A SUPPORT group has been set up to help save a small village school.

Hovingham Primary School, which opened in 1865, was put under consultation recently after it was left with no children on the roll.

However, a community effort has resulted in an extension of the consultation period with the school open to admissions under new leadership.

A public meeting held in Hovingham village hall last week heard from the Hovingham School Support Group that the fall in pupils had been due to failings in leadership and breakdowns of governance rather than a decrease in the population.

Steve Mason, County Councillor for the area, said: “The authority should have been looking earlier into what was causing the loss of pupils, the lack of community engagement and the general isolation the staff and parents felt and then recapturing what has made the school successful according to Ofsted”.

“I raised these and more questions with North Yorkshire County Council , challenging the appropriateness of the closure and the events that have had led up it. I fear a catalogue of failings in previous leadership and subsequent reputational damage has led to where we are today.”

“The community has rallied behind the new leadership and I call on the local authority to listen and protect this and many other vital rural assets. I’m delighted by the extension eliminating the shortened consultation period but the school merits much more understanding and support.”

The meeting heard that Sir William Worsley, owner of the Hovingham Estate, was very supportive of the school staying open.

He said: “My family built the school some 150 years ago for the benefit of the community. I believe the value of a village school is as important now as it was then. Hovingham is a growing, vibrant village and needs a well-run village school at its heart”

Andrew Moutrie, a resident representing the Hovingham School Support group, said: "Our first objective remains to stop the consultative process and advocate interim funding to retain key staff and enable the school to take pupils next year”.

"It was unacceptable that teachers, parents and even governors have been left feeling isolated to address the failings and by the breakdowns in governance and oversight”.

"I hope the council will be able to recognise this and address the issues found while keeping the school open with interim funding.

“It’s too easy, especially at a time of economic pressure, to close a previously viable and valued school for the wrong reasons.”

“Once aware the community support has been fantastic. We have also had a lot of support from Cllr Mason and our MP Kevin Hollinrake. The school is officially open and seeking admissions in the 23/24 school year and we have volunteers working hard with the governors make this as success”

Kevin Hollinrake MP for Thirsk and Malton, speaking after the meeting, said: "I am working with local academy trusts, NYCC and the dioceses to try find a solution to keep school open. NYCC have agreed to extend the consultation for another two weeks. I will update constituents in due course."