APPENDIX 5                                                      Consultation responses

	Do you have any comments about the closure proposal?	Do you have any comments about catchment areas?	Interest / Status	Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
1	I believe that North Yorkshire Council is missing a great opportunity to place children with SEN who need a smaller, supportive school environment. We moved our child from a bigger primary school to Hackforth and Hornby and they thrived there. I firmly believe if they would have stayed in the bigger primary environment, they would not have been able to attend anymore. I know that Hackforth and Hornby already has a high percentage of SEN children. The staff and headteacher are highly skilled and knowledgeable and I believe the closure would be a massive waste of resources. The building and staff are there. With little money on top this could be a great opportunity for children that need a smaller environment and greater support. There is such a gap for children that fall between mainstream and specialist school.	No	Community
2	It is such a shame, but you cannot run a school effectively with such low numbers and loosing so much money.		Community
3	The evidence suggests pupil numbers won’t recover. Long overdue. There is no room sadly for sentiment when resources could be redeployed and enhance provision elsewhere more effectively. Moral dilemma exists if you don’t close regarding cost to educate per pupil well above other local schools funding.  Sad for a village to lose its school. Does the Diocese have an opinion?	It makes sense to have a shared space reflecting the schools currently attended by parents in the village and surround. Does the CofE status affect the involvement of non-CofE schools in this shared catchment space? ie Hunton.	Community
4	Another consultation on closing a rural schools due to "dwindling numbers". These cases, combined with the changes to home to school transport policy are failing children and families rural communities, in a largely rural geography. Of course the main groups impacted are those on low incomes or who have complex needs. Why are the numbers dwindling in the first place? Does NYC have any long-term consideration about what happens to communities when rural primary schools close? Very likely they become inhabited by wealthy retirees only. There are fundamental issues with the ability for communities to hold school governing Boards to account, and a frustrating lack of support and accountability from NYC, MP and DfE when issues are raised. What is being done in terms of creative/tailored solutions for delivering education in low population density areas? This could include, recruitment/retention strategies, use of technology, specialist training to allow for for cross-age education, outdoor education practices, partnerships, special educational needs and disability specialist centres, integrating nurseries, looking at global examples where it is successful, engaging early and facilitating meaningful community engagement to bring about solutions designed by and suitable for the unique place affected.		Community
5	This school is a cherished rural school and while the numbers are small, the children are made to feel like children, like people with voices and opinions that can be heard and expressed without judgement. The councils inability to promote the school to the Catterick garrison catchment should not leave these current children at a loss for a school! Children’s whose developmental needs require a smaller school setting are being pushed unfairly aside. Children with SEN needs not being heard once again by the council.	Catterick Garrison is 12 minutes drive from the school but due to a postcode it is not made an option. Catterick Garrison schools are oversubscribed and children’s education are being punished as a result, Hackforth and Hornby children and staff should not suffer because of a postcode!	Parent
6	As Clerk of Hackforth Combined Parish Council, I am submitting the following feedback on this proposal on behalf of the council:  Firstly, is there a covenant on the school building deeds to restrict the property to always being a school? This was very common practice when land and buildings were 'given to a parish' to be a school. Future use of the land and buildings were not discussed at the meeting of 4 December 2024, and the diocese representative said that no decisions had been made.  The LEA/Diocese currently do not promote small rural schools but are expecting schools to operate as a business and effectively market themselves. Should schools dispense with head teachers and have commercial managers instead?  The transport policy is very confusing, but it would appear that anyone living in Hackforth would be entitled to free transport to any other primary school as there are no safe footpaths out of the village.  Enquiries to Crakehall school are being met with responses that the school has no places.  This contradicts the LEA statistical data contained within the presentation.  It would be a big loss to the village if the school closed.	As mentioned above, the proposal is to enlarge Crakehall's catchment area to include Hackforth School, but enquiries to Crakehall school are being met with responses that the school has no places. This contradicts the LEA statistical data contained within the presentation of the proposal.  Furthermore, the transport policy is very confusing and it appears that anyone living in Hackforth would be entitled to free transport to any other primary school as there are no safe footpaths out of the village.	Hackforth Combined Parish Council
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