Ampleforth: Rural primary school which has served Yorkshire village since 1890 to have its fate decided next week

St Hilda’s Church of England Primary School in Ampleforth will have its fate decided next week after a consultation was held on the closure of the school by North Yorkshire Council.

For the last 15 years the C of E school, which has served the village since 1890, has had no more than 36 pupils on its roll – and currently it has just 13.

North Yorkshire Council said the school has seen a consistent low intake of children in recent years, and a six-week consultation around the closure was launched earlier this year.

On May 7, the authority will consider the results of the consultation at its executive meeting. The consultation garnered around 80 responses with the majority not supporting the closure of the school.

However, the council said some of the responses said the school was not viable with such small numbers of pupils.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, said: “Thank you to all those who took part in the consultation. It is clear from the responses from local residents and parents that there is a lot of support for St Hilda’s Church of England Primary School and it holds a special place within the community.

“However, low pupil numbers can make it challenging for a school to operate within its budget as well as maintaining a high quality provision, teaching and learning.”

If the proposed closure is agreed next week statutory notices will be published on May 22, which will provide the opportunity for representations to be made until June 19. A final decision is due to be taken by the council’s executive board on July 16.