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Council to begin consultation on closing Dales primary school

Emily Flanagan A photo of the outside of Fountains Earth CE Primary SchoolEmily Flanagan
North Yorkshire Council says it is closing the rural school due to falling pupil numbers, financial pressures and teacher recruitment

A consultation is to be held on the fate of a small primary school, that currently has no pupils, which is threatened with closure in the Yorkshire Dales.

Pupil numbers at Fountains Earth Church of England Primary School in Lofthouse, Nidderdale, had steadily dwindled, North Yorkshire Council said.

Remaining pupils were transferred to other schools in September.

The feedback is due in January, with closure expected from 31 March.

In 2017, when the school was rated "good" by Ofsted, there were 22 pupils.

That number steadily decreased and, when the closure plans were announced last year, there were only 11 pupils.

A council spokesperson previously said a consultation on the closure would start in late November and run for five weeks.

The school has recently had recruitment and retention difficulties and there are also financial concerns, the spokesperson added.

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