Planning to relocate

29 Apr Planning to relocate

We are planning to relocate to an historic village school in North Yorkshire which closed 12 months ago due to falling rolls.

A change of use planning application has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council with a view to the nursery moving into the premises vacated by Skelton Newby Hall Primary School in Sketon on Ure, near Ripon.

It follows an approach made by Skelton cum Newby Parish Council which has been working to ensure the 168-year-old school was brought back into use following its closure in summer 2023. At the time it only had one pupil enrolled.

With the desire for more space and the intention of Queen Mary’s School to expand into the nursery building, Headteacher/Owner Victoria Pollitt says it is the right time to move.

Victoria said: “We are delighted to have been able to reach an agreement with the parish council to lease Skelton Newby Hall and, subject to approval, we are looking forward to providing early years learning there from September 2023.

“The new building is only around ten minutes away from our current nursery and will enable us to increase the physical size of the nursery without increasing numbers.

“It will also mean we can extend learning with the immediate surroundings such as Newby Hall, which will be of even further benefit to the children on their early years learning journey.

“We have had a fantastic five years at our current location and would like to thank Queen Mary’s School for all their support.”

Guy Critchlow, Chair of Skelton cum Newby Parish Council says, “We are delighted to welcome Victoria and her team to Skelton on Ure, and to see this truly amazing site return to education use from September 2024.

“We are grateful for the support of Richard & Lucinda Compton at Newby Hall who are continuing the long family tradition of ensuring space is available in our village for a nursery. Every thriving community needs a good nursery, like the Baldersby Park Montessori Nursery, to support the growing number of young families choosing Skelton and the surrounding area as their home.”