Appendix A
Statutory proposals for school closures
As set out in the Establishment and Discontinuance Regulations the information below must be included in a proposal to close a school:
Contact details
Proposal, published by North Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Northallerton, DL7 8AE, to discontinue:
Fountains Earth, Lofthouse Church of England Endowed Primary School, Lofthouse, Harrogate HG3 5RZ from 31 March 2024.
Fountains Earth, Lofthouse Church of England Endowed Primary School is a 4-11 Church of England Voluntary Controlled primary school in North Yorkshire.
Implementation
It is proposed to close the school from 31 March 2024.
Reason for closure
The main factor prompting the request is that there are currently no pupils on roll at Fountains Earth Primary School. The school has operated with 34 pupils or less for the last 15 years. Since the 2017/18 academic year there has been a downward trend of pupil numbers and pupil numbers fell from 21 in 2019/20 to 15 pupils recorded in the October 2022 school census and 10 pupils recorded in the May 2023 census. All of the school’s pupils transferred to other schools before the start of the current academic year and there were no new starters in the Reception year group in September 2023.
The school has in recent times experienced recruitment and retention difficulties associated both with the particular location of the school and the challenge of securing suitably skilled staff to deal with the differentiation required by whole school teaching in a single class structure.
Finance is also a key concern. The pupil numbers for the October 2023 census form the basis of a schools’ funding for the 2024/25 financial year. The Department for Education (DfE) have confirmed that in an exceptional circumstance where a school has no pupils, no funding would be provided to the local authority for that school through the DfE Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) schools block funding; this is the grant funding used to fund school delegated budgets.
In the event of the school remaining open, the local authority would need to determine whether the school should continue to be funded through the school funding formula. If this were agreed, the school would receive the formula lump sum funding (2024/25 indicative value £134,400) and the school rates funding (£2,645). Any 2024/25 formula funding allocation for Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Primary would need to be funded from the DSG funding allocations provided for other schools and academies within North Yorkshire.
If the school closure were to go ahead, the individual school budgets would need to be separated out from the current amalgamated Federation budget. Work is currently being undertaken with the Federation leadership on forecasting the financial position for the individual schools within the Federation to the end of the current financial year.
As numbers fall, it is increasingly difficult to provide the remaining pupils with access to the full range of experiences and the quality of education they require. At present, if any pupils were to apply to join Fountains Earth Primary there is no real prospect of them being able to get a full and balanced school experience in the absence of any peers.
Pupil numbers and admissions
There are currently 0 pupils on roll at the
school.
The school’s age range is 4-11 years, and provision is available for boys and girls. There is no boarding provision. Information on special educational needs of pupils is not provided as there are currently no pupils on roll at the school.
Displaced pupils
A statement and supporting evidence about the need for school places in the area including whether there is sufficient capacity to accommodate displaced pupils.
Details of the schools or further education colleges at which pupils at the school to be discontinued will be offered places, including—
a) any interim arrangements;
b) the provision that is to be made for those pupils who receive educational provision recognised by the local authority as reserved for children with special educational needs; and
c) in the case of special schools, the alternative provision made by local authorities other than the local authority which maintain the school.
Details of any other measures proposed to be taken to increase the number of school or further education college places available in consequence of the proposed discontinuance.
a) No interim arrangements have been necessary
There are two other North Yorkshire primary schools within reasonable travelling distance with places available currently.
The nearest school to Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed Primary School is St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School, Pateley Bridge. St Cuthbert’s Primary has spaces in all year groups and was rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in October 2022.
There are also places available (although not in all year groups in some schools), at Glasshouses Community School, Kirkby Malzeard CE, Summerbridge Primary, Dacre Braithwaite CE, Grewelthorpe CE and Masham CE VA. All schools were judged ‘Good’ in their last Ofsted with the exception of Dacre Braithwaite which was judged ‘Outstanding’ in 2011.
Revised school catchment area arrangements that would apply, in the event of closure, from 1 April 2024.
It is proposed that should Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed Primary School close, St Cuthbert's CE Primary School, Pateley Bridge, as the nearest alternative school and also a CE school, would be the appropriate choice to adopt the existing Fountains Earth catchment area as an addition to its existing area.
Parents have a right to express a preference for any school and, in the case of community and voluntary controlled schools, the relevant Local Authority is the admissions authority and will meet that preference provided there are vacant places or the school is happy to admit above the published admission number. In the case of Voluntary Aided and Academy schools, the local governing body decide the conditions for admission to their particular school. Where a child attends a school which is not their normal school or nearest school, parents are normally responsible for making transport arrangements.
b) This is a mainstream primary, and therefore, not a school that is reserved for providing to pupils with special educational needs
As there are no pupils there are none with special educational needs
c) This is a mainstream school, and therefore, not a special school that is reserved for providing to pupils with special educational needs
As there are no pupils there are none with special educational needs
Impact on the community
A statement and supporting evidence about the impact on the community of the closure of the school and any measures proposed to mitigate any adverse impact.
Fountains Earth School has strong links with St Cuthbert’s Church, Pateley Bridge and Pateley Bridge Methodist Church. The ministers from both churches support the school in the delivery of Collective Worship and lead worship each week.
The school site is owned by North Yorkshire Council. Future use of the school site and buildings will be taken by the Council after the closure proposal has been determined.
There is no significant planned housing development in the school’s catchment area as part of the adopted former Harrogate District Local Plan. There are 11 outstanding housing permissions granted within the school’s catchment area which over time may yield approximately three primary age pupils.
Whilst the impact on the wider economic and social sustainability of the community is an important consideration, the key consideration is to determine whether the proposal is in the best interests of children’s education.
Rural primary schools
Where proposals relate to a rural primary school designated as such by an order made for the purposes of Section 15 (Education and Inspections Act 2006 (EIA), a statement that the local authority or the governing body (as the case may be) considered Section 15(4) EIA.
Fountains Earth Lofthouse CE VC is designated as a rural school under the Designation of Rural Primary Schools (England) Order. The School Organisation regulations and guidance contain a presumption against closure of rural schools, and it is a requirement that proposers must consider the effect of the discontinuance of any rural primary school on the local community. The statutory guidance specifically states that ‘This does not mean that a rural school will never close, but the case for closure should be strong and a proposal must be clearly in the best interests of educational provision in the area.’ The guidance states that when producing a proposal, the proposer must carefully consider:
· the likely effect of the closure of the school on the local community;
• the proportion of pupils attending the school from within the local community i.e. is the school being used by the local community;
• educational standards at the school and the likely effect on standards at neighbouring schools;
• the availability, and likely cost to the LA, of transport to other schools;
• whether the school is now surplus to requirements (e.g. because there are surplus places elsewhere in the local area which can accommodate displaced pupils, and there is no predicted demand for the school in the medium or long term);
• any increase in the use of motor vehicles which is likely to result from the closure of the school, and the likely effects of any such increase; and
• any alternatives to the closure of the school.
These are examined in turn below.
The likely effect of closure of the school on the local community
Please see the section above ‘Impact on the Community’
The proportion of pupils attending the school from within the local community i.e. is the school being used by the local community
As of October 2023 there were eight primary aged children who were living in the catchment area of Fountains Earth School and also attending a North Yorkshire School. None of those pupils were on roll at Fountains Earth but rather attended a total of five other North Yorkshire schools.
The availability, and likely cost to the LA, of transport to other schools
If the school closed, there would be a potential additional cost to the Local Authority in providing transport to other schools in future. Free home to school transport would be provided for eligible pupils within the enlarged catchment area in accordance with the Council’s Home to School Transport policy. The Council’s current Home to School transport policy sets out that free school transport will be provided to the catchment school or nearest school to a child’s home address if it is over the statutory walking distances. These are:
•Two miles for children under eight years of age;
•Three miles for children aged over eight; or
•where the route to the catchment or nearest school is not safe to walk accompanied by a responsible adult.
If the nearest catchment or nearest school is full, transport will be provided, in accordance with the Council's transport policy, to the nearest school with places available.
Any pupils living in the current Fountains Earth Lofthouse catchment area applying for school places at other local schools after the closure would be assessed under the prevailing home to school transport policy at the appropriate time. As such future transport costs cannot be estimated.
Children from low income families (children entitled to free school meals or whose parent are in receipt of the maximum level of Working Tax Credit) have additional eligibility criteria for additional home to school transport and details are available on the Council’s website at
Whether the school is now surplus to requirements (e.g. because there are surplus places elsewhere in the local area which can accommodate displaced pupils, and there is no predicted demand for the school in the medium or long term)
There are two primary schools within an eight mile radius of Fountains Earth School by road, and a further five primary schools are located on the periphery of this radius:
l St Cuthbert’s CE Pateley Bridge
l Glasshouses Community School
l Kirkby Malzeard CE School
l Summerbridge Primary
l Dacre Braithwaite CE
l Grewelthorpe CE
l Masham CE VC
St Cuthbert’s CE
l 6.5 miles by road from Fountains Earth Lofthouse
l Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2022
l Capacity 119
l 48 pupils on roll
l Forecast 48 pupils by 2028/29
Glasshouses Community School
l 8.1 miles by road from Fountains Earth Lofthouse
l Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2022
l Capacity 70
l 51 pupils on roll
l Forecast 36 pupils by 2028/29
Kirkby Malzeard CE VC
l 9.7 miles by road from Fountains Earth Lofthouse
l Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2023
l Capacity 105
l 89 pupils on roll
l Forecast 96 pupils by 2028/29
Summmerbridge Primary (Academy)
l 10 miles by road from Fountains Earth Lofthouse
l Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2022
l Capacity 81
l 73 pupils on roll
l Forecast 59 pupils by 2028/29
Dacre Braithwaite CE Primary School (Academy)
l 10.2 miles from Fountains Earth Lofthouse by road
l Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in March 2011
l Capacity 70
l 83 pupils on roll
l Forecast 88 pupils by 2028/29
Grewelthorpe CE Primary (Academy)
l 11 miles from Fountains Earth Lofthouse by road
l Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2022
l Capacity 70
l 76 pupils on roll
l Forecast 63 pupils by 2028/29
Masham CE VA Primary School
l 11 miles from Fountains Earth Lofthouse by road
l Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2019
l Capacity 116
l 73 pupils on roll
l Forecast 58 pupils by 2028/29
The view of the Local Authority is that there are surplus places in the local area which can accommodate displaced pupils.
Any increase in the use of motor vehicles which is likely to result from the closure of the school, and the likely effects of any such increase
It is not considered that there would be significant additional car use given the small number of pupils who would be affected by the closure.
Any alternatives to the closure of the school
The Governing Body and officers from the Council and Diocese have explored alternatives to the closure of the school.
It is considered that there is no potential for the school to convert to academy status or to join a multi-academy trust because it would not meet tests of due diligence due to its small size.
The school is currently federated with St Cuthbert’s CE since 2017 following a collaboration between the two schools that had been in place since 2014. Glasshouses Community Primary School collaborated with and supported the Federation of St Cuthbert’s Primary School and Fountains Earth Primary School in April 2021. Following the collaboration, a new federation comprising the three schools Glasshouses Community Primary School, St Cuthbert’s Primary School and Fountains Earth Primary School was established in January 2022 under the name of the Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation. All three schools share the same Executive Headteacher.
The consultation process has not brought forward any suggestion for alternative partnership arrangements with any other school.
Balance of denominational provision
Where the school has a religious character, a statement about the impact of the proposed closure on the balance of denominational provision in the area and the impact on parental choice.
Fountains Earth Lofthouse CE Endowed is a Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School. The LA is under an obligation to consider the impact on the proportion of church places before it determines the outcome of school closure proposals.
- The nearest Church of England school, 6.5 miles from Fountains Earth, Lofthouse is St Cuthbert’s CE Primary School at Pateley Bridge.
- There is also a Church of England school at Kirkby Malzeard CE VC School which is 9.7 miles away.
- There is also a Church of England School at Dacre Braithwaite CE which is 10.2 miles away.
- There is also a Church of England School at Grewelthorpe CE School which is 11 miles away.
- There is also a Church of England School at Masham CE VA School which is 11 miles away.
The Diocese is supporting the LA with the consultation and given the availability of places at other local Church of England schools has expressed no specific concerns about the impact on proportionality of places in this area.
Maintained nursery schools
Not applicable
Sixth form provision
Not applicable
Special educational needs provision
The existing provision at Fountains Earth Lofthouse CE VC Primary School is not reserved for pupils with special educational needs.
Travel
Details of length and journeys to alternative provision.
The proposed arrangements for travel of displaced pupils to other schools including how the proposed arrangements will mitigate against increased car use.
Eligibility for home to school transport will be determined in line with the Council’s current home to school transport policy and procedures based on each child’s home address and individual circumstances.
Where a child attends a school which is not their normal school or the nearest school, parents are normally responsible for making transport arrangements.
The Council’s current home to school transport policy states that pupils up to the age of 8 would be eligible for free home to school transport if they live more than 2 miles from their normal area school or their nearest school (or 3 miles for those over the age of 8). Parents can always express a preference for a school other than their normal area school, however, they would usually be responsible for making transport arrangements. Eligibility is assessed on an individual basis taking into account the child’s home address.
North Yorkshire Council’s Home to School transport policy states that ‘Transport will be arranged so that children will not normally spend more than 1 hour 15 minutes travelling to a secondary school or 45 minutes to a primary school. Journey times might need to be longer than this in some more rural areas and where road or weather conditions mean that these times are not practical.’ This is in line with statutory guidance from the Department for Education. The journey time for children living within the current Fountains Earth Lofthouse CE VC Primary School catchment area would depend on which other school they attended and their home address.
The nearest schools are:
St Cuthbert’s CE (6.5 miles) away from Fountains Earth School, approximate travel time is 16 minutes, Glasshouses Community School (8.1 miles away, approximate travel time is 19 minutes. Kirkby Malzeard CE VC is 9.7 miles away, travel time 30 minutes. Summerbridge Primary is 10 miles away, travel time 23 minutes. Grewelthorpe CE is 11 miles away and approximate travel time 30 minutes. Masham CE VA is 11 miles away and travel time approximately 24 minutes. The approximate travel times have been sourced by via a commonly used mapping website. The times are school to school, so longer journey times may be applicable for families living at the furthest points of catchment areas
Procedure for making representations (objections and comments)
Within four weeks from the date of publication of this proposal, any person may object to or make comments on the proposal by sending them to Corporate Director- Children and Young People's Service, North Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Northallerton, DL7 8AD, or by email to schoolorganisation@northyorks.gov.uk by 5pm on 29 February 2024.
Consultation
The decision to consult on closure was taken by the Executive Member for Schools on 7 November 2023 following a request from governors. A consultation paper setting out the proposal was sent to staff at the school as well as other interested parties and individuals. A copy of the consultation paper is included in Appendix 3 and a list of the consultees is included in Appendix 4. The consultation period ran from 17 November 2023 to 22 December 2023. A public meeting was held on the 29 November 2023, a note of the meeting is attached as Appendix5. There have been 34 consultation responses received (Appendix 6).
Appendices – see Report to Executive 23 January 2024
Appendix 1: Pre-consultation correspondence between Upper Nidderdale
Parish Council and the Executive Member
Appendix 2: Published Consultation Paper
Appendix 3: List of the Consultees
Appendix 4: Note of the Public Meeting
Appendix 5: Public Statement to Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency
Committee and CYPS officer’s response
Appendix 6: Consultation responses
Appendix 7: Equality Impact Assessment
Appendix 8: Climate change Impact Assessment
Below is a draft map of the proposed catchment area which forms part of this Statutory Proposal.
Appendix 7 and Appendix 8 are attached as Appendices D and E.
Appendix 1
Pre-consultation correspondence between Upper Nidderdale Parish Council and Cllr Wilkinson:
- 6 November email on behalf of Upper NIdderdale Parish Council to Cllr Wilkinson
I have read the North Yorkshire Council report to seek Executive Member approval to consult on a proposal that the council should close Fountains Earth, Lofthouse Church of England Endowed Primary School.
I X, chairman of the Upper Nidderdale Parish Council would like to draw your attention to a number of points in relation to this report.
2.5 Whilst the community calculated numbers assumed that none of the existing pupils would leave, these numbers also assumed that no new families would move into the area. In fact, families with primary school age children have continued to move into this area and young children continue to be born in this catchment area.
2.6 It is correct to state that all of the school pupils transferred into other schools before of the start of the new academic year 23/24 and equally important to note that since the three schools federated, of those who left before completing primary education, all except one, have moved to schools outside of the federation. We would urge you to consider why this might be the case.
2.7 & 3.8 At the start of academic year 2021/22 there was a highly qualified teacher in post, it is therefore incorrect to state that “Over the last five years it has not been possible to recruit a permanent Teacher.” Moreover, the credibility of the reference to “feedback from…. former permanent staff is that the outlying location of the school is a material consideration in their decision to seek employment elsewhere” would seem questionable given the current Executive Headteacher has only known two former permanent teaching staff at Fountains Earth - one of which was committed to remaining in post and the other being her own personal partner.
It is also worth considering that whilst the remote nature of this catchment area will always be a significant deciding factor in the context of potential applicants, that this can vary entirely on the individual and that some would be attracted to the rural nature of this school. At no point has the leadership attempted to work with the parent body or wider community to assist with the promotion of vacancies after the abrupt departure of the longstanding permanent teacher in Autumn 2021. It would be worth understanding what proactive recruitment has taken place to date. Furthermore, on the subject of long journeys - is it now appropriate that children as young as 4 will be making an hour’s round trip twice a day to attend school?
3.3 We want to draw attention to the points made in this section and ask that the fuller picture is considered. In the context of pupils who are eligible to attend Fountains Earth from this catchment area vs those who actually did attend – why do numbers notably decline in 2021? Additionally, in reference to Appendix 4 – why is the overall percentage difference between net capacity and current pupil roll so much lower across the Upper Nidderdale Federation than other schools provided in this table?
Since the initial application for school closure took place in June 2022, the parents of Fountains Earth requested to meet with the Executive Head and the Governing Board to work together in ways to increase pupil numbers. From June 2022 until July 2023 all requests were refused. No promotional efforts were made and no willingness to work with the parent body was demonstrated.
Finally, we want to note that the Parish Council and the former parent body now seek an independent investigation into the running of the Upper Nidderdale Federation prior to the NY council’s decision to close Fountains Earth.
The whole of the Upper Nidderdale community are united in seeing our primary remain open for the benefit of all young children and families, both present and future generations, but in this case I am afraid, under new management.
If I or any other parish councillors, and ex-parents can be of any further assistance on this matter, do not hesitate to contact us.
- 8 November response from Cllr Wilkinson
Thank you for your email regarding the request from the Governing Board of the Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation which asked North Yorkshire Council to consult on the closure of Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed VC Primary School. The Council has agreed to consult on the closure of the school with effect from 31 March 2024.
A consultation process begins on 17 November 2023 during which the public will receive more information on the proposal, as well as details of how to respond. Further information will be available at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/current-consultations
You will be able to submit comments via the online response form, by post, or by email to schoolorganisation@northyorks.gov.uk This is the only way to make a response to the consultation.
Consultation responses will be considered by the Council’s Executive on 23 January 2024.
Thank you.
- 9 November email on behalf of Upper NIdderdale Parish Council to Cllr Wilkinson
Thank you for your reply, and look forward to challenging NYC decision to close Lofthouse School.
It is a very black day for the community of young families and children of Upper Nidderdale.
I note your timetable below for the consultation process.
As part of the consultation process, I trust there will be “public meeting” where the school federation management, council officials and NYC councillors will be present to hear the many complaints of why we have ended up in this situation today.
I believe that our petition for "saving our school” has reached over 500, so we will all get to the bottom of the issues of why we have ended up in this situation today.
Thanks, X [on behalf of Upper Nidderdale Parish Council]
Appendix 2
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Consultation Document
Proposal to close
Fountains Earth, Lofthouse Church of England Endowed (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School
from 31 March 2024
Fountains Earth, Lofthouse Church of England Endowed (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School
November 2023
This paper sets out details of a proposal by North Yorkshire Council to close Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed VC Primary School with effect from 31 March 2024. It gives the background to the proposal. There will be a public meeting at Lofthouse Memorial Institute, Lofthouse, Harrogate HG3 5SN on Wednesday 29 November at 6pm.
Background
At a recent governing body meeting of the Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation representing the three schools of; Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed VC Primary School, St Cuthbert’s CE VC Primary School, Pateley Bridge and Glasshouses Community Primary School, it was resolved, with no pupils on roll, to take the heavy and sad decision, to ask North Yorkshire Council to consult on closure proposals for Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed VC Primary School.
The Governing Body of the Upper Nidderdale Federation have not reached this decision lightly and have already worked to support the School through the Federation with St Cuthbert’s CE VC Primary School and Glasshouses Community School.
St Cuthbert’s Primary School and Fountains Earth Primary School formerly entered into federation in May 2017, following a collaboration between the two schools that had been in place since 2014. Glasshouses Community Primary School collaborated with and supported the Federation of St Cuthbert’s Primary School and Fountains Earth Primary School in April 2021. Following the collaboration, a new federation comprising the three schools Glasshouses Community Primary School, St Cuthbert’s Primary School and Fountains Earth Primary School was established in January 2022 under the name of Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation. An Executive Headteacher model is in place, and this is common under federation arrangements. The Governing Board and leadership have worked to maximise opportunities presented by the federation arrangements, including bringing pupils together to share activities and learning opportunities such as regular shared curriculum days during ‘Federation Friday’.
Fountains Earth, CE Endowed Primary School, is located in the small rural village of Lofthouse in Nidderdale an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The school is defined by the government as a rural school that serves rural hamlets with isolated dwellings.
In June 2022 the federated Governing Board approached the Council to seek consultation on the proposed closure of Fountains Earth. There were 11 pupils on the school roll at this time and the available information showed no sign of any significant growth in the roll. This consultation request was subsequently withdrawn by the Federation Governing Board in July 2022 as it had been suggested locally that the school roll was going to grow in the near future.
The Governing Board subsequently undertook a detailed exercise with the community in Autumn 2022 to understand more fully the future potential pupil numbers at the school. The exercise showed some minor change to the future forecast numbers originally held by the Council. Parents, carers and the wider community were informed of the outcome in January 2023. The revised forecast numbers communicated at the time were as follows; 23/24 – 11 pupils; 24/25 – 13; 25/26 – 13: 26/27 – 15; 27/28 – 18. Importantly, those predictions assumed that none of the existing pupils would leave Fountains Earth, other than to transfer to secondary school at the end of Year 6.
All of the school’s pupils transferred to other schools before the start of the current academic year and there were no new starters in the Reception year group in September 2023. Therefore, the main factor prompting the Governing Board’s request for consultation at this time, is there are currently no pupils on roll at Fountains Earth Primary School.
The school has in recent times experienced recruitment and retention difficulties associated both with the particular location of the school and the challenge of securing suitably skilled staff to deal with the differentiation required by whole school teaching in a single class structure.
Finance is also a key concern. The pupil numbers for the October 2023 census form the basis of a school’s funding for the 2024/25 financial year. The Department for Education (DfE) have confirmed that where a school has no pupils in the October census, they will not allocate any funding for that school in the schools’ block element of the Dedicated School Grant (DSG) funding that a local authority receives to fund schools and academies located within the local authority area.
Factors Affecting the School’s Viability
Pupil Numbers
Fountains Earth is a small rural 4-11 CE VC Primary School and currently has no children on roll. The School has operated with 34 pupils or less for the last 15 years. Since the 2017/18 academic year there has been a downward trend with pupil numbers reducing as shown below:
October 2016 census – 19 pupils
October 2017 census – 29 pupils
October 2018 census – 25 pupils
October 2019 census – 21 pupils
October 2020 census – 15 pupils
October 2021 census – 12 pupils
October 2022 census – 15 pupils
May 2023 census – 10 pupils
October 2023 census – 0 pupils
The School has a Published Admission Number (PAN) of six pupils per year group. The School has capacity to accommodate around 50 pupils if all spaces are in use, and therefore has the potential to contribute 50 places in the local area.
The number of children of primary school age living in the school catchment area has reduced from 27 children in 2017 (the earliest records held by the Council) to 16 children in October 2022. This cohort figure is based on children living in the catchment area and attending a North Yorkshire area school at that time, be that Local Authority maintained or academy. The second column of figures in the table below shows how many of those ‘in-area’ children were attending the school at that time. This shows the number of ‘in-area’ children at the school halved from 20 to 10 between October 2017 and October 2022.
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Primary school age children living in catchment and attending a North Yorkshire School |
Of those how many were attending Fountains Earth Lofthouse Primary School |
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October 2017 Census |
27 |
20 |
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October 2018 Census |
23 |
20 |
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October 2019 Census |
17 |
16 |
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October 2020 Census |
13 |
11 |
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October 2021 Census |
17 |
8 |
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October 2022 Census |
16 |
10 |
School Leadership, Standards and Curriculum
There is a Leadership Team across the three schools within the federation which is led by an Executive Headteacher. Subject leaders were appointed to work across the federation of three schools in April 2021.
The most recent full graded Ofsted inspection for Fountains Earth was in April 2017. At that time there were 22 pupils on roll. Ofsted judged the school, to be ‘Good’. A short monitoring (section 8 inspection) took place in June 2022 when there were 11 pupils on roll. The report stated that the school continues to be a ‘Good’ school.
As numbers fall, it is increasingly difficult to provide the remaining pupils with access to the full range of experiences and the quality of education they require. At present, if any pupils were to apply to join Fountains Earth Primary there is no real prospect of them being able to get a full and balanced school experience in the absence of any peers.
St Cuthbert’s was last inspected in October 2022 (section 5 inspection) and found to be ‘Good’. St Cuthbert’s was last inspected under SIAMS in November 2021 and found to be ‘Good’. Glasshouses Community School was last inspected in March 2022 and the outcome was the school continues to be a ‘Good’ school.
Staffing
Over the last five years it has not been possible to recruit a permanent Teacher, which has been attributed to the remote location and the challenges of recruiting a high level of experience and skill required to teach a wide range of ages and abilities and with such small pupil numbers on roll in a single class structure from reception pupils to year 6. The Governors report that feedback from recruitment agencies is that many teachers with the necessary skills and experience do not choose to apply to work at Fountains Earth.
Staff retention has also proved difficult with a high turnover of staff over the last five years resulting in use of agency staff which comes with increased staffing costs. Supply staff only need to give a day’s notice, and this leaves Fountains Earth, and the other schools in the Federation, vulnerable to disruption and it adversely affects the consistency and quality of education provision at the school.
The Financial Position
Pupil numbers determine the funding for a school budget. The DfE have confirmed that in the exceptional situation where a school has no pupils, no funding would be provided to the local authority for that school through the DfE Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) schools block funding; this is the grant funding used to fund school delegated budgets. Therefore, North Yorkshire Council will not receive a school funding allocation for Fountains Earth Primary in the 2024/25 financial year as no pupils will be recorded on the DfE October 2023 school census. In the event of the school remaining open, the local authority would need to determine whether the school should continue to be funded through the school funding formula. If this were agreed, the school would receive the formula lump sum funding (2024/25 indicative value £134,400) and the school rates funding (£2,645). Any 2024/25 formula funding allocation for Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Primary would need to be funded from the DSG funding allocations provided for other schools and academies within North Yorkshire.
The Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation operate an amalgamated budget for the three schools within the Federation. The 2023/24 Start Budget for the Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation indicated the following revenue budget position:
In year position Accumulated balance
2023/24 £22.95k deficit £69.44k surplus,
2024/25 £76.49k deficit £7.05k deficit
2025/26 £104.81k deficit £111.86k deficit.
There appears to be no reasonable long-term prospect of recovery for the Fountains Earth element of the budget given there will be no DfE funding allocation for the school for the 2024/25 financial year.
In the event of Fountains Earth closing on 31 March 2024 the individual school budgets would need to be separated out from the current amalgamated Federation budget. Any legacy costs associated with the operation of the school incurred in the 2023/24 financial year would need to continue to be charged to the Fountains Earth school budget. Any final deficit on the school budget, after all costs have been accounted for, would need to be met from local authority funds.
Primary School places in the local area
There are currently no pupils on roll at Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE so there will be no immediate requirement to assist parents with seeking alternative places in the event of closure. However, it is important to ensure that there are sufficient school places in the local area.
In October 2022 there were 16 pupils living in Fountain’s Earth discrete catchment area and attending a North Yorkshire school. Of the 15 pupils attending the school at the time of the October 2022 census, 10 pupils were from the Fountain’s Earth, Lofthouse catchment area and three were from the St Cuthbert’s area. Two pupils were attending from the catchment areas of Harrogate Town schools.
There are two other neighbouring primary schools within an eight mile radius of Fountains Earth Primary School. Across the area there is a general surplus of places. Further details of school capacities and pupil forecasts are set out in an accompanying document.
The nearest school to Fountains Earth CE Primary Endowed is St Cuthbert’s CE VC Primary School at Pateley Bridge where there are places available in all year groups. The next nearest school is Glasshouses Community Primary School where there are places available in all year groups apart from Year 3.
There is also capacity available at schools which are further away. Places are available at Summerbridge Primary School, Kirby Malzeard CE School and Grewelthorpe CE Primary although not in all year groups. Masham CE School has places available in all year groups. These schools were all judged ‘Good’ in their last Ofsted inspection.
The Proposal
For the reasons above it is proposed that Fountains Earth CE Endowed VC Primary School should close with effect from 31 March 2024.
It is also proposed that the catchment area of St Cuthbert’s CE VC Primary School, Pateley Bridge (the nearest alternative school) should be extended to include the current Fountains Earth catchment area. This is shown on maps accompanying this consultation document. The Leeds CE Diocese have indicated early-stage support for this approach. These arrangements would be implemented from April 2024 only in the event of closure for Fountains Earth CE Endowed VC Primary School.
The Council would welcome views regarding the future catchment area proposal as part of this consultation.
Admissions and Catchment Areas
Free home to school transport would be provided for eligible pupils taking account of the revised catchment area arrangements in accordance with the Council’s Home to School Transport Policy.
Staff
A separate staff consultation process, including a meeting for staff and their professional associations and unions, will run in parallel with this consultation on the closure proposal. Staff are also welcome to comment on the proposal as part of this consultation.
The School Site and Buildings
The Council owns most of the school site and is currently clarifying the position regarding the remainder of the site with the Land Registry and the Diocese.
Decisions about the future of school sites following a closure are separate to the closure decision itself and would follow at a later date.
Additional Information
This consultation document should be read in conjunction with the following documents which can be found here www.northyorks.gov.uk/your-council/consultations-and-engagement/current-consultations
• Other schools – capacities and forecasts
What Happens Next?
Your views about this proposal are welcomed. You can either complete and return the attached response sheet, or submit an online response
Paper responses should be returned to North Yorkshire Council at the address below:
FREEPOST RTKE-RKAY-CUJS
Fountains Earth, Lofthouse
Strategic Planning
North Yorkshire Council
County Hall
NORTHALLERTON
DL7 8AE
Online responses may be submitted by following this link:
https://consult.northyorks.gov.uk/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=169900829166
Responses to the consultation will be published on the Council’s website. Your personal details, and those of others you may refer to, will not be published.
The closing date for responses is 5pm on Friday 22 December 2023
All responses to the consultation received by this date are scheduled to be considered by the Council’s Executive on 23 January 2024.
If the Council’s Executive decides to proceed with the closure proposal, then statutory notices would be published in the local press on 1 February 2024. These notices would provide a further four weeks for representations to be made. A final decision is then scheduled to be taken by North Yorkshire Council’s Executive on 19 March 2024. If agreed, the school would close on 31 March 2024.
Anticipated Key Dates
All dates are subject to approvals at each stage.
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Consultation opens |
17 November 2023 |
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Public meeting |
29 November 2023 at 6pm |
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Consultation closes |
22 December 2023 |
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Council’s Executive considers consultation response |
23 January 2024 |
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Statutory Notices published (4 weeks for representations to be made) |
1 February – 29 February 2024 |
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Final decision by Council’s Executive |
19 March 2024 |
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Proposed school closure date |
31 March 2024 |
Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed Primary School Consultation
This is a consultation on proposals to close Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed Primary School from 31 March 2024.
We are collecting this information for the purpose of gathering views on the proposal. Your personal data will not be published or passed to any other organisation unless a legal obligation compels us to do so.
Reading our Privacy Notice will help you understand how and why we process your personal data. www.northyorks.gov.uk/privacy-notices
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Do you have any comments about the closure proposal? (Please do not disclose any personal information in your answer) |
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Do you have any comments about catchment areas? (Please do not disclose any personal information in your answer) |
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What is your interest/status? Parent / Governor / Teacher / Community / Other
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Other (please state) |
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Name of school: (if applicable) |
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To confirm your proximity to school and to prevent duplicate responses we are asking you to provide your name and address. This information will be removed from any analysis or reports. |
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Name:
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Address:
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Postcode:
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To help us assess whether we have provided clear information, please let us know whether you found this consultation easy to understand? Yes / No |
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Please send this response sheet to the following “FREEPOST” address. You do not need to use a postage stamp. FREEPOST RTKE-RKAY-CUJS Fountains Earth, Lofthouse Strategic Planning North Yorkshire Council County Hall NORTHALLERTON DL7 8AE Or to submit your response online go to:
https://consult.northyorks.gov.uk/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=169900829166
To be received by no later than 22 December 2023 |
Appendix 3
Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed Primary School – List of Consultees
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Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed Primary School |
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Staff and governors |
via school |
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Chair of Governors |
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St Cuthbert’s CE VC |
Including parents and staff via school |
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Glasshouses Community |
Including parents and staff via school |
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Kirby Malzeard CE VC |
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Masham CE VA |
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Summerbridge Primary |
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Grewelthorpe CE |
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Unions and Professional Associations: (as at September 2021)
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NAHT |
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NASUWT |
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NEU (formerly NUT & ATL) |
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VOICE |
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ASCL |
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UNISON |
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Diocesan Directors |
Anglican Diocese of Leeds |
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Catholic Leeds Diocese |
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Neighbouring Local Authority: |
N/A |
N/A |
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Local County Councillor -
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Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale division |
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Local Parish/Town council |
Upper Nidderdale |
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Pateley Bridge, High and Low Bishopside |
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Community Organisations & Local Interested parties |
Library Service |
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Nidderdale Plus Community Hub |
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Local MP |
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Regional Director for Yorkshire & Humber |
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Secretary of State: |
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Early Years Providers within 10 mile radius of Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed Primary School |
Acorns Pre-School |
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Provider with initials CH |
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Fountains Playgroup and Pre-School |
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Grassington CofE School |
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Grewelthorpe CE Primary Academy |
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Hebden Nursery Ltd |
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Kettlewell Primary School |
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Kidz Day Nursery Middleham |
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Kirkby Malzeard Pre-School |
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Lofthouse Playgroup |
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St Cuthbert's Church Of England Primary School, Pateley Bridge |
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Summerbridge Primary Academy |
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Sunflowers Day Nursery Pateley Bridge |
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Independent Childminders |
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Threshfield Primary - Maintained Nursery |
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Appendix 4
Record of Public Meeting concerning proposed closure of Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed Primary School held at Lofthouse Memorial Hall
Public Meeting held on 29 November 2023 at 6pm
Present: Amanda Newbold, (Assistant Director, Education and Skills NYC), Canon Richard Noake (Director of Education, CoE Diocese Leeds), Andrew Dixon, (Strategic Planning Manager NYC), Julie Pattison, (Principal Adviser NYC), Helen Nelson, (Co-Chair of the Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation of Fountains Earth, Lofthouse CE Endowed VC, St Cuthbert’s CE VC and Glasshouses Community School), Sue Turley (Strategic Planning Officer, NYC) and Julia Temple (Strategic Planning Officer, NYC).
Cllr Andrew Murday North Yorkshire Councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale, Chair of Upper Nidderdale Parish Council, 7 members of the Parish Council including the Vice Chair, 2 school governors, 2 former school governors and approximately 42 members of the public attended from the community.
Apologies: Cllr Annabel Wilkinson (Executive Member for Education, Learning and Skills, NYC)
AGENDA
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Amanda Newbold, (Assistant Director, Education and Skills NYC), |
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Presentation |
Andrew Dixon – Strategic Planning Manager NYC |
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Question and Answer Session |
Facilitated by Amanda Newbold |
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Meeting Close |
Amanda Newbold |
- Welcome
Amanda Newbold (Assistant Director Education and Skills)
Amanda welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the panel including Richard Noake from the Diocese. Unfortunately, Cllr Wilkinson was unable to attend the meeting due to illness and has sent her apologies. Amanda explained she would be facilitating the meeting in the absence of Cllr Wilkinson.
As required under the Council’s constitution Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, Executive Member for Education, Learning and Skills provided agreement that this consultation be undertaken following a request from the Federation Governing Board. The Executive Committee of North Yorkshire Council is the decision-maker for this proposal. The committee can choose to approve, reject, or amend the proposal.
Amanda said a note of the meeting would be taken so that all views can be reflected in the report that would form part of the decision-making process.
Amanda explained the following roles and responsibilities as part of the process:
Officers of North Yorkshire Council are conducting this consultation on behalf of the Council.
Officers are authors of the report to the Executive and will therefore take notes of the meeting today so that all views can be reflected in the report.
Governing Board of the Upper Nidderdale Federation is responsible for the strategic direction of the three schools in the Federation, including how to optimise the use of resources and maximise value for money.
The Executive Headteacher and Leadership team are responsible for operational management of the schools. The Executive Headteacher and senior leaders are accountable to the Governing Board.
- Presentation from NYC
Andrew Dixon, Strategic Planning Manager, NYC, explained that the meeting was being held to discuss the proposal to close Fountains Earth, Lofthouse, CE Endowed VC Primary School from 31 March 2023.
Andrew Dixon provided a presentation which covered:
- The proposal
- Background to the proposal
- Pupil numbers
- Pupil numbers over time
- Local cohort context – October 2022
- Admissions context
- Finances
- School Leadership, Standards and Curriculum
- Impact on the Federation
- Local Schools Capacity
- Catchment area proposals
- School staff
- Federated Governing Body
- School site
- What happens now
- How can people comment
The slides explained the background to the closure proposal of falling rolls. In June 2022 the federated Governing Board approached the Council to seek consultation on the proposed closure of Fountains Earth Primary, there were 11 pupils on the school roll at this time. The available information showed no sign of any significant growth in the roll. This consultation request was subsequently withdrawn by the Federation Governing Board in July 2022 as it had been suggested locally that the school roll was going to grow in the near future.
The Governing Board undertook a detailed exercise with the community in Autumn 2022 to understand more fully the future potential pupil numbers at the school. The exercise showed some minor change to the future forecast numbers originally held by the Council. Parents, carers and the wider community were informed of the outcome in January 2023.
The revised forecast numbers communicated at the time were as follows; 23/24 – 11 pupils; 24/25 – 13; 25/26 – 13; 26/27 – 15; 27/28 – 18.
Importantly, those predictions assumed that none of the existing pupils would leave Fountains Earth Primary, other than to transfer to secondary school at the end of Year 6.
All of the school’s pupils transferred to other schools before the start of the current academic year and there were no new starters in the Reception year group in September 2023.
Therefore, the main factor prompting the Governing Board’s request for consultation at this time, is there are currently no pupils on roll at Fountains Earth Primary. The associated financial implications of this are also a key concern.
The school has in recent times experienced recruitment and retention difficulties associated both with the particular location of the school and the challenge of securing suitably skilled staff to deal with the differentiation required by whole school teaching in a single class structure.
The school has a capacity of 50 pupils. In October 2022 there were 16 primary aged pupils living in the Fountains Earth Primary catchment area and attending a North Yorkshire school – 10 of those attended Fountains Earth Primary at that time. The number of ‘in area’ children at the school halved from 20 pupils in October 2017 to 10 in October 2022. Numbers on roll have in general been reducing since 2017.
Parental preference has been a key aspect of legislation for many years. Parents/carers can ask for a place at any school at any time, and if the school has places available their child would be admitted, and this is not restricted by catchment areas. This can lead to high pupil mobility and impact on the number on roll at any school at any time.
Fountains Earth Primary currently operates an amalgamated budget with St Cuthbert’s Primary School, Pateley Bridge and Glasshouses Community Primary School as part of the Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation.
The 2023/24 Start Budget for the Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation indicated the following revenue budget position. The 2023/24 start budget for the Upper Nidderdale Primary Federation indicated the following revenue budget position:
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In Year Position |
Accumulated balance |
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2023/24 |
£22.95k deficit |
£69.44k surplus |
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2024/25 |
£76.49k deficit |
£7.05k deficit |
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2025/26 |
£104.81k deficit |
£111.86k deficit |
Pupil numbers determine a school’s budget, there were no pupils on roll on the October 2023 census date. As a result DfE have confirmed that no funding would be provided to NYC for Fountains Earth Primary for 2024/25. Any 2024/25 NYC funding for Fountains Earth Primary would need to be made from the funding allocations provided by DfE for other schools and academies within North Yorkshire. The estimated annual premises costs for the Fountains Earth Primary site are c. £34k. There appears to be no reasonable prospect of sustainability for the Fountains Earth Primary element of the budget given there will be no DfE funding allocation for the school for the 2024/25 financial year.
If school closure were to go ahead the individual school budgets would need to be separated out from the current amalgamated Federation budget. Any legacy costs associated with the operation of the school incurred in the 2023/24 financial year would need to continue to be charged to the Fountains Earth Primary budget. The NYC Closing School Accounting Guidance applies to the treatment of the balances of a closing school (surplus or deficit).
There is a Leadership Team across the three schools within the federation which is led by an Executive Headteacher. The most recent full graded Ofsted inspection for Fountains Earth Primary was in April 2017. At that time there were 22 pupils on roll. Ofsted judged the school to be ‘Good’. A short monitoring (section 8 inspection) took place in June 2022 when there were 11 pupils on roll. The report stated that the school continues to be a ‘Good’ school. As numbers fall, it is increasingly difficult to provide the remaining pupils with access to the full range of experiences and the quality of education they require. At present, if any pupils were to apply to join Fountains Earth Primary, there is no real prospect of them being able to get a full and balanced school experience in the absence of any peers.
There are two neighbouring North Yorkshire primary schools within c.8 miles radius of Fountains Earth Primary School, St Cuthbert’s CE VC Primary School at Pateley Bridge and Glasshouses Community Primary School. There are five other primary schools located on the periphery of this radius, including; Kirkby Malzeard CE VC, Summerbridge, Dacre Braithwaite CE, Grewelthorpe CE School and Masham CE VA School. Pupil roll and capacity information for all local schools can be found on the consultation page of the NYC website.
At present, there is a discrete catchment area solely for Fountains Earth, CE Endowed Primary School. It is proposed that St Cuthbert’s CE VC, as the next nearest alternative school at 6.5 miles by road and which is also a CE school, would incorporate the existing Fountains Earth, Lofthouse catchment area as an addition to its existing catchment area in the event of a closure. The Church of England Diocese of Leeds has indicated early-stage support for this approach.
Andrew Dixon explained that views on this option, or other ideas for future catchment areas, should the school close, are being asked for as part of this consultation.
There is a parallel staff consultation process being undertaken.
In terms of Governance, Andrew Dixon explained that a new instrument of governance would be required to reflect the change to the federation should closure take place in March 2024.
The Council owns most of the school site and is currently clarifying the position regarding the remainder of the site with the Land Registry and the Diocese.
Decisions about future use would be taken after determination of the closure proposal.
Andrew Dixon then outlined the consultation timescales and he emphasised that a two-stage consultation process would take place before any decisions on the proposals were taken. All views expressed at this public meeting would form part of the report which is considered when the decision on whether to proceed to the second statutory consultation is taken. The statutory consultation is a further 4-week period when there is opportunity for comments and responses.
Andrew Dixon stated the consultation runs until the 22 December 2023 and urged people to respond either online or by freepost. A report will be prepared and presented to the Council’s Executive on 23 January 2024.
Andrew Dixon then presented a slide with the details of the panel who would take questions from the audience:
- Amanda Newbold – NYC Assistant Director, Education and Skills
- Andrew Dixon – NYC Strategic Planning Manager
- Julie Pattison – NYC School Improvement Principal Adviser
- Helen Nelson – Co-Chair of the Federation Governing Board
- Canon Richard Noake – Diocesan Director of Education, Church of England Diocese of Leeds
Amanda Newbold asked Andrew Dixon that it would be helpful at this point to explain about the presumption against the closure of rural schools, and the additional issues that decision makers must have regard to.
Andrew explained that the school is designated as a rural school and added there is a presumption against the closure of rural schools, but this does not mean that a rural school will never close. There are a number of additional questions that decision makers must have regard to as set out in the Department for Education (DfE) guidance. These questions will be set out and considered in the report to the Executive in January.
A question was asked if the additional questions could be made public. Andrew replied that this information was already in the public domain but in addition he would ensure it was provided.
Andrew then handed over to Amanda Newbold who chaired the questions and answer session
Questions
A member of the community asked how many pupils would the school need on roll to make it viable?
Amanda Newbold replied, there is no specific figure but pupil numbers drive income and there are costs to running a school for example, site costs, teaching staff. Where schools form part of a group, costs can be shared. The issue at this school is there are no children on roll.
Richard Noake said it is not wise to set a threshold of a certain number of pupils for viability of a school. Richard said he had to date been involved in 14 consultations for school closure proposals due to a change in demographics. In terms of Church Schools, the Diocese provides opportunities to federate with other schools, as is the case here.
Amanda Newbold said there are 54 schools in the county with fewer than 50 pupils and all but 4 of these schools are in a federation or trust sharing resources and costs.
A member of the community said that, prior to the pandemic, she asked the school about reception numbers and was told that all reception children were being taught at St Cuthbert’s.
Cllr Murday, NYC said it would be a ‘disaster for the community to lose the school’ and that there must have been a breakdown in communication between the school and parents. It is important for parents to understand what has gone wrong and that it doesn’t go wrong again in the future of the federation. He added, children in the community don’t want to spend an hour in a car travelling to school.
Cllr Murday added that members of the public can ask to speak when the report is presented to the Council’s Executive.
Amanda Newbold said that from 15 January 2024, the papers for the Executive will be available on the Council’s website for the meeting on 23 January 2024. Members of the public may ask questions or make statements by applying through the Council’s Legal and Democratic Services.
An ex-parent said there was a need look at pupil numbers from much further back than June 2022 to fully understand the situation. Parents felt forced out of the federation of schools. They now had to transport their children to a school much further away, with a 23 mile round trip and yesterday morning there was a blizzard and thick ice.
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation responded that she had been elected in March 2023 and that she believed that there had been some communication issues between parents and the leadership team and that some issues had not been resolved.
Amanda Newbold said if there are parents that are uncomfortable sending their children to other schools outside of the federation, that they need to discuss any issues in the first instance with the governing body.
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation replied saying that she understood two of the children that left Fountains Earth had gone to one of the other schools in the federation.
An ex-parent said there had been no communication with parents for over a year and that he had put a letter of complaint into the school that wasn’t addressed. Eleven pupils have gone to other schools and this needs to be questioned.
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation replied that as governors they do ask questions about pupil numbers but they do not get involved with operational issues at a school level.
An ex-parent asked if the governing body were happy with the pupil numbers across the federation?
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation replied saying that the question was not part of the consultation.
Amanda Newbold said it is important to hear views and encouraged people to respond with their views via the consultation.
A member of the public said that she had previously worked at the school as a Teaching Assistant. Headteachers during her time at the school were fantastic, the school was like a family, they did a lot of fundraising, the teacher did what they could and it was one unit. She was upset to find out the school may be closing and that all the parents had taken their children out of Fountains Earth and it had ‘broken her heart’. Something has gone drastically wrong. If the school closes, part of the community will be gone forever. Why had parents not been listened to before it got to this stage and their questions addressed?
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation said there had been meetings with parents to try to understand the reasons for parents removing children from the school, for example one year 6 pupil would have had no peers if they had stayed at the school. If there had been a mass exodus for other reasons, then the governors would like to know why.
Amanda Newbold reminded the meeting that the Council were here to facilitate the meeting and that the position today is that there are no pupils on roll at the school.
An ex- school parent and governor and member of the Parish Council said he had previously helped with the school’s sporting activities noting that the school came 1st out of 147 schools for TAG rugby in the Harrogate area, adding that small schools can achieve great things. Looking at the data, when about 25% of parents had chosen not to send their children to the school and this is now 100%, surely this was a red flag and a starting point for discussions?
Andrew Dixon explained that the LA monitor pupil numbers on a termly basis but added we would not normally see a reduction of pupils at a school so quickly.
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation added when she started as a governor, there were 7 pupils on roll. Governors knew about the previous pupil numbers reducing at the school and there was always a reason given. The governing body met with members of the community last Summer and understood at this meeting there were other issues involved.
Vice Chair of the Parish Councilsaid he had watched events closely at the school since June 2022. He had met with parents and the local MP. He was called for interview as an associate school governor and this was cancelled by the school at very short notice and that he has not heard anything since. He had subsequently followed this up with the LA and is still awaiting a reply. There appears to be a deliberate policy to close the school and he questioned the behaviour of the leadership team at the school and to a lesser extent the governing body.
An ex-parent said there were communication problems with the school and governors and that it was not good enough that a meeting was cancelled one hour before it was due to start.
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation responded and acknowledged there were communications problems at the school regarding this meeting.
An ex-parent said that he understood that every time a prospective reception pupil showed interest at the school, they were directed to St Cuthbert’s or Glasshouses. Parents with children living locally wanted access to the local school, the community felt forced out. He stated that he can remember a Year 6 class at one stage having 8 pupils in one class and to go from that, to this position, should be of concern.
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation thought potential reception children may have been encouraged to attend other schools within the federation and this could have been put in place by a previous headteacher.
A former Headteacher of Fountains Earth and St Cuthbert’s said that it was categorically not the policy to send pupils to another school. She expressed concern that the current leader of the school had not acted with sufficient passion to address issues when the school became vulnerable, and also questioned why the leader was not at tonight’s meeting to answer questions in person.
An ex-parent asked when and where was a permanent teacher position advertised?
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation said she believed it was on the NY Council website and other websites.
Amanda Newbold asked Julie Pattison to reflect on the challenges of recruitment and retention in small schools.
Julie Pattison added that the smaller the school, the more year groups you have to teach together and lots of small schools find this a challenge.
A member of the public stated he had taught in Ofsted rated outstanding primary schools and now lives in the village and is available and would be prepared to undertake a free trial at the school.
A member of the public said information in the report stated that the school had not been able, over the last five years, to recruit a permanent teacher and that this was incorrect. Why is it now a problem to retain staff and to drive up the dale?
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation said she understood there had been significant problems recruiting staff to the school because you have to teach such a broad spectrum of age ranges and it is a massive ask of any teacher, that is why the school has gone out to agencies.
Andrew Dixon said the wording in the report regarding staffing came from the school. If the information has been misinterpreted, this will be looked into and corrected if necessary, in the next report to the Council’s Executive.
An ex-parent said there had been amazing teachers at the school, a good supply teacher moved to Glasshouses School, the Headteacher’s partner was then appointed as a teacher at the school. His daughter had not had one single piece of homework.
Amanda Newbold noted that she was picking up issues from the meeting around the turnover of staff at the school.
A Parish Councillor said they appreciated the financial challenges but we are at a point where we want rural communities to thrive, so why would we want to close a school when we should be encouraging families to move here, particularly now the community has superfast broadband which provides more opportunities for people to work from home.
Amanda Newbold said that the ‘in area’ children data showed decreasing numbers overtime and that the LA had not yet seen evidence of children moving into the area.
A member of the public said that a number of children go to private schools and that these children are not captured in the data, if good local education is provided, they would attend local schools.
Amanda Newbold asked Richard Noake for his view on recruitment in general.
Richard Noake commented it was very difficult to recruit good, experienced leaders and teachers across the Diocese.
A member of the public asked why was the good teacher pushed out of the school?
A member of the Parish Council said when the school was looking to close last year, a group of parents attended a meeting to show their support for the school and they are all here tonight. They added that the current Headteacher had never held a meeting at the school for parents. Further issues were raised including why no hot food was provided for children at lunchtime and no extra curriculum activities.
He added that banners were placed outside both St Cuthbert’s and Glasshouses schools to say they had been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted but there was no banner placed outside Fountains Earth.
There was a very good teacher at the school in September 2022 when a school closure proposal was first mentioned and because that member of staff thought the school was closing, they transferred to St Cuthbert’s. Why didn’t the Headteacher bring that teacher back instead of choosing to replace that teacher with her partner?
A further question was asked about rural schools and budgets.
Amanda Newbold explained that all schools have a base funding figure, then a figure per pupil and a sparsity factor for schools that are both small and remote. Budgets for the three schools within the federation are amalgamated.
A member of the Parish Councilasked where the sparsity funding allocated to Fountains Earth had gone or was it placed in the accounts of St Cuthbert’s and Glasshouses School? Fountains Earth is a rural school and should not be in a deficit.
Amanda Newbold said governors oversee how money is spent.
The Co -Chair of Governors Upper Nidderdale Federation said that finances are looked at separately for each school, the issue here goes back to there being no children on roll.
A member of the Parish Council said that part of the school is part of the Lazenby Trust and linked to the founder of the school John Lazenby, she said the school does not belong to the Council. If the school stays in the community, the link to the Trust needs to be thought about as it was intended for education of boys in the area.
As regards the proposal regarding the existing catchment area of Fountains Earth, nobody from the community goes to the other two schools within the federation, so this needs to be taken into account.
Amanda Newbold said there are still some unanswered questions around the ownership of the school that the Council is looking into.
A member of the Parish Councilcommenting further on the proposed catchment area, said local children are not going to the other two federated schools and the community opinion seems to be against being part of St Cuthbert’s catchment area.
A member of the public said as most pupils are now attending Masham Primary School, should the current catchment area of Masham School be extended to include the current Fountains Earth School catchment area?
The Parish Council Chair, said there has been a lack of communication, honesty and trust. Parents have voted with their feet. Unless the leadership team is altered, the community do not want to see the current catchment area of the school become part of St Cuthbert’s catchment area. There has been little action from the Council and Diocese on the matter of declining pupil numbers. Pupil numbers are also down to 48 now at St Cuthbert’s.
A member of the community asked how many people at the meeting would take their children to St Cuthbert’s and Glasshouses. No hands were raised.
Andrew Dixon asked how many parents were at the meeting tonight and seven people raised their hands. He then asked how many of those parents would send their children to either St Cuthbert’s or Glasshouses, no hands were raised.
Amanda Newbold closed the meeting and thanked everyone for their attendance and contributions.
The meeting closed at 19:25.
Appendix 5
PUBLIC STATEMENT TO SKIPTON AND RIPON AREA CONSTITUENCY COMMITTEE (ACC) - 14 DECEMBER 2023 AND CYPS OFFICERS’ RESPONSE
1) Public Statement to Skipton and Ripon ACC
I’m here to formally request an independent investigation into the leadership of the Upper Nidderdale Federation.
Fountains Earth School is part of the Upper Nidderdale Federation. My son attended the school and we had planned for his brother to join in September. However, last summer we, along with other parents in the school, took the difficult decision to remove our children. The decision was difficult because we knew that closure of the school was inevitable, and we knew the consequence of this on the upper dale community.
I am not here today in the hope that the school remains open. I’m here because it is not clear how North Yorkshire County Council is effectively monitoring its school Governing Boards, and, in particular, the Governing Board and Leadership team for the Upper Nidderdale Federation.
I first wrote to the Council in Autumn 2022 with concerns after a string of events led me to raise a formal complaint. My concerns centred around the decision making of the Governors and Leadership team, including recruitment practices and accountability. Despite requesting one, I was NOT given an impartial hearing and my complaint was heard and dismissed by members of the very Board that my concerns were addressed towards.
Over the last year parents tried to work with the school for the best interests of our children, but the leadership was not engaged. Instead - it chose to silence or take an opaque stance to our questions and concerns.
Those children who have moved from Fountains Earth, including my own, have been deemed ‘behind where they should be’ and, despite requests, there has been NO documentation sent to their new schools. Our fears have been proven - the educational provision was not consistently good enough at Fountains Earth, and the school was made the ‘poor relation’ with a conscious intention to close it.
It is my belief that the Governing Board of the Upper Nidderdale Federation is not doing its job in holding the leadership team to account and from what I am aware of, there have been serious conflicts of interest in relation to recruitment of both governors and staff as well as questionable practices in relation to the process by which governors are appointed.
A petition requesting an independent investigation now has over 1000 signatures, 570 of which are from the local area and 3 of which are from current and former Federation governors.
What brings me here today is that since the petition has been circulating, a number of former federation staff have contacted me with information about their personal experiences that should raise serious questions and warrant a full investigation.
It is my sincere hope that you will now take these matters forward, act appropriately and see that a thorough investigation does take place.
2) CYPS officers’ response to the public statement regarding Fountains Earth Primary School and the Upper Nidderdale Federation at the Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee 14 December 2023
With regard to an independent investigation:
The governing board hold strategic responsibility for the performance and quality of education in their schools and this includes holding leaders to account for performance. The Local Management of Schools (LMS) Scheme sets out the relationship between the Council and the maintained schools it funds, and this is approved by the North Yorkshire Schools Forum. Headteachers and Governors of locally maintained schools must determine – at school or federation level – how to achieve effective management of resources and value for money, to optimise the use of their resources, and to invest in teaching and learning. Under LMS, the costs of operating a school, or schools, are borne by the school from a delegated budget. This includes all staffing, premises and resources costs. Governors are responsible for recruitment within their schools.
The education system is complex. The Council retains many duties and responsibilities with regard to its maintained schools and for example, its role alongside all schools in relation to safeguarding of children. Diocesan bodies have a distinct role in church schools. There is overlap with all of these parties and the Department for Education’s (DfE) Regional Directors who take key decisions delegated to them by the Secretary of State for education, and therefore it is unclear who would conduct an ‘independent investigation’ and what authority it would hold.
With regard to complaints raised about the school:
In accordance with Section 29(1) of the Education Act 2002, all maintained schools must have and publish procedures to deal with all complaints relating to their school and to any community facilities or services that the school provides, for which there are no separate (statutory) procedures. The duty to establish procedures for dealing with complaints lies with the governing body and not the council. Only complaints outside of the scope of the school’s policy would be considered elsewhere by either the DfE or Ofsted.
About one year ago North Yorkshire Children’s Services did receive correspondence about the school and signposted the writer towards the school’s complaints policy. The council also provided information at that time about how to escalate the concerns to other organisations if required.
If parents, staff or community members have new concerns about the school, officers would advise them to raise these using the appropriate schools complaints procedure. As stated, it is rare that a complaint involving a school falls upon the Council to investigate it.
With regard to the query about pupil information being passed from school to school:
Schools hold detailed information about pupil progress and schools involved in pupil transfers work together, with parents and other agencies as required, to pass required and relevant information on as part of the transfer process.
With regard to school performance:
Ofsted inspected the school in June 2022 and reported that the school continues to be a good school. The report provides more information about leadership, curriculum and safeguarding.
The Council is currently undertaking the required process regarding the proposal that Fountains Earth School should close. Unless advised otherwise by the writer, both today’s public statement and the response of the council officers would be included in the consultation feedback which is scheduled to be reported to the Council’s Executive on 23 January, following the end of the consultation period.