Business Breakfast: Grantley Hall opens Nordic Spa Garden

Staff well-being and culture have rapidly risen up the priority list for many employers.  At the next Stray Ferret Business Club  we’ll hear from award winning employer, LCF Law, on how organisations can ensure their teams are productive and happy. 

The lunch event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Luxury hotel Grantley Hall has opened a Nordic Spa Garden, which has ice baths and an outdoor steam sauna.

The garden has two ice baths where guests at the 47-bed hotel near Ripon can try cold-water immersion therapy.

The sauna, on the other hand, allows people to enjoy warmth in a picturesque outdoor setting.

Gillian McGraffin, spa and wellness manager at Grantley Hall, said:

“We have worked hard to create a relaxing outdoor area that not only looks beautiful but also provides guests with a range of health benefits.”

Dental practice takes oral hygiene message to schools

Oral health educators from Coppice View Dentalcare have been handing out free toothbrushes, tooth paste and brushing charts in local schools in support of National Smile Month.

The dental practice, on Kings Road in Harrogate, visits schools each year during the awareness-raising month to educate children on the importance of looking after their teeth and gums.  We ensure every child at each presentation received a goody bag containing a toothbrush, toothpaste and brushing charts.

Staff visited Rossett Acre Primary School, Oatlands Infant School and Darley Community Primary School during the latest initiative.

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Two Harrogate primary schools to install solar panels

Rossett Acre Primary School and Oatlands Junior School are to install solar panels on their roofs to generate renewable energy.

Plans were approved by North Yorkshire Council this week to install the technology under permitted development rules, which don’t require full planning applications.

Rossett Acre will see around 120 panels installed with a capacity to generate up to 50.90 kWp of renewable electricity.

Around 48 panels will be installed at Oatlands with a capacity to generate up to 20.40 kWp.

Schools have been particularly affected by the rise in energy bills with the National Education Union warning last year that children’s education could suffer as headteachers face extra cost pressures.

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From April, the government extended its energy support for schools by a further 12 months but it only applies to those paying the highest gas and electricity rates.

Both Oatlands and Rossett Acre are part of the Red Kite Learning Trust. Its estates manager Samantha Shuttleworth wrote in planning documents about both applications:

”It is considered that the proposed solar panels would be complementary to the character of the building.

”The visual appearance of the solar panels on the roofed area is considered appropriate for the school building, thereby enhancing the visionary appearance of the site as an up-to-date centre for learning, creating responsible citizens for tomorrow’s world with an appreciation for their surroundings and a duty of care for the environment.

”It is considered that the panels could have a positive impact on the character of the building and no overall detrimental impact on the surrounding area.”

Picket lines across Harrogate district as teachers’ strikes continue

Teachers across the Harrogate district left the classrooms today as part of a series of national strikes organised by the National Education Union.

This morning, picket lines were seen outside schools including Harrogate High and Springwater in Starbeck.

Teachers from Rossett Acre Primary School formed a picket on Pannal Ash Road and received support from several passing motorists.

Year 6 teacher Timothy Marshall told the Stray Ferret the North Yorkshire secretary of the NEU had joined the picket first thing, and all the teachers were going to an official march in Leeds this afternoon.

He said:

“We were all a bit scared to be here at first, but we’re proud of what we do. We love our jobs and work incredibly hard.

“If you don’t pay teachers fairly, you have over-worked, unhappy teachers.

“I scrape to the end of the month every month, and my partner and I work full-time. I’m in a respected profession.

“Strike action is the last resort. Nobody wants to strike. I can’d afford to lose £300 this month, but that’s why I’m striking.”

Striking teachers outside Harrogate High SchoolA picket line outside Harrogate High School today

Mr Marshall said two non-union teachers had refused to cross the picket line this morning and five members of school support staff had joined the protest in solidarity as well.

He said he and his colleagues were striking not just to protest against a real-terms pay cut of up to 10% in recent years, but also to call for better working conditions and funding for schools.

Asked whether the strike action was justified when it resulted in more disruption for children’s education, he said:

“I would say taking the money out of school budgets impacts them more.

“I’m a teacher who needs resources. If we have to sit in assembly with the lights off, which we do, and in the staff room with the lights off, which we do, you can’t tell me this action is what is impacting schools.”

Rossett Acre Primary School is part of the Red Kite Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust with 13 member schools across North and West Yorkshire.

Its chief executive, Richard Sheriff, said many schools were taking steps to cut their fuel consumption and reduce bills, which he viewed as a sensible move amid a cost-of-living crisis. He said:

“No doubt schools are making every effort both in our trust and in every single part of the country to reduce bills.

“It’s good to hear they are making every effort to not use lights unnecessarily – the same as I do in my office.”

As a former president of the Association of School and College Leaders, he said he worked closely with unions to ensure conditions and benefits for staff were the best they could be.

However, he said, issues of funding for education were for the treasury and department for education. He added, as leader of RKLT, he was doing all he could to push the government for “fair and better funding for schools and our young people”.

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Plan submitted for 20mph zones around five schools in Harrogate

A community-led plan could see five schools in the west of Harrogate involved in a pilot scheme to encourage pupils to walk and cycle.

Harrogate Grammar School, Rossett School and Ashville College, along with Rossett Acre and Western primary schools, would all be covered by a 20mph zone with supporting infrastructure, such as safe crossing points.

Jenny Marks presented the proposal to North Yorkshire County Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee this morning.

It follows extensive work done by Dr Marks, Ruth Lily and other members of the community to engage with schools, parents and community groups to assess potential support for the scheme. Dr Marks told the meeting:

“We are speaking from a position of significant collective concern for the safety of nearly 5,000 schoolchildren and for all of those who use the network of roads around these schools on a daly basis, including residents and users of Rossett and Ashville sports centre, Busy Bees nursery and Rossett Nature Reserve.

“We’re speaking from a strong position of local knowledge and support, having spent the last 18 months consulting schools, local residents and other stakeholders in order to better understand their needs.”

Dr Marks said the extensive consultation had enabled the group to formulate a detailed plan for the area which would help to make walking and cycling safer, encouraging people out of their cars.

She said the changes would be increasingly important as more and more homes were built in the area, increasing the number of children travelling to local schools.

She received support from across the chamber for the plan, which followed the committee voting to support 20mph zones around schools at its previous meeting last month.

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Councillors praised the work the group had done to engage with the local community, including speaking at Harrogate and Pannal Ash Residents Association’s AGM.

Cllr Michael Schofield (pictured above), whose Harlow and St George’s division includes three of the five schools involved, said:

“I was fortunate enough to grow up in my division and attend two of the schools, as did my wife. The schools then were very safe to walk to, very safe to cycle to.

“My two children have been to three of the schools – one Rossett Acre and Rossett High, one Rossett Acre and the grammar school. The traffic now is absolutely atrocious.

“Because of the lack of a safe active travel scheme round there, it’s turning into a bit of a self-destruction merry-go-round.

“Parents feel that the roads aren’t safe enough for their children to cycle on to school, so they then jump in the car and take them to school, adding to the problem.”

Highways department to decide

The proposal for the zone will be submitted to North Yorkshire County Council’s highways department, which will consider whether the 20mph zone could be introduced. Highways officers are expected to report back to the area committee at a future meeting.

However, Cllr Pat Marsh, who represents the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division, said a 20mph limit had been outside Hookstone Chase Primary School for 15 years but was ignored. She added:

“I think we are all supportive — it’s not that we’re negative at all, because we do want to protect particularly schools, our children, and encourage them to get out of cars onto bikes or walking.

“We have got to go through the due process and for me, I want the police here, I want the police to monitor them, because without that we’re lost.

“We can have all the signs we want, but until somebody starts to fine the people who abuse it, we don’t go anywhere.”

Pannal Ash residents call for 20mph zone for four schools

Residents in the Pannal Ash area are calling for a 20mph zone to be introduced around four Harrogate schools.

The petition calls for the speed limit, plus safe crossing points and signage, around Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School, Harrogate Grammar School and Ashville College.

Ruth Lily and Jenny Marks set up the petition amid concern that more houses in the Pannal Ash area would lead to increased traffic and safety issues for children attending the schools.

The area is earmarked for up to 4,000 new homes as part of housebuilding in the west of Harrogate.

The residents said in a statement:

“We have worked with schools and local people to develop a plan for our area designed to make our streets safe and useable for everyone. 

“Enabling more journeys without cars would also increase people’s health, improve air quality, reduce noise pollution and decrease carbon emissions.”

The petition also calls for North Yorkshire County Council to introduce speed bumps in the area, plus improved cycling provision.

The move comes as residents have called for 20mph zones elsewhere in Harrogate.

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Cllr Paul Haslam, who represents Old Bilton on Harrogate Borough Council, raised the issue with Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner earlier this month.

Speaking at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee, Cllr Haslam asked Ms Metcalfe:

“In my area, Bilton and Woodfield, I would say the majority of residents want the whole area to be 20mph. At what stage will police enforce this?”

Campaigners across the country are calling for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres as part of the 20’s Plenty initiative.

You can read more on the petition for a 20mph zone in the Pannal Ash area here.

Praise for Harrogate school’s ‘strong community’ in new Ofsted report

A Harrogate primary school has been rated ‘good’ with some ‘outstanding’ features in its latest Ofsted inspection.

Rossett Acre Primary School was praised for its “strong sense of community” and for the “impeccable manners” shown by its children.

Inspectors found it was ‘good’ in the quality of its education and early years provision, as well as its leadership. They rated its behaviour and attitudes, and its personal development, as ‘outstanding’.

The report said:

“There is a firm focus on pupils’ academic success alongside their mental health and well-being.

“Staff encourage pupils to benefit fully from the rich curriculum experiences and opportunities on offer. Pupils enjoy their lessons and clubs, such as dodgeball, singing squad, multi-sports and orchestra.

“Pupils respond positively to the education they receive. They show high levels of motivation and a thirst for learning. Pupils feel valued by staff and are proud of the contribution they make to the school.”

Inspectors highlighted the school’s emphasis on diversity and culture of tolerance and respect for others as areas of strength.

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Addressing ways in which the school could further improve, they said the new phonics curriculum needed to be implemented in a way that ensured all pupils could make progress and those who were further behind could catch up.

They also said not all subjects were taught consistently from reception onwards, such as poor handwriting formation not being addressed early enough so bad habits could become established.

The report added:

“The broad offer and focus on developing staff expertise mean that pupils achieve very well in the range of subjects over time.

“The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND have the support they need so they can achieve well and be fully involved in school life.

“Teachers deliver the curriculum with enthusiasm. This rubs off on the pupils and they respond with curiosity and a desire to learn.”

The inspection took place in June, before the summer holiday, and the report has been published this week.

The school has maintained its rating from its last full inspection in 2011, before it became an academy in 2016. It had a short inspection in 2019.

Rossett Acre Primary School

Rossett Acre is part of the Red Kite Learning Trust, a group of 13 schools including Harrogate Grammar School, Oatlands Junior School, and Western and Coppice Valley primaries.

Inspectors praised the support of the trust for the school, providing training to teachers and ensuring pupils had access to the best learning opportunities.

Responding to the report, headteacher Corinne Penhale said:

“We are thrilled with our Ofsted report, particularly our two areas of ‘outstanding’ for personal development and behaviour and attitudes.

“At Rossett Acre, children are at the heart of everything we do, and the Ofsted outcomes are testament to this.

“I am so incredibly proud of everyone in our school and our community who work so hard to ensure we provide a relevant, rich and fabulous education for our children. What a team!”