Two schools to be closed as education shake-up agreed

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive voted yesterday to shut both Settle and Ingleton Middle Schools in a shake up of schools in North Craven.

The changes will mean seven primary schools increase their intake to include children up to the age of 11 and Settle College will become a secondary school.

They will come into effect in September 2012 with Settle Middle School’s site to become part of the college. Under North Craven’s current three-tier system pupils currently move from primaries to the middle schools and then on to Settle College at the age of 13.

The changes are being introduced by the education authority because of concerns about falling pupil numbers across the three-tier system and “the financial vulnerability” of some of the primary schools in the system.

Moving to a two-tier system will allow the primaries to increase their numbers and receive bigger budgets. The new system will reduce the number of times children need to change schools and bring North Craven into line with the rest of North Yorkshire and most of the country in having just two tiers of school: primary and secondary.

The closure of Settle and Ingleton Middle Schools will leave Kirklees as the only education authority in the region to still have areas where a three-tier system is in place. Four of Kirklees’ six middle schools are also earmarked for closure.

Coun John Watson, North Yorkshire’s executive member for schools said: “There can be particular challenges in providing opportunities for children, young people and their families in very rural areas like North Yorkshire.

“We felt the time had come to re-evaluate the current system of middle schools in North Craven and firmly believe that this decision will ensure high quality education which will serve the best interests of children in the area well into the future. This has been a very difficult decision, but now it has been made we hope that our communities will come together to support the change for the good of children and young people in the area.”

A statement from the council added: “The middle schools in North Craven are highly regarded and much loved by many parents and children in the area, the county council has taken the decision with some sadness after a wide ranging review and consultation.”

Campaigns had been mounted last year by staff and parents at both Ingleton and Settle to keep the middle schools open.