The Harrogate district’s covid infection rate is rising steadily as thousands of pupils make a return to classrooms this week.

The borough’s weekly rate per 100,000 people now stands at 386 and pre-term testing is being used to limit infections at schools and colleges, while rules on social distancing and face masks have been scrapped.

Meanwhile, a further 102 infections have been reported in the district, according to today’s daily Public Health England figures.

The return of schools has stoked concerns over a sharp spike in cases, similar to what has happened in Scotland where infections among under 15-year-olds have tripled since pupils restarted in mid-August.

Speaking last week, Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, said cases in the county are currently much higher than when schools returned last September – and that people should be “very aware” another spike can happen.

He said: 

“This time last year, the rates before schools went back and worse weather arrived were considerably lower than those we see now.

“Last year, we saw another big spike in cases, so we need to be very aware that that can still happen.”

Health officials at the county council last week urged all 16 and 17-year-olds to get vaccinated against covid “as soon as possible” ahead of the return to school this week.

Read more:

• 500 staff at North Yorkshire care homes could leave due to compulsory vaccinations
• North Yorkshire health officials urge 16 and 17-year-olds to get jab
• Three covid deaths recorded at Harrogate hospital

The calls came as scientists on the UK’s vaccine advisory body refused to give the green light to vaccinating healthy children aged 12 to 15 years on health grounds.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said these children were at such a low risk from the virus that jabs would offer only a marginal benefit.

Infection rate almost up to 400

According to latest NHS figures, a total of 127,181 people in the Harrogate district have now received their first vaccine dose and 116,631 people their second.

Meanwhile, no further covid deaths have been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital.

The hospital reported three more covid deaths on Friday to take its toll since the pandemic began up to 184.

The latest infection rate for the Harrogate district of 386 is above both the North Yorkshire and England averages of 341 and 321.

The rate has been climbing steadily in recent weeks after falling sharply in mid-July from a record level of 536.

Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, Selby currently has the highest rate at 392, while Richmondshire has the lowest with 242.

Teenagers aged 16 and 17 in North Yorkshire are being urged to get vaccinated against covid “as soon as possible” ahead of the return to school and college next week.

Those who fall into this age group were first offered a vaccine dose last month, but unlike others no second jab is being scheduled.

The government set a target of offering everyone aged 16 and 17 their first dose or the chance to book one by August 23, and Louise Wallace, director of public health for North Yorkshire, said they should now take up the opportunity “as soon as possible”.

Speaking at a meeting of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which is a collaboration of agencies fighting covid, today, she said: 

“The key message does remain the same for everyone across the county who is eligible for a vaccine to come forward. It is still the best form of protection.

“If you are 16 or 17 years of age, please come forward and get vaccinated as soon as possible – and ideally before you go back to school.”

Her plea coincides with NHS England beginning to draw up plans for a possible extension of the vaccination programme to all 12 to 15-year-olds.

Read more:

• Pateley Bridge says thank you to vaccine volunteers

• Ripon Racecourse vaccine centre closes after giving 27,000 jabs

However, experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the government, have yet to make a final decision on whether it should go ahead – and there are national reports that they may opt against it because of fears it could disrupt the programme of boosters for older people.

School bubble groups scrapped

School distancing rules, ‘bubble’ groups and staggered starts have now been scrapped, although ventilation measures and extra hygiene precautions will still be in place.

All secondary pupils are also being urged to get tested either at school or in the community before term starts. After that, pupils will be encouraged to carry on with the twice-weekly testing regime in order to keep cases under control.

Ms Wallace said it was “massively” important that pupils now made a return to school.

She added: 

“All schools and colleges are advised to keep continuing with regular hand washing, cleaning regimes and keeping spaces well ventilated.

“And of course, we will give support from a local public health perspective to any school or college if they see a spike in cases.”

Experts are to be sent into North Yorkshire’s schools to address concerns about declining standards.

North Yorkshire County Council is acting after the proportion of its schools rated as good or outstanding fell significantly behind the national average.

As of last month, 80.5 per cent of primary pupils in the county attended a school rated good or outstanding by Ofsted compared to the national average of 88.2 per cent.

In addition, a smaller proportion of the county’s local education authority-run secondary schools have been rated as performing well compared to the national average.

The council has now created a team of analysts to send into schools to drive up standards.

It has identified high level issues at 23 of its schools and moderate concerns at 79 others, representing a total of 40 per cent of its schools.

A meeting of the council’s executive this week heard the issue was being compounded by the authority being unaware of how well its schools were meeting children’s educational needs because there had been very few Ofsted inspections during the pandemic.

Councillor Patrick Mulligan, the council’s executive member for education, said areas of concern included attendance and exclusion rates, but the council’s figures were dated or likely to have been significantly skewed by the pandemic. He said:

“There could be all sorts of explanations as to why this has happened, but what we are doing is looking at increasing the resources for our school improvement team so they can focus on some of these schools that are not performing as well as they should be.

“We will do everything we can to try and get on top of this, but we are all concerned about it and get things in motion.

“On the whole our children get a very good education. We have got very good teachers and school leadership and that is reflected in our exam results.”

Read more:

• Future of Bewerley Park to be decided in the autumn
• Hampsthwaite primary school to build new staff room and lobby

Cllr Mulligan said the council was continuing to examine why its schools had received lower ratings than average, but he thought the authority was getting on top of the situation having set up a team of analysts to go into schools when invited by headteachers. He added:

“There has been a little increase in school funding in the last year or two, but over the years of austerity if schools had to let staff go it is very concerning if that is being reflected in school performance.

“One of the latest things that Ofsted has done is add breadth of curriculum to the inspections, which is quite difficult to do in North Yorkshire schools with just 50 pupils, which don’t have the staff levels for some subjects. If that’s the case, then it needs to be taken into account by Ofsted.”

Concerns about rising number of home educated children

The meeting also heard educational concerns had been raised as the number of home educated children was continuing to soar, with some 871 children being taught at home in the county in June compared with 650 at the end of March 2019.

Members heard while traditionally the authority had concentrated efforts on ensuring home educated children were safe, it had recently started examining the quality of the education being provided.

Councillors were told four home education advisors had been recruited to help families, some of which may not have suitable teaching plans in place having chosen home education as a last resort.

The anxious wait is over for thousands of GCSE students in the Harrogate district who received their results this morning.

For the second year in a row, the results were based on teacher calculations due to the pandemic.

Our live blog will record all of today’s results as they come in.

Have you or someone you know received their results today? Let us know how it went. Call us on 01423 276197 or email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with your grades and how you feel.

17.15pm – St Aidan’s headteacher thanks staff and students

Chris Burt, headteacher at St Aidan Church of England High School, Harrogate, thanked staff and students today after “difficult times” during covid.

Mr Burt added that year 11 pupils had shown “excellent attainment and progress”.

He said:

‘These results allow students to progress to the next stage of their educational journey.

“We are extremely proud of them all and are looking forward to welcoming many students back into the Associated Sixth Form in September as well as wishing others well in their new settings.”

4.55pm – Rossett School students “showed resilience” this year, says headteacher

Pupils at Rossett School showed resilience and hard work this year, says headteacher Helen Woodcock.

Students received their GCSE results from the school today. More than a quarter of the grades awarded were at levels 7,8 or 9 with 15% being at the higher end of this measure.

Meanwhile, 82% of students secured grades 9 to 4 in English and a third of grades in economics, sciences, languages, philosophy and ethics and food technology were at 8 or 9.

Ms Woodcock said:

14.25pm – Harrogate Ladies College principal: “I’m so proud of every single one of these pupils”

The principal of Harrogate Ladies College said she is proud of every single pupil at the school for their achievements on GCSE results day.

Overall a quarter of all grades at the school were at the highest level of grade 9; 62% were grades 9-7 grades, and 95% were 9 to 4 grades.

Sylvia Brett, principal of the school, said:

“I’m so proud of every single one of these pupils for the resilience and the determination they’ve shown in the face of so much uncertainty.

“They have been tested in ways they couldn’t have imagined and they all deserve to celebrate.”

Among those picking up their results today was Sophie McHugh, who received 10 grade 9s and one grade 8.

She said:

“I’m absolutely delighted with my results, I can’t quite believe it.

“It has been really challenging being in and out of school all the time and then not knowing whether we were going to be sitting exams or not, but I can’t wait to get back into school again in September and start to my A levels and hopefully have the full sixth form experience.”

14.05pm – Adult learners achieve 87% overall grade 9 to 4

Adult learners in North Yorkshire have also been picking up their GCSE results today.

This year, 87.5% of adult learners achieved a grade 9 to 4 overall.

It is the ninth year that North Yorkshire County Council’s Adult Learning and Skills Service has offered a range of GCSE English and maths courses.

In GCSE Maths 96% of learners achieved a grade 9 to 4 and results for GCSE English were very positive with 100% achieving a grade 9 to 4.

Cllr Patrick Mulligan, executive county councillor for education and skills, said:

“Congratulations to all of our adult learners who achieved their goals; it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all our students and staff during this very difficult period.

“Our aim is to help adults gain the skills and qualifications they need to be successful in employment. These recent results show it’s never too late to learn and improve your skills to get to where you want to be.”

13.55pm – Boroughbridge students “adapted quickly” to remote learning

The headteacher of Boroughbridge High School has said pupils adapted quickly to remote learning during the covid pandemic and can be proud of their achievements.

Among those pupils who got their GCSE results today were Ella Brophy and Martha Charlton who each achieved eight grade 9s and two grade 8s and Poppy Beasley who achieved seven grade 9s and three grade 8s. All are going on to study A Levels.

Kathryn Stephenson, headteacher of the school, said:

“It has been an absolute pleasure to congratulate students on their excellent achievements and we are very proud of the way in which they have approached the challenges of the last eighteen months, showing great resilience throughout.

“The results also reflect the commitment of the staff team, who have worked tirelessly, and the continued support of our parents, carers and governors.”

13.45pm – Nidderdale High School reports “outstanding achievements” by students

Nidderdale High School has said it is “very proud” of the achievements of its students on GCSE results day.

Students from the school are set to go onto take up A-levels at Harrogate and Ripon sixth forms, sports scholarships, high quality apprenticeships and college places in Harrogate, York and Askham Bryan College.

Among those who were high achieving include Rachael Hattan, who received 11 GCSEs which were all graded 9.

Meanwhile, Grace Pawson, Scarlet Wild, Mollie Wright and Jonathan Levy, are celebrating 36 grades at 7-9 between them.

Kath Jordan, the school’s headteacher, said:

“We are so very proud of all the work and achievements of our students, especially after such a difficult and disrupted year. They have worked with commitment and determination both in school and online during periods of school closure.

“Many of our young people have faced their own unique challenges, with health, family circumstances and facing uncertainty but they have shown strength of character and resilience.

“They and they families should be immensely proud of all they have achieved. Our whole staff team has worked tirelessly to ensure students are all able to progress onto further education and study, and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the future.”

12.15pm – Queen Mary’s school congratulates “inspiring and industrious” students

Queen Mary’s School, near Topcliffe, has congratulated its students today after 40% of entries achieve the top grade.

Students at Queen Mary’s received their results this morning. 40% of entries were grades 9-8 (A*).

The school also congratulated long-standing pupils Arabella Jaques and Lilian Roberts. The girls have attended the school from 2-years-old and could today leave with top grades.

All the school’s pupils received offers to their first choice sixth forms.

11.20am – Harrogate Grammar School praises student for “exceptional hard work” despite pandemic

Harrogate Grammar School commended its students for their resilience today after “an experience like no other”.

Of all the grades awarded, 40% were at level 7, 8, or 9 (A* and A) with 10% achieving the highest grade of 9.

In addition, 86% of the students secured grades 9 to 4 (A* – C) in both English and maths and 64% obtained grades 9 to 5 (A – B) in both English and maths.

Headteacher Neil Renton said:

“This is a cohort of young people who have had an experience like no other. We celebrate the success of our students today and take great pride in their achievements. The majority of Year 11 students have chosen to progress to our sixth form.

“As today’s GCSE results show, the Harrogate Grammar School class of 2021 have a very bright future ahead of them.”

11am – 97.2% 9-5 (A-B) grades for Ripon Grammar

Ripon Grammar School has congratulated its students for a second time this week but after its Year 11 GCSE results were announced.

More than 70% of all grades awarded were 9-7s (the equivalent of A*-As) with 97% being 9-5 (A-Bs).

It also said that 46% of students collected nine or more grades 9-7(A*-A).

In total 661 9-8 (A*) grades were achieved between the 132 students in the year.

This included two pupils who scored 10 grade 9s and an 8, while seven achieved a clean sweep of 9-8(A*) grades.

Headteacher Mr Jonathan Webb said:

“It is important to stress that we need to see these results in their context.

“We feel our students have undertaken a rigorous and fair process of assessment at RGS and their grades represent an accurate reflection of abilities and efforts. As always, they have worked extremely hard and with great resilience.”

Ripon Grammar School student Sam Cann, with his GCSE results this morning

A primary school in Harrogate has won £260,000 of government funding to improve safeguarding measures.

Bilton Grange Primary School applied last year to the Condition Improvement Fund, which awards grants to schools for capital projects.

A school spokesperson said it was “brilliant news” it had been chosen and more detailed plans on how the funding will be spent would be discussed next week.

Bilton Grange is one of five North Yorkshire primary schools that belong to Yorkshire Collaborative Academy Trust, which together received £1 million. The other four schools are all outside the Harrogate district.

The CIF fund is designed to keep schools safe and in good working order. This includes health and safety issues, building compliance and poor building conditions.

Aspin Park Academy in Knaresborough got a new roof and fire safety system after it received £500,000 from the fund in December 2019.

Read more:

• RSPCA dashes hopes of Peter the Peacock returning to Bilton
• Two men taken to hospital after Starbeck car crash

The Bilton and Knaresborough schools both worked with Leeds property consultants Eddisons to secure funding.

Since 2016, Eddisons has raised more than £100 million in successful CIF bids on behalf of schools and colleges.

Ian Harrington, building and project consultancy head at Eddisons, said:

“The CIF projects really are essential to creating a better learning and work environment for both students and staff at schools and colleges across the UK.”

Local environmental group Zero Carbon Harrogate is encouraging children in the Harrogate district to walk to school on Friday June 18.

Road transport is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the district, and the group hopes the day will help improve the environment whilst boosting children’s physical and mental health.

Children that use public transport or car for part of the journey can ‘park and stride’ the last mile of their trip to school.

ZCH said it will be a regular event taking place once every half term:

“We need to build better transport habits within our community and help combat the effects of climate change and protect our planet! That is why we are launching this regular, half-termly event.”

Read more:

• Who is the mystery Good Samaritan carving seats in Nidd Gorge?
• Harrogate to get £1.5m to improve net-zero energy infrastructure

ZCH wants to add some healthy competition to the day and will be logging the miles walked, or cycled, and carbon saved by schools across our district and putting them on a leaderboard.

​For more information and an event pack contact schools.zch@gmail.com

Parents are being urged to be vigilant after two more schools in the Harrogate district reported recent incidents of children being harassed on the way home.

Police revealed yesterday that an 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted while walking home from school at the junction of King’s Road and Chatsworth Grove in Harrogate on Tuesday.

The girl, whose school has not been revealed, was upset and shaken by the incident.

It has since emerged that a man in his early 20s chased year seven pupils on their way home from Harrogate High School last night.

The pupils, who were walking on Skipton Road, hid and the man ran past.

Lucy Greenwood, head of school at Harrogate High School, wrote to parents last night alerting them to the news. Her message said:

“It is worth reminding your children to be extra vigilant and to make their way directly home.

“We have reported the incident to the police and we will be making all students in school aware and to remind them to be extra vigilant on their way home.”

A school spokeswoman told the Stray Ferret the incident happened shortly after 2.25pm.

Read more:

• Girl, 11, sexually assaulted walking home from school on busy Harrogate street
• Academy trust appointed to run new Knaresborough school

Willow Tree Community Primary School has also reported two incidents to police that occurred late last week.

One involved a man dressed in black following people home and another involved a black Jeep driving backwards and forwards past a small group of pupils travelling to and from school.

Helen Davey, headteacher of Willow Tree Community Primary School, wrote to parents:

“I have been in touch with the police today to get further information about their response to this.

“They  have asked that anyone who is concerned that they have seen something suspicious should ring 101.

“Although they are able to have officers in the area, anything of concern should be reported so they can build a picture of what is happening.”

Ms Davey told the Stray Ferret the incidents took place in a ginnel near Saint Andrew’s Road at the back of the school.

“It’s a shock and a bit of a wake-up call.”

She added she did not know if there was any link between all the reported incidents.

Police advice

North Yorkshire Police has not issued any further updates and did not say whether it believed the incidents were linked.

Sergeant Alex Sellars from the Harrogate Neighbourhood Policing Team said yesterday that “incidents of this nature are rare in North Yorkshire”.

Sergeant Sellars added:

“There are some very simple steps that we can all take to help us feel safer when we’re walking home, such as walking in a group or with a friend, letting someone know what route you’ll be taking, when you are leaving somewhere and when you expect to be home and walk along main routes and well-lit areas.

“Please be assured that we take reports of this nature very seriously and our officers are committed to ensuring public safety.”

Five schools and a care home in the Harrogate district are set to benefit from £2 million worth of carbon funding.

North Yorkshire County Council has secured the cash from the government to help meet its target of reaching carbon zero by 2030.

The money will go towards projects at county council buildings across North Yorkshire.

It will see the buildings improved by fitting replacement windows and making them more energy efficient.

Read more:

• Harrogate council awarded £2.4m to cut carbon emissions
• Harrogate hospital gets £14 million to reduce carbon footprint by 25 per cent
• Harrogate council to award £2.4m carbon contracts without open tender

In the Harrogate district, the following schools and care home will benefit:

• Ripon Grammar School
• St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School, Pateley Bridge
• Summerbridge Community Primary School
• King James School, Knaresborough
• Boroughbridge High School
• Station View Care Home, Starbeck

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said: 

“Climate change is a real threat to our region and collectively we need to take action to mitigate and reduce the effects.

“Opportunities such as the public sector decarbonisation fund are very welcome to help us to improve our buildings and infrastructure. We want to send a clear message that we are committed to improving our own buildings and reducing carbon from our activities.”

More than 20 schools across the county are expected to benefit, as well as council-run care homes in Pickering.

The funding will also support a study of options for environmental and energy efficiency initiatives at the authority’s office buildings.

This could include initiatives such as electric vehicle charge points, generation of renewable energy on buildings and other carbon-saving measures and building improvements.

It follows similar decarbonisation projects which have been announced by Harrogate Borough Council.

The authority was awarded more than £2.4 million for two projects at the Harrogate Hydro and the Harrogate Convention Centre.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital was given £14 million by government to reduce its carbon footprint by 25 per cent.

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. 

The criteria for secondary school places

Come to Harrogate they say. Pay an inflated house price for the quality of local schools, low crime levels and green spaces.

Let’s face it, the majority of parents choose to live in Harrogate for access to outstanding schools. That’s why we moved here. But that is all well and good if you can actually access these schools.

When March approaches, parents continuously press the refresh button on their email to see if they live close enough to or have been committed enough to their faith to secure a place at the nearest ‘outstanding’ community faith school.

Disappointingly, this year the computer said No. My friends felt confident that their commitment to church, alongside their proximity to St Aidan’s would secure them a place.

Instead, they were offered their fourth choice, and although North Yorkshire County Council claim 90 per cent of children got their first choice school, I wonder how many children from Harrogate this applied to?

What frustrates even more, is when a child who lives less than a mile away is overlooked for a child who lives more than 10 miles away, even though both parents have shown the same amount of commitment to their faith. Surely the council have some environmental principles by giving places to those who can walk to school over someone who needs transport to get there.

As a family who show commitment to our faith, alongside paying an inflated price for our house, we are now not convinced that living here is worth both of these things.

Kate Tiffen, Harrogate

Simple, cheap ideas to boost Harrogate

Now is not the time for Harrogate to rest on its laurels. The old saying ‘a business stood still is a business in decline’ is true. It’s not until you live in the town centre that you realise just how many visitors we have every week.

Some places, like Glasgow and Liverpool, have changed dramatically over recent years, catching up Harrogate for attractions and facilities.

These and other towns are giving Harrogate stiff competition for the exhibition and events industry, which has been the lifeblood of the town for the last 50 years. Our hotels and the supporting service industries rely on visitors to survive but what have we done and what should we be doing to keep Harrogate ahead of the competition?

The simple photo opportunity picture frame at the top of Montpellier is a good example of catering for the tourists that didn’t break the bank.

We need 50 more suggestions as good as that and implement the best 20 ASAP. The following ideas have been thought of before but would still be an asset.

Illuminated fountains at the Prince of Wales Christchurch and New Park roundabouts – any one entering the town from North South East or West would be impressed with their visit even before they got out of the car.

Rename the town Harrogate Spa with welcome signs a mile or so before each roundabout saying Welcome to Harrogate Spa.

Having directed tourists to Bettys they were impressed by the war memorial area and commented how lovely it was – at night it’s black – why isn’t the column floodlit to form a centre of attraction that would enhance the overall impressions of the town?

The war memorial illuminations, along with stone cleaning the column, should be given priority. The council’s park department does a great job throughout the town. I am just concerned that if we don’t ring the changes quickly visitors to the the town will dwindle and so will we.

David Birtles, Harrogate

Birk Crag litter hero and villains

My family and I walked through the woods at Birk Crag on Sunday. I was really disappointed at the amount of litter, particularly beer bottles, drinks cups and cartons up there on the crags and in the woods.

Got an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

A Harrogate teacher is supporting calls by a union to ensure teachers are vaccinated alongside other frontline workers.

Sharon Calvert, teacher and the national executive member of NASUWT for the Harrogate area, believes teachers need to be vaccinated for their own health and to ensure schools can safely reopen.

The government has said 88% of all covid fatalities are from vulnerable groups making it necessary to prioritise the vaccine for those most at-risk.

When schools reopened in September many introduced a bubble system to reduce contact between students and staff. Some age groups were told to wear face masks in corridors.

Ms Calvert supports her union’s campaign ‘Vaccinate to Educate’. The union launched a petition which has reached almost 460,000 signatures and is set to be debated in parliament tonight.

Ms Calvert said:

“Teachers are frontline workers! We have seen whole year groups sent home and many in the schools in the Harrogate area struggle to maintain a safe environment. It would be prudent for all educational staff to be tested and prioritised to be vaccinated to ensure that staff will be protected.”

Read more:

• Harrogate headteacher says children won’t be abandoned during exam season amid covid concerns.
• Harrogate facebook group and tech business join forces to offer laptops to local kids.

Many teachers are still heading into school to teach vulnerable or key worker children.

Ms Calvert said specialist schools are also open and, due to the children’s needs, teachers are unlikely to be able to maintain a safe distance or wear face coverings:

“Special schools are still open to all students. Staff at these schools are working with vulnerable young adults who may need personal care, certainly a two meter distance is not achievable so the staff need to be prioritised as caregivers as well as teachers.

“This will also protect those vulnerable students.”