Proposal to close Hackforth and Hornby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Hackforth and Hornby is a small rural 4-11 Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School and currently has eight children on roll. The school has operated with circa 30 pupils since 2016 to 2017, reducing further each year since 2020 to 2021. According to each October’s pupil census, there has been a downward trend in the number of pupils on roll since 2016 to 2017:

• 2016 to 2017: 45 pupils
• 2017 to 2018: 30 pupils
• 2018 to 2019: 29 pupils
• 2019 to 2020: 23 pupils
• 2020 to 2021: 32 pupils
• 2021 to 2022: 19 pupils
• 2022 to 2023: 15 pupils
• 2023 to 2024: 15 pupils
• 2024 to 2025: eight pupils

Pupil forecasts indicate that these numbers will not recover significantly in the longer term and may reduce still further. In these circumstances, it would be difficult to deliver and sustain quality education.

The table below is based on the number of primary children living in the school’s catchment area at the time of the pupil census. In October of each year, the pupil census recorded a relatively small number of primary-aged children living within the school’s catchment area. The table shows the catchment area having an average primary-aged cohort of around 20 children. This is not usually enough to make a school viable, especially when very few children living within the catchment area attend the school and there are surplus places in other primary schools surrounding the catchment area.

The second column in the table shows the majority of Hackforth and Hornby’s in-area children consistently attending other local primary schools. Each October the census records a very low percentage attending the school. It shows that consistently over 75% of the in-area children attend other primary schools and in 2022 the percentage of in-area children attending reduced to circa 15%.

The school has a Published Admission Number (PAN) of six pupils per year group, a net capacity of 42 and could contribute 42 places to the local area.

There is a leadership across the three schools within the collaboration which is led by the Executive Headteacher of the Federation of Snape and Thornton Watlass. Some subject leaders work across the collaboration of three schools.
    
Ofsted's overall judgement, in their full inspection of the school in 2022, was 'Good' and Ofsted commended the collaboration with the Federation of Snape and Thornton Watlass. Their section eight (monitoring) inspection of the school in 2019 confirmed the 'Good' judgement made in their previous full inspection in 2010.

As (primarily for demographic reasons) numbers fall, it is increasingly difficult to provide the remaining pupils with access to the full range of experiences they need. The Governing Body and the local authority have become increasingly concerned that pupils will not have access to the full range of experiences they need, particularly opportunities for working and playing with children their own age.

Pupil numbers determine the funding for a school budget. The school is projecting deficits in year of £27.3k in 2024 to 2025 and £58.5k in 2025 to 2026, and a cumulative deficit of £81.6k in 2025 to 2026. These figures are based on current pupil assumptions, so the position could deteriorate further if pupil numbers fall.

The 2024 to 2025 start budget for Hackforth and Hornby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School indicated the following revenue budget position:

There appears to be no reasonable long-term prospect of recovery for the revenue element of the budget given the very low numbers of reception-age children for 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027 intakes living in the catchment area. In the event of Hackforth and Hornby closing on 31 August 2025 any final deficit on the school budget, after all costs have been accounted for, would need to be met from local authority funds.

It is important to ensure that there are sufficient school places in the local area. In a sense, this is already shown by the number of in-area pupils already attending other primary schools.

The table above shows that in 2023 there were 20 pupils living in Hackforth and Hornby’s discrete catchment area and that only two pupils were attending the school at the time from the Hackforth and Hornby catchment area. The October 2023 census shows that three pupils attending were from the Michael Syddall Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School’s catchment area, two were attending from the catchment area of Crakehall Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School and another two were attending from Wavell Community School’s catchment.

The nearest school to Hackforth and Hornby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (2.5 miles away) is Crakehall Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School where there are places available, though not in all year groups. The next nearest school (at 3.7 miles) is Michael Syddall Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School where there are places available. Places are available at Aiskew Leeming Bar Church of England Primary School (4.6 miles away). These schools were all judged ‘Good’ in their last Ofsted inspection.

There are five other neighbouring primary schools within a five-mile radius of Hackforth and Hornby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School. Across the area there is a general surplus of places. Further details of school capacities and pupil forecasts can be viewed here.