KHPC’s response to this consultation is informed by North Yorkshire Council’s long standing policy to create the Maltkiln 4,000 home new settlement on land close to Cattal station. The new settlement is said to be a matter of major strategic importance for North Yorkshire Council and North Yorkshire Council has said it will create an “exemplar” development.
We have urged North Yorkshire Council to ensure that a new secondary school is built as part of the new settlement. This has been rejected by North Yorkshire Council’s Planning Department in favour of an expansion of Boroughbridge High School, which is to be funded by a capital contribution from the new settlement developer instead of the construction of a school in Maltkiln itself.
We now receive proposals from North Yorkshire Council’s Education Department not to expand BBHS, but to close its sixth form. There is also a consultation which proposes to remove the right to free transport for pupils attending a school which is not the nearest one with places available. The nearest school to KH and Maltkiln is King James, Knaresborough.
We respectfully suggest that, before consulting local residents, North Yorkshire Council starts by consulting internally among its various different departments and produces a set of policies which are joined up.
It makes no sense, in the context of Maltkiln, to be closing down teaching facilities at the school which will be responsible for educating pupils from North Yorkshire Council’s flagship development. How will the new settlement be an “exemplar” if it not only doesn’t have its own secondary school, but can’t offer sixth from education to its residents at even the school they have to travel several miles to attend?
We note the reasons given to support the proposed closure. They seem to amount to this:
- BBHS has a rather modest rating from Ofsted
- Numbers are falling throughout the school, including the sixth form (perhaps not surprising in view of the first bullet point)
- BBHS is now under the wing of King James; it’s more convenient to merge the two sixth forms and close down the BBHS end.
We would argue that the more logical approach would be as follows:
1. If BBHS requires improvement, all the more reason to build a new school at Maltkiln and give everything a focal point to make a fresh start with new impetus to create a high quality learning environment.
2. Don’t plan to invest development capital into creating additional facilities at a school which seems to be in decline.
3. If BBHS is, despite points 1 and 2, seen as the future, and a school to invest in, it makes no sense to close its sixth form. Surely the point of the partnership with King James was to use the successful management of that school to transform BBHS.
- to suggest closing its sixth form. That’s disappointing. KJ management should be tasked with improving the school, in readiness for its increased status as the catchment school for North Yorkshire Council’s flagship development. As North Yorkshire Council’s own consultation document explains, even before Maltkiln happens there will be an increase in BBHS pupils as a result of other housing development in the area. This should be the start of BBHS’ comeback, not the signal for a downgrading.
2. If North Yorkshire Council insists on pursuing the trend towards making BBHS a lower grade subsidiary of King James, please can Kirk Hammerton residents be brought within the catchment area for KJ as well as BBHS. Then at least children here will have additional opportunities. They would also be able to travel by public transport, consistent with another aspect of the new settlement vision.
We oppose the closure of the sixth form at BBHS for these reasons.
Kirk Hammerton Parish Council
February 2024