Plans to close a rural primary school in North Yorkshire are being progressed after councillors have considered the responses to a consultation that was held with the public.
Hackforth and Hornby Church of England Primary School, near Catterick Garrison, has suffered from dwindling pupil numbers in recent years which has impacted on its financial position.
The outcome of the six-week consultation, which included a public meeting, was discussed at a meeting of our executive today (Tuesday 21 January).
A statutory notice will now be published about the school’s planned closure in August, which will provide the opportunity for further representations to be made until Friday 28 February.
Our executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation including attending the public meeting.
“Closing a school is not an easy decision to make. We know small, rural schools have many strengths, including a strong relationship with the local community and low pupil-to-teacher ratios.
“However, we have a responsibility to look into the quality and breadth of education to ensure every child in North Yorkshire has the best experience at school.”
The most recent full Ofsted inspection was in November 2022 when the school was graded as good. At the time, there were 12 pupils attending the school.
However, the number of pupils has since fallen and there are currently eight children attending the school.
A request by the school governors to undertake a consultation on the next steps for the future of the school was given the go-ahead by Cllr Wilkinson on Thursday 7 November.
Meanwhile, responses to a consultation on the sixth-form provision at a North Yorkshire high school were also discussed by the executive at today’s meeting.
For the past two years, there have been no post-16 students in Years 12 and 13 at Wensleydale High School in Leyburn.
A consultation to end the sixth-form provision at the school from August this year was launched and ran from 11 November to 20 December.
A statutory notice will also now be published on the proposals to end sixth-form provision at Wensleydale High School, with the opportunity for representations up until Friday 28 February.
A final decision by our executive on both proposals will be taken on Tuesday 18 March.