Are you a first time parent looking for the perfect primary school for your little one? Or are you just intrigued about the new addition to the Ribblesdale school community? Either way, here is everything you need to know!

Over 800 people have contributed to the new one form entry primary school and £8.5million pounds has been spent. From the early planning stages, the Headteacher at Ribblesdale High School, Mrs Horrocks, has been heavily involved in many meetings in order for this to happen! Now, you may be wondering: “Where is this school going to be?” Currently, the pre-fabricated building is complete and arrived on site on Friday 3rd March. The school will be located near the Ribblesdale School Pavilion (to the right of the running track behind the trees) and the roads to access will be finalised soon. It is in the “muddy boards phase,” Mrs Horrocks explains. This is where the work is not in one particular place and the builders are “in and out”. There is only “the internal work and the brick work to be done!” However, the before and after school club will be completed in the next few weeks. The planned completion date is mid-August, meaning that the school will hopefully be “handed over” on the 18th August. So, just in time for the intended opening in early September 2023! You may be thinking, “How exciting!”, like most people who have gained sudden interest on the topic. But, for obvious reasons, the local primary schools have been concerned on what this means for them (likewise, so have the teachers in Ribblesdale High school). Well, Mrs Horrocks reassures them that nothing will change since the intake is 210 students (if the classes are completely full) and the teachers can be involved, if they choose.

What’s so special about another primary school? Well, this new addition to the Ribblesdale community means that Ribblesdale has a public primary school which is directly linked to a public high school (there aren’t many of these in the country). For this reason, the primary school will mirror the high school. Mrs Furness (the Early Stages Lead) has been working on this by participating in Enrichment and understanding the “Ribblesdale Way” in order to adapt the curriculum, where necessary. The school will also have the same emblem and school colours! The curriculum is currently being designed by Mrs Furness who joined in January and ever since has been involved, from going on site, to helping with the uniform design. This isn’t her first time writing a curriculum so Mrs Furness explains how it will be adapted once the pupils join. “Pupils love experiential things,” she expanded. Therefore, the topic ideas are: Me, myself and family, baking, emergency vehicles, world and animals. As well as this, the reading curriculum will focus on developing the students’ reading comprehension, so they can further develop their skills in high school.

Hopefully, after reading this article, you now understand what is happening in your local community with the up and coming primary school! – an exciting time for all involved.