Harrogate schools 'face shortage of places and rising debt'

Schools in North Yorkshire - including Harrogate Grammar - face a shortfall of pupil places by 2025, the meeting heard

New housing developments have been blamed for a projected shortfall in school places in North Yorkshire.

Nearly 700 new spots will be needed by 2025 to keep up with demand, it has emerged.

A North Yorkshire County Council meeting also heard five unnamed schools in Harrogate and Knaresborough were in financial trouble.

Gary Fielding, corporate director of strategic resources, said they could face debts totalling £2.7m.

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Mr Fielding said: "If we are not careful we could very much have a two-tier state of lots of schools which are okay, but others which are in a nosedive.

"Schools do have a habit of projecting much more pessimistic positions and they have also received sizeable increases in funding as of late," he added.

Extra classrooms

"Nevertheless, they are still under significant pressures and smaller secondary schools will feel this more than others.

"It is very important that we as a council continue to work with those schools and ensure there are plans ahead."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, figures show that by 2025 there could be a shortfall of 623 pupil places at schools including Harrogate Grammar School, Rossett School, Harrogate High School, St John Fisher Catholic High School, St Aidan's CE High School and Nidderdale High School.

In Knaresborough, there is a projected shortfall of 49 places at King James's School during the same period.

Education bosses say action is being taken to ensure classrooms can accommodate extra students.

A new school with capacity for 420 pupils is being built for Knaresborough's Manse Farm and Highfield Farm housing developments. It has set an opening date of September 2024 and will be run by the Elevate Multi Academy Trust.

Extra classrooms have also been added to Harrogate Grammar School, Rossett School and Killinghall Primary School.

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