merger Archives - The Stray Ferret

Harrogate GP practices merge to create town’s second-largest surgeryHarrogate GP surgeries to merge

Two Harrogate GP surgeries are set to merge towards the end of this year.

East Parade Surgery and Park Parade Surgery, which are both located on the same floor of the Mowbray Square Medical Centre on Myrtle Square, announced the move today.

The practices said in a statement the surgeries already “work closely together and share several teams and services” .

It added the partners Emma Keating and Sarah Wilkinson felt a single, larger practice will allow them to “pool the skills of team members to create an organisation equipped to survive and thrive in the NHS of the future”.

The statement said:

“We believe in continuity of care and the people you already know will be part of the new surgery. There will also be the choice for you to see clinicians from across a larger team.”

The statement said the merger, which is being overseen by the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, will take place in early October, adding both sites will “work hard” to ensure a smooth transition for patients.

Patients already registered will be automatically transferred to the new surgery, which does not yet have a name.

The statement said people can contact the medical centre to express their views, as well as to submit ideas for a new surgery name.

Harrogate and District Climate Change Coalition dissolves

The trustees of Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition have agreed to dissolve the organisation and continue its work through Zero Carbon Harrogate.

The coalition was set up by Harrogate Borough Council in 2019 to bring together businesses, local government and the voluntary sector and become an independent charity in 2021.

A statement today announcing the news said it would “help take the district closer to achieving a carbon net zero future”.

Several coalition trustees, including chair Danny Wild, the principal of Harrogate College, have become trustees of Zero Carbon Harrogate.

Jemima Parker, founder and chair of Zero Carbon Harrogate, said:

“This is a really exciting development for both charities and for the future of Harrogate. By coming together we can make a bigger impact in everything we do and help take the district closer to a net zero future.

“The scientific evidence is clear; we must act now to prevent the worst effects of climate change.”

Mr Wild said the move would “create a stronger voice on climate change for Harrogate”, adding:

“All trustees believe that through collaboration we can achieve more thorough local activity and be a stronger voice in North Yorkshire.

“I’m looking forward to working with ZCH over the next 12 months, as we look deliver activities that lead to a more sustainable future.”

Coalition’s short existence

The coalition had a short but rocky existence.

Set up by Harrogate Borough Council, it was rocked by the resignation in 2021 of Pat Marsh, the leader of Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, who claimed the group had been ‘plagued by inaction’.

The organisation said its acquisition of charitable status later that year put it in a strong position to “accelerate action and increase its local impact”.

This was borne out when it organised Harrogate’s first climate action festival, which included a business conference at Harrogate Convention Centre.

The coalition had 12 trustees, including representatives of Harrogate Borough Council, which ceased to exist on April 1 this year.

Rossett School to meet parents to discuss sixth form merger concerns

Rossett School leaders are to meet parents next week to discuss concerns about the sixth form merger with Harrogate Grammar School.

Students planning to join Rossett sixth form in autumn were informed last week they will be taught at nearby Harrogate Grammar School instead. Current Rossett sixth form students are unaffected.

The move took pupils and parents by surprise, with some questioning why they weren’t consulted and unhappy at the potential disruption.

About 65 Rossett students will be affected and school leaders held a media briefing yesterday to provide more details about the merger and the reasoning behind it. They revealed:

The number of sixth form students at Harrogate Grammar School is expected to remain at about 650 despite the influx of Rossett students because “grade inflation” caused by covid is expected to ease, thus reducing the number of eligible students.
Sixth form students will attend all their lessons at Harrogate Grammar School but teachers will move between the two schools.
Rossett’s former sixth form buildings will be used as a teacher recruitment and training hub by the Red Kite Learning Trust. Rossett is due to become the trust’s 14th school in September. Harrogate Grammar School already belongs to it.

Richard Sheriff, chief executive of the trust, said collaborative sixth forms were a proven model in Harrogate, citing St Aidan’s Church of England High School and St John Fisher Catholic High School.

Mr Sheriff added there had been a long-term vision for Rossett and Harrogate Grammar School to collaborate more closely and the merger would not only achieve this but also improve education for students.

He said better children’s outcomes was the main driver for change but acknowledged cost was also “absolutely part of this”.

Rossett’s income, which is based on student numbers, has decreased significantly in recent years due to pupil numbers falling by roughly a third from 1,500 to 1,000.

Mr Sheriff said the decline in pupil numbers was due to fewer students from Leeds attending because of higher bus fares and improved schools in Leeds as well as Rossett’s ‘requires improvement’ rating by schools inspector Ofsted.

He said the Ofsted assessment “weighed heavily” on Rossett and the merger would demonstrate the school’s commitment to improve.

Mr Sheriff added building a new joint sixth form building was a long-term dream. He said:

“It’s hard for any school to survive on their own these days. It’s not a safe place to be.”

‘We have to be realistic’

Rossett consulted with governors about the merger but not parents — why not? Mr Sheriff said:

“What would we do with the outcome of the consultation if parents said ‘we’d like to keep things as they are’?

“If we did that the school would be bankrupt next year. We have to be realistic and genuine with parents.”

Harrogate Grammar School

Tim Milburn, who will formally take up the headteacher’s role at Rossett in September after previously being deputy headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, hopes next week’s meeting will reassure parents. He said:

“There’s been some questions and concerns but we have tried to respond to them quickly.

“The news will have come as a shock and we acknowledge there are concerns but we have thought long and hard about how we can make the best provision for children. We want Rossett to be a thriving, growing school again.”

What about special needs students that might be particularly anxious about the unwanted change of environment?

Pete Saunders, the current acting headteacher at Rossett, said:

“In that scenario, special educational needs co-ordinators will get together with parents and students and discuss what provision they need to make the transition successfully.”

Mr Saunders added another advantage of the move is that Rossett sixth formers will be able to take advantage of Harrogate Grammar School’s broader curriculum, which includes subjects such as medical science that otherwise would not be available.

Harrogate law firm announces merger

Harrogate-based law firm Haddletons has announced a merger with Leeds firm SCE Solicitors.

SCE provides specialist employment, HR support and health and safety services.

The merger is expected to provide the enlarged firm with the opportunity to bolster the range of services it offers to clients.

The company will trade under the name of Haddletons

The merger is expected to provide the enlarged firm with the opportunity to grow, strengthen and further develop the range of services offered to clients.

James Haddleton, chief executive of Haddletons, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Samira and the SCE team into the Haddletons family.

“At both SCE and Haddletons we know our clients well and we know what we want to offer them. For that reason, the tie-up is a strategic and mutually beneficial move for both our firms’ clients, bringing them excellent practical support borne of decades of experience. We can’t wait to get going with our extended team.”

Harrogate business group celebrates 125th birthday

Robert Ogden More than 100 business people attended the 125th birthday celebration for Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce last night.

The event, which was held at Roosters taproom at Hornbeam Park, included the presentation of several awards, including the President’s Cup, which was given to Robert Ogden (pictured above) of jewellers Ogden of Harrogate for services to the town.

The chamber’s 125 birthday was actually last year but the celebration was postponed for 12 months due to covid.

Chamber meeting

Woodfield school parents ‘frustrated and upset’ after merger U-turn

A parent has spoken of her anger at the ongoing uncertainty over the future of a school in Bilton.

A planned merger between Woodfield Community Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School fell through last week.

Governors at Grove Road said in a statement they were concerned about the risk and “must prioritise the future of Grove Road School”.

It means Woodfield faces the treat of closure having been unable to secure an academy sponsor since it was rated ‘inadequate’ by school inspector Ofsted.

Naomi Tomlinson said parents of the 40 or so pupils remaining at Woodfield didn’t know what to do and were “praying for a miracle” that it might survive. She said:

“Do we stick with the school or do we just try to get out? It’s a good school and we are like a family there.

“But the kids are struggling and parents are frustrated, disappointed and upset. We don’t know what to tell the kids or ourselves.

“Our mental health and the kids’ mental health is being sacrificed.”

Ms Tomlinson, who has one child at the school and another due to start reception in September, said she had already had applications to two nearby schools declined and she was worried about potentially long journeys each day. She added:

“I have a few health considerations that make it hard for me to walk far so I need somewhere close.

She said the ongoing uncertainty meant parents felt like they were being pushed “from pillar to post”.

She also questioned why, once again, parents had received important news about the school just before the start of a school holiday, leaving them powerless to do anything for two weeks.

Ms Tomlinson said::

“Do we fight for the school or do we leave before it gets too much? We know nothing of the future of this lovely school.”

Woodfield leaders ‘listening to parents’ before deciding school’s future

Parents at a Harrogate primary school facing an uncertain future have spent the day meeting with governors and the headteacher.

Woodfield Community Primary School opened its doors for parents to ask questions after a planned merger with Grove Road Community Primary School fell through.

The proposal had been put forward after Woodfield was placed in special measures by Ofsted two years ago. Governors had been unable to find a multi-academy trust to join, as required by Ofsted, and an announcement was made yesterday that the planned merger had also fallen through.

Cllr Paul Haslam, who has been a governor at the school since early 2019, told the Stray Ferret:

“It is bitterly disappointing. The school has got the best teaching it has had for many years.

“The calibre of the teaching and learning of the children can’t be faulted, in my opinion.

“I believe it’s more to do with Grove Road feeling they don’t have the resources in order to accomplish what the amalgamation set out to do, rather than anything else. We’ve all got the children’s interests at heart.

“We’re listening to parents rather than telling them what to do. It’s about having an ear.

“Let’s get through this stage and understand what this stage is; listening to parents and their concerns will help us formulate what we do in the future.

“We will come to a conclusion based on what parents tell us and what all parties believe is right.”

Cllr Haslam said the governors had written to all parents about amalgamation being dropped before the news was announced publicly.

“We view this as a very urgent situation that needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible. We will be doing everything we can in order to expedite and get information for people.

“We’re challenged with the Easter holidays – the governors were 200% behind the fact we had to offer to sit with the parents today.

“We didn’t want them to go away worrying about this. Obviously, they will worry, but we are giving them an opportunity to talk about this.”

After the merger proposal was initially announced, North Yorkshire County Council and leaders from both schools held two online public meetings in January for parents to ask questions.

Asked what would happen if the planned amalgamation fell through, Andrew Dixon, strategic planning manager for NYCC, said they “would have to consult on a school closure”.

However, Cllr Haslam said today that he wanted to reassure parents:

“Until further notice, the school continues to operate exactly as it is. That’s the legal obligation of NYCC – we have to operate the school as is.

“The first and most important thing is that the children are the centre and the core of everything that we as governors do. That’s our utmost consideration at all times.”

Woodfield was rated ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted in March 2020, but monitoring visits by inspectors have since found that improvements are being made.

They particularly praised the efforts made by the school’s new leaders and governors to identify the work needed to improve and how they can be evaluated.

Parents object to merger of two Harrogate primary schools

Parents objecting about the merger of two Harrogate primary schools claim it will be unfair on some pupils after one school was judged inadequate by inspectors.

Woodfield Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School will become one in September 2022 if the proposals are approved.

The plans are set to be progressed at a North Yorkshire County Council meeting on Tuesday after a consultation with parents, staff and governors ended in January.

Concerns have been raised that the move will cause disruption for pupils and parents, some of which said Woodfield Primary School should remain as it is after it was judged inadequate by Ofsted in January 2020.

One parent said:

“Woodfield School’s problems should not become Grove Road’s problems.

“Inspectors said pupils at Woodfield were being “let down” by poor leadership and that “too many pupils do not achieve what they are capable of.”

Any council-run school which is rated inadequate is required to become a sponsored academy.

However, no sponsor could be found for Woodfield, and the county council instead put forward plans for the merger with good-rated Grove Road.

Stuart Carlton, the county council’s corporate director of children and young people’s services, said in a report:

“While it is acknowledged that the proposed closure of Woodfield Community Primary School will cause uncertainty and disruption for pupils, parents and staff, Grove Road School would work closely with parents, as both schools do now, to meet the needs of individual children.

“Several consultees have noted the benefits of the Woodfield site including the large grassed area not available at Grove Road.

“It is proposed that the additional space freed up at the Grove Road site will be developed into specialist provision, intervention areas and library spaces.”

“Our family really hope that this amalgamation never happens”

The proposed merger has been agreed by both governing bodies of the schools, and statutory proposals will be published in March if councillors vote in favour of progressing the plans on Tuesday.

After this, a final decision on the move would then be made by the county council’s executive in April.

Commenting on the proposals, one parent said:

“After the past two years the children have had, I think the uproot out of a school they love and know is not good for mental health and a total disregard for the children and parents of Woodfield.”

Another said:

“Our family really hope that this amalgamation never happens, otherwise our family and many parents I know will choose for their kids to go to St Peter’s School.”

Meanwhile, one parent commented in favour of the merger, saying her disabled child had a much improved experience at Grove Road after leaving Woodfield.

They said:

“Having been a parent of a SEND child at Woodfield nearly three years ago… I saw the decline in leadership and poor care of my child’s needs.

“We left this school because we were tired of fighting and getting nowhere.

“I’ve no doubt that under Grove Road leadership, the Woodfield site will become a thriving and flourished school again.”

If the proposals go ahead, nursery aged children will attend the site at Woodfield, which will be re-named Grove Road Nursery, from September.

Eventually all Key Stage One pupils will be taught at the Woodfield site, with Key Stage Two being taught at the larger Grove Road site.

Consultation agreed over merger of two Harrogate primary schools

Plans to merge two Harrogate primary schools have taken a step forward today after county councillors agreed to move proposals to the consultation stage.

North Yorkshire County Council met today to discuss a proposed merger for Woodfield Community Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School, with parents set to be asked for their views when the consultation opens on December 2.

The schools sit just half a mile apart, but have very different Ofsted ratings, pupils numbers and finances.

Grove Road is rated as “good” by Ofsted inspectors, while Woodfield is judged “inadequate” and currently in special measures.

Woodfield has also failed to find an academy trust willing to take it over.

Due to pupil numbers determining the level of funding that a school receives, it is forecasting to be almost £333,000 in debt by 2024 due to the 49 pupils currently enrolled.

At Grove Road, the school is currently operating at capacity with almost 300 pupils and is forecasting a budget surplus by 2026.

Speaking today, councillor Patrick Mulligan, executive member for education and skills at the county council, described the proposed merger as an “exciting opportunity” for both schools and said the authority would listen to all comments during the consultation:

“We are confident it will achieve the best possible provision for all pupils, and importantly ensuring that the Woodfield site continues to be used for education of the wider community.

“The proposed amalgamation would be achieved through the technical closure of Woodfield School, and the enlargement of Grove Road School through future use of the Woodfield site.”

A new leadership team was appointed at Woodfield when it was placed into special measures in January 2020 and an Ofsted monitoring report has since said “effective action” is being taken to remove the worst-possible rating.

However, Cllr Mulligan said these arrangements were only ever temporary and that the merger has been proposed as the school still faces an “uncertain future”.

He said:

“The two governing bodies carefully considered the proposals before half term, and both agreed to ask us to start a consultation.

“We have worked together with the schools to assess how education provision within the Woodfield community could best be preserved.

“Families, staff, and other members of the local community will have opportunities to consider the detail of the proposals during the consultation period.”

The consultation will run until January 22 next year before a final decision is made by the county council three months later in April.

If approved, the merger would create a single primary school operating on both school sites from September 2022.

County council meets today to discuss fate of two Harrogate primary schools

The plans for Woodfield Community Primary School to merge with nearby Grove Road Community Primary School have been met with fierce backlash from some parents.

Woodfield was put into special measures by Ofsted in January 2020. Any school judged “inadequate” by Ofsted is required to become a sponsored academy but Woodfield failed to find an academy willing to take it on.

At the meeting today county councillors will discuss whether the merger should move to a consultation period from December 2. It has already been discussed by the governing bodies of each school.

The consultation stage would last until January 22, next year with a final decision taken by the executive board in April.

Woodfield Primary School has been under-subscribed for years, according to a county council report. It currently has 49 pupils and Grove Road has 292.

New format for the schools

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

Then from September 2023, all nursery children and reception pupils would be based at the current Woodfield site, which would eventually accommodate all key stage 1 pupils. All key stage 2 children would be based at the current Grove Road site.

The county council report says if the proposals went ahead, there would be 350 primary school places available across the two sites of the amalgamated Grove Road School.

The report spoke of the future of staff at Woodfield school:

“The county council is the employer for staff at both Grove Road Community Primary School and Woodfield Community Primary School and the Governing Bodies will seek to protect employment as far as possible for staff currently employed at Woodfield.

“A separate HR consultation process for staff and their professional associations will commence in the spring term and the Governing Bodies will most likely propose an internal transfer of staff from Woodfield to Grove Road.”

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Coalition’s short existence

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‘We have to be realistic’

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Harrogate business group celebrates 125th birthday

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“Our family really hope that this amalgamation never happens”

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New format for the schools

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