reviewed, the crossing, beacons and barriers will be upgraded and other traffic calming measures introduced.

Jo Marwood, headteacher of Woodfield Community Primary School, welcomed the news.

She said:

“This is great news for the pupils, families and the wider community of Woodfield Community Primary School.

“Many of our families walk to school and have welcomed the news that the grant will help make Woodfield Road a safer place for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.”

North Yorkshire Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner’s AJ1 Project Road Safety Fund has awarded £20,000 towards the scheme.

The other £8,500 will come from county councillor Paul Haslam’s locality budget for local projects.

Work is expected to begin early next year.

Read more:

Primary school road safety has been a major issue in the Harrogate district recently.

In September, Tim Broad, headteacher of Western Primary School, said some people were taking risks crossing the busy Cold Bath Road at pick-up and drop-off times to avoid crowding at the nearby pelican crossing.

During the same month Sarah Bassitt, headteacher of Killinghall Church of England Primary School called for urgent speed measures in Killinghall before a child is killed or seriously injured.

There is a national project gaining momentum called School Streets, which bans vehicles from outside school gates during pick-up and drop-off times.

North Yorkshire County Council has not said it will introduce School Streets but its Open Harrogate project, which encourages active travel, confirmed on Twitter the possibility is being explored.