Middleham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) and Spennithorne Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary Schools operate as a federation of schools. A federated governing board is responsible for the governance of both schools, and an executive headteacher works with the board to make sure that good standards of teaching and learning are available for all pupils.
Following a statutory consultation process about proposals made by the federated governing board, the local authority has approved that the following changes to the organisation of the schools will take effect from 1 September 2026:
- that the age range of Spennithorne Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School be changed from four to 11 to four to seven such that the school becomes Spennithorne Church of England Infant School
- that the age range of Middleham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School be changed from four to 11 to seven to 11 such that the school becomes Middleham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School
- that the schools would have a shared catchment area, comprising an amalgamation of the existing schools’ current catchment areas
- the PAN will be increased to 20 places at each school
- that the status of Spennithorne Church of England School is changed from Voluntary Controlled to Voluntary Aided.
You can read further details about this process in the Agenda for Children and Young People's Service - Executive Members and Corporate Director Meeting, which was held on Tuesday, 24 March 2026 at 1pm.
At its meeting on 16 December the local authority’s executive agreed that the following discretionary provision for home to school travel should apply:
That the council provides discretionary travel for children, already assessed as eligible for travel and on roll at schools on 1 September 2026 at The Federation of Middleham (Voluntary Aided) and Spennithorne (Voluntary Controlled) CE schools for the duration of their education at the schools within the federation, subject to there being no change in their circumstances.
On 12 March 2026, the federated governing board submitted a request that the local authority consider the following proposal for an additional discretionary provision to be made under the Home to School Travel Policy: -
The local authority approves through its discretion a ‘nearest gate in the federation’ approach for home school transport, which would be conditional upon the federation continuing to provide support with inter-school transport where that is required.
Home to School Travel
The local authority has a statutory duty to provide free school transport to eligible pupils.
Eligibility for free transport is determined in accordance with our Home to School Travel policy (pdf / 1 MB).
The council’s policy is aligned with the Department for Education’s Statutory Guidance on Home to School Travel and provides that pupils who are eligible to receive free home to school transport are transported to their nearest suitable school with available places.
Home to School Travel Arrangements for the Federation of Middleham and Spennithorne Primary Schools
Currently, pupils at Middleham Church of England Voluntary Aided and Spennithorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Schools who are eligible to receive free home to school transport are provided with transport to the school at which they are registered. Where it is required, the federation provides transport for pupils who are required to travel between the two school sites.
With effect from the 1 September 2026, pupils at Middleham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School and Spennithorne Church of England Infant School will continue to have their eligibility for assistance with free home to school transport assessed in accordance with the council’s policy, and eligible pupils will continue to receive free home to school transport to their nearest suitable school with available places. A suitable school for the purpose of applying this policy is a ‘qualifying school’ that is suitable for the child’s age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs they may have.
As noted above, the local authority has already approved that the following discretionary provision of free home to school transport will apply with effect from 1 September 2026: -
That the council provides discretionary travel for children, already assessed as eligible for travel and on roll at schools on 1 September 2026 at The Federation of Middleham (Voluntary Aided) and Spennithorne (Voluntary Controlled) CE schools for the duration of their education at the schools within the federation, subject to there being no change in their circumstances.
This means that pupils who are already on the roll of Spennithorne Church of England Infant School by 1 September 2026 will be eligible to receive free home to school transport to Middleham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School, if they apply for a place at that school and live more than the statutory walking distance from the school. However, this discretion would not apply if there was any change in their circumstances, e.g. if they moved home.
As also noted above, on 12 March 2026, the federated governing board requested that the local authority also consider the following additional discretionary provision:
The local authority approves through its discretion a ‘nearest gate in the federation’ approach for home to school transport, which would be conditional upon the federation continuing to provide support with inter-school transport where that is required.
Please note – this provision would relate to home to school transport only and not to the arrangements for school admissions.
How the proposal works
If the local authority were to agree to this proposal for additional discretionary provision , then the following steps would apply when the council considered applications for assistance with free home to school transport:
- All pupils would have their eligibility to receive free home to school transport assessed in accordance with the council’s policy. If they were eligible to receive free home to school transport then they would be offered transport to their nearest suitable school with available places.
- Pupils affected by the school reorganisation, (children already assessed as eligible for travel and on roll at schools on 1 September 2026 at The Federation of Middleham (Voluntary Aided) and Spennithorne (Voluntary Controlled) CE schools) would retain eligibility for the duration of their education at the two schools within the federation, subject to there being no change in their circumstances.
- Pupils who are admitted to a school within the federation after 1 September 2026 and for whom the school that they are attending is not their nearest suitable school with available places, then the council will assess whether the other school in the federation is their nearest school (recognising that it is not ‘suitable’ due to the age range of the school).
If this is the case, and the school is further than the statutory walking distance, then the council would provide discretionary eligibility for home to school transport to the ‘nearest school in the federation’.
This discretionary provision will only be applied if the federation continue to provide free inter-school transport where that is required.
The examples below demonstrate how this would work: -
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from 1 September 2026, a Y3 pupil attending Middleham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School, but for which the school was not their nearest suitable school with available places would have their eligibility for free home to school transport assessed using the nearest entrance point at Spennithorne Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Infant School.
If that entrance point (at Spennithorne) was closer than any other suitable school then the council would provide free home to school transport to Spennithorne Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Infant School and the federation would provide transport to Middleham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School.
- if a pupil was attending either Middleham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School or Spennithorne Church of England Infant School and neither school was identified as being the nearest suitable school with available places then the pupil would not be eligible for free home to school transport provided by the local authority to either school.
Feedback
This consultation closes on 21 June 2026.
What happens next
A report on the outcome of the consultation will be produced by officers. This report will be considered on 30 June 2026 by our Executive Member for Education, Learning and Skills and a decision will be taken by the Corporate Director of Children and Young Peoples’ Services. If agreed, the proposal would be implemented from 1 September 2026.
Anticipated key dates
- consultation opens - 11 May 2026
- consultation closes - 21 June 2026
- proposed implementation date - 1 September 2026
How to respond
Your views about this proposal are welcomed.
FREEPOST RTKE-RKAY-CUJS
Middleham and Spennithorne Schools Strategic Planning
North Yorkshire Council