Harrogate: Primary school with one remaining pupil set to close

The school had been unable to find an academy sponsor and merger talks were unsuccessful

A primary school with just one remaining pupil will close, councillors have confirmed.

Woodfield Community Primary School, in Harrogate, was rated "inadequate" in an Ofsted inspection in January.

That meant the school had to find an academy sponsor, which it was unable to do, and merger talks with another primary also failed.

North Yorkshire County Council said the school would shut on 31 December, despite objections.

Councillors at a meeting of the authority's executive heard that the number of pupils at the school had fallen from 155 in 2018 to just one earlier this month.

Speaking at the meeting, ward councillor and school governor Paul Haslam repeated his objections to the closure and said it was "sad day".

He blamed the school's problems on an "unfounded allegation" posted on social media several years ago, which had prompted the inspection, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Heavy heart'

Mr Haslam called for a review into what had happened, saying: "We have allowed social media and its consequent impact to close a perfectly good school."

Stuart Carlton, the council's corporate director of children and young people's services, responded: "These are always very difficult decisions, but we have followed all the processes."

Mr Carlton said he would meet Mr Haslam to discuss the issue.

Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education and skills, said the decision to close Woodfield was made with a "heavy heart".

The school's debts are forecast to have reached almost £100,000 by the end of the year, which will be absorbed by the council.

The closure will mean the Woodfield catchment area will be shared with both Bilton Grange Primary School and Grove Road Community Primary School.

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