Dear Sir,

I would like to put on record my strong objection to the proposed closure of Hovingham voluntary controlled Church of England school.

There is currently a considerable number of primary school aged children living in the village as well as those in the catchment area. There is also number pre-school/ nursery children and an extremely well supported play group for babies and toddlers who will all need school places in the very near future.

Local knowledge would suggest that the dynamic of the village is very likely to change in the near future. In addition Hovingham Estate has published its masterplan for the village which includes building circa 95 new dwellings and developing the amenities. Castle Howard Estate has just submitted a planning application to build 26 new dwellings at Slingsby. Slingsby School, which is the nearest school to Hovingham, is currently over-subscribed.

I do hope that County Councillors have taken time to examine this unusual situation and can see beyond the short term when coming to a decision on the future of Hovingham school. It was not a school that failed on academic performance the children, parents and community were failed by the Local Authority, Governors, Diocesan Board of Education and the school leadership.

North Yorkshire used to be proud of the fine education it provided for its young people through its small schools. Unfortunately this no longer seems to be the case. Perhaps it is time to re-visit the mission statement: “to enable high quality education provision at the heart of the of communities where everyone is respected, valued and inspired to learn”

The proposal to close the school at Hovingham seems to me to be failing our young people and the community in which they live.

Yours sincerely,