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Mar 2024

News

Report reveals state of schools in Harrogate and Knaresborough

Published: 10 Mar 2024, 06:20 GMT

by John Plummer

Secondary schools in Harrogate and Knaresborough have considerably lower Ofsted ratings than the county and national average, according to a new report.

The report also reveals local secondary schools are amongst the worst funded in the country, ranking 141st out of 150 in terms of funding per pupil.

However, primary schools are better funded and out-perform the national and county average Ofsted gradings.

The report was prepared for North Yorkshire Council's Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, which meets on Thursday (March 14).

Written by senior council officers, it gives an overview on attainment, funding and special educational needs, as well as highlighting where new schools are needed.

There are 29 primary schools in the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency area, which until the next general election includes Boroughbridge. Twenty-one are academies or free schools and eight are maintained by the council. Independent schools aren't included.

There are seven secondary schools, of which five belong to academies and two are council-maintained. There are also two special schools and one pupil referral unit.

Here is a summary of the report's key findings.

Ofsted woes

As of January 2024, 57% of Harrogate and Knaresborough secondary schools were judged good or outstanding, which is considerably lower than the North Yorkshire (83%) and national (79%) averages.

But 97% of Harrogate and Knaresborough primary schools were judged good or outstanding, which is above the North Yorkshire (86%) and national (91%) averages.

Regarding key stage attainment levels, the report says:

"In North Yorkshire, attainment appears to have returned to pre-pandemic levels and is now very similar to national attainment levels."

Special educational needs soaring

The report reveals 883 children in Harrogate and Knaresborough were in receipt of a North Yorkshire-funded education, health and care plan in January this year — 18% of the North Yorkshire total.

EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs. The most common local needs are: autism (46%); social emotional and mental health (18%); moderate learning disabilities (11%).

North Yorkshire Council received 1,275 requests for an EHC plan in 2023 — the highest number since they were introduced and 30% up on 2022. Of these, 199 (16%) were for young people in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The report says:

"At the time of writing, there were circa 600 requests either awaiting a decision to assess, a decision to issue an EHC plan or awaiting the finalising of a plan.

"At the same point last year, there were circa 300 in process. This rise in requests in process is at least partly due to the difficulty in gathering required information for decisions on EHC plan assessments, owing to an acute national shortage of educational psychologists available.

"North Yorkshire Council’s approach to the challenge has involved the contracting of agencies in addressing a backlog in receiving advice from educational psychologist services."

The report added "a successful recruitment drive" had led to the hiring of a principal educational psychologist and a number of part-time and trainee educational psychologists. It adds:

"This is expected to have a consequent effect of an upturn in overall timeliness in final plans being issued towards through the year."

Home education increasing

At the beginning of the 2023/24 academic year, 817 children were recorded as electively home educated in North Yorkshire, 95 of whom were formerly from a mainstream school in Harrogate and Knaresborough. There were 87 in the constituency last year so the number has risen by 9%.

The report also says in 2022/23, 10 of the 96 permanent exclusions from all schools in the county were for children in Harrogate and Knaresborough mainstream schools. The figure was also 10 last year.

Low secondary school funding

North Yorkshire secondary schools are placed 141 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding level per pupil. On average, a school in North Yorkshire will receive £5,994 per pupil in 2023-24 compared to a national average of £6,542. Comparing the funding for a 1,500 pupil secondary school this equates to a difference in funding of £0.82m.

North Yorkshire primary schools rank 32nd out of 150 local authorities in terms of the funding level per pupil. For primary schools, a North Yorkshire school will receive on average £5,125 per pupil compared to a national average of £5,014.

The report says school budgets "have experienced significant cost pressures in the 2023/24 financial year".

It adds the pressures include a teachers pay award of 6.5% in September last year. "with school budgets being required to meet the initial 3.5% cost and the Department for Education providing additional grant funding to cover the cost in excess of 3.5%".

It adds a 9.42% pay increase for support staff "is a particular cost pressure", along with energy costs and inflation.

Rural school closures?

Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton closed in December 2022 and several rural schools have also ceased operating in North Yorkshire in recent years.

The report provides little reassurance that others won't follow. It says the council is "carefully monitoring pupil numbers across the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency area", adding:

"A falling birth rate combined with changing demographics means that a number of small schools are facing financial challenges associated with low numbers on roll."

It adds declining rural population and falling birth rates mean "a number of small schools are facing multiple challenges associated with low numbers on roll".

Primary school changes

The report says council officers are "monitoring the situation carefully in Boroughbridge town and Kirby Hill in terms of school place planning" due to the number of new houses.

It adds:

"Additional capacity is planned for Boroughbridge Community Primary School (60 places), with work expected to start on site in summer 2024."

In response to "significant housing development" in west Harrogate, it says:

"Two primary school sites are provisionally indicated, one on H49 (Windmill Farm) and one on H51 (Land East of Whinney Lane). In addition, the local authority has secured an additional site for education at Penny Pot Lane.

"Housing development has started at Penny Pot Lane and we are currently monitoring the pace of housing and the impact on the need for additional school places."

It also says "additional capacity" has been added to Oatlands Junior School.

Three classrooms have been added to Killinghall CE School since 2017,

Plans for a 210-pupil primary school at Manse Farm in Knaresborough were approved in 2020 but no work has taken place and the situation appears deadlocked. The report says:

"The council continues to actively encourage the third parties to resolve the issues that are preventing the transfer of the school land to the council.

"Only when this is achieved would the council be able to review and confirm its plans for the proposed school."

Secondary school changes

Two classrooms and three classrooms have added capacity to Rossett School and Harrogate Grammar School respectively, the report says. It adds:

"Both will assist in meeting the expected rise in demand for places as a result of housing growth but pupil numbers will be kept under review."

Data shows King James’s School in Knaresborough has "sufficient places for local children", according to the report.

A proposal to convert the former Woodfield Community Primary School to a special school provision for children with autism is being developed but the target opening date has been pushed back from September this year to April 2025.

A proposal to provide additional special school places from September 2025 at Springwater School is being developed.

Maltkiln

There is provision for two primary school sites at Maltkiln, a proposed new town that could be home to 10,000 people near Cattal. The report says:

"It is not expected that the size of the overall development would generate sufficient pupils to require the provision of a new secondary school.

"It is intended that Boroughbridge High School would be expanded to meet the anticipated growth in secondary pupils from the development. However, safeguarded land for secondary provision is indicated within proposals for Maltkiln, should this be required in the future."

Rossett School making 'significant improvements' after poor Ofsted

What has happened to Knaresborough's new £6 million primary school?