Voluntary redundancies announced at Harrogate special school after new trust takeover

Eight members of staff at a Harrogate specialist school have taken voluntary redundancies as new trust bosses look to balance the books.
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Springwell Harrogate on Grove Road - previously The Grove Academy - looks after some of the distrct's most at-risk students with social, emotional and mental health needs.

It joined the Wellspring Academy Trust in March having previously been run by Delta Academies and North Yorkshire County Council.

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A spokesperson for the trust said the specialist school had faced "significant funding challenges" but is now on a "firm financial footing" after a restructuring of staff was completed.

Springwell Harrogate on Grove Road looks after some of the district's most at-risk students.Springwell Harrogate on Grove Road looks after some of the district's most at-risk students.
Springwell Harrogate on Grove Road looks after some of the district's most at-risk students.

"We are acutely aware of how important this successful school is to its pupils and the local community, and our number one priority when taking over the school was ensuring its long term future and viability," the spokesperson said.

"To achieve this, we have had to undergo a process of restructuring which has led to some regrettable but unavoidable staffing changes."

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The school was converted to an academy after county council bosses last year introduced a new funding model for specialist schools to try to tackle spiralling high needs education costs.

At the time, union officials representing Grove Academy staff said that the "severity of the council’s cuts" meant that staff and resources could not be maintained and redundancies were expected.

Since taking over, the Wellspring Academy Trust said it has "substantially" upgraded the school’s facilities, including renovating the ground floor to create four classrooms and a new food technology area.

A trust spokesperson added: "We are proud to have the school as part of the Wellspring community and have invested in the building and facilities to provide a learning environment fit for today and the years ahead.

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"The school is working closely and in partnership with Springwell Leeds and other specialist academies in the trust to share both knowledge and resources, and we are committed to offering a superb standard of education to Springwell Harrogate pupils for many years to come."

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter