The North Yorkshire Council's Children and Young People's Service - Executive Members & Corporate Director Meetings were scheduled to convene on Thursday, 11 September 2025, to discuss proposals concerning school organisation arrangements. The primary focus was to address compliance issues within several primary school federations and to consider a proposal for the amalgamation of schools within the Synergy Schools Federation. The public reports pack outlines the details of these proposals.

School Organisation Proposals

The meeting included a discussion of proposals from several federated governing boards regarding their school organisation arrangements. These proposals were prompted by the need to comply with the Education Act 1996 and the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, which stipulate that pupils should receive their education at the school where they are registered.

The federations involved are:

• BAWB (Bainbridge, Askrigg and West Burton) Federation: The Federated Governing Board of BAWB requested consideration of several linked proposals. These included the closure of West Burton Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School, changing the age range of Bainbridge Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School to 3-7 years to become an infant and nursery school, and changing the age range of Askrigg Voluntary Controlled Primary School to 7-11 years to become a junior school. The board also requested that the two remaining schools should have a shared catchment area.

  The federated governing board requested that the Council consider a number of linked proposals arising from their conclusion and, if approved, to undertake the required statutory processes to enable them to be implemented.

• Reeth and Gunnerside Schools Federation: The Federated Governing Board requested that the age range of Reeth Community Primary School be changed from 4-11 to 4-7, to become an infant school. They also requested that the age range of Gunnerside Methodist (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School be changed from 4-11 to 7-11 to become a junior school. Additionally, they requested that the schools have a shared catchment area, and that the local authority approve a 'nearest gate in the federation' policy for home to school transport[^2]. [^2]: Home to school transport is a service provided by local authorities to help children get to school. Eligibility is usually determined by the distance between the child's home and school, and sometimes by income.

• The Federation of Middleham (VA) & Spennithorne (VC) CE Primary Schools: The Federated Governing Board requested that the age range of Spennithorne Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School be changed from 4-11 to 4-7, to become an infant school. They also requested that the age range of Middleham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School be changed from 4-11 to 7-11 to become a junior school. Additionally, they requested that the schools have a shared catchment area and that the status of Spennithorne Church of England School is changed from Voluntary Controlled to Voluntary Aided[^3]. [^3]: Voluntary Aided schools are schools with a religious character, usually a Church of England or Catholic school. They are funded by the local authority, but the governing body employs the staff and has more control over admissions. Voluntary Controlled schools are similar, but the local authority employs the staff.

• Synergy Schools Federation: The Governing Board requested a consultation on their proposal to amalgamate Aiskew Leeming Bar Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School and Leeming and Londonderry Community Primary School with effect from 13 April 2026. This would be achieved through the technical closure of Leeming and Londonderry Community Primary School and the expansion of Aiskew Leeming Bar Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School onto an additional site. The schools would have a shared catchment area.

West Burton Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School Proposed Closure

The report pack included a specific focus on the proposed closure of West Burton Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School. The report pack acknowledged the Department for Education (DfE) guidance, which advises decision-makers to adopt a presumption against the closure of rural schools. It was noted that the school has a capacity for 51 pupils, but currently has only 14 pupils on its roll. Teaching at the school has been suspended since September 2024, with pupils being educated at other schools within the BAWB Federation.

Change of Category for Spennithorne Church of England School

The Federated Governing Board of Middleham (VA) & Spennithorne (VC) CE Primary Schools requested that the category of Spennithorne Church of England School be changed from Voluntary Controlled to Voluntary Aided. The report pack stated that this change could enhance joint working with Middleham Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.

Other Considerations

The report pack also included information on how the federated schools would operate under the proposed new structures, including transition arrangements, admissions, catchment areas, and home to school travel implications. It also addressed the financial, legal, equalities, and climate change implications of the proposals. An Equality Impact Assessment and a Climate Change Impact Assessment were included in the report pack.

Councillor Janet Sanderson, Executive Member for Children and Families, was scheduled to consider the recommendations outlined in the report pack, including approving consultations on the various proposals.