Parents of pupils at a village school are urging the community to support its future after consultation on a possible closure began last month.

A public consultation meeting will take place in Ampleforth Village Hall on Monday 18th March 6-7.30pm with members of North Yorkshire Council to discuss the future of St Hilda’s Primary School Ampleforth.

The Church of England School, which is rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, has recently had lower numbers but there are several families planning to send their children to the school on Station Road in 2025 and 2026.

St Hilda’s has been a part of the community since it was originally built in Ampleforth in 1890 on the site that is now the village hall. It moved to its current location in the 1960s and continues to offer children an exceptional learning environment in a rural setting. The Ampleforth Community Nursery, which is part of the school, also offers 30 hours free to all children once they turn three.

Geoff Cole, a parent and Governor, said: “We cannot allow this fantastic school to be lost simply because it is facing a lower number of pupils for a short period of time. We are all devastated by this consultation as our children are happy, safe and thriving there, we are fighting with everything we can to keep it open and can’t bear to think of it being shut down.

“If it did close, there would be an impact on the village and the wider community, for example the sale of the land and the loss of choice of schools in the village, which may deter families from moving into Ampleforth. So we are asking everyone to come and support us and voice their opinions at the public consultation meeting next week to make sure it remains open for future generations.

“Anyone who is hoping to send their child to St Hilda’s, whether it be next year or in three-years’ time should contact the school to let them know their intentions as projected future pupil numbers are vital to keeping it open.

“We know it boils down to money but if it is closed there will still be costs to the council such as providing transport to other schools, redundancy pay and the maintenance of an empty building. Smaller, rural schools cannot just keep closing at the whim of the council and they need to remain an option for people as larger schools do not suit all children.”

Anyone wishing to visit the school can arrange an appointment at any time, please contact the Head of School Mrs Faye Dodds-Aston on: headteacher@st-hildascofe.n-yorks.sch.uk or call 01439 788357.

A petition is also running to gain support for the school against any potential closure and can be signed via: www.change.org/StHildasAmpleforth

The school’s website is: https://www.st-hildascofe.n-yorks.sch.uk/