Later this year, Ripon’s Moorside Primary School and Nursery will officially be on one school site.
The children in nursery and reception will be in the new provision from September. Key Stage 1 pupils are due to move into their new classrooms after the October half term.
Moorside infant and junior schools were given the go-ahead to amalgamate earlier this year. The decision was taken by North Yorkshire County Council after consulting families and the wider community.
Moorside is aiming to create a challenging, creative and engaging environment across the primary school though the schools new nurture provision, learning environments and a range of high-quality resources.
The library is also being developed with the help of Friends of School, who have raised a huge amount of money to refurbish a room. The children have taken part in sponsored reads, so that new reading books and resources can be bought to promote a love of reading.
Claire Rowett, Headteacher at Moorside Primary School and Nursery, said:
I am very excited about the refurbishment, we now have a blank canvas to design a stimulating learning environment in our new building for our through-primary school.
Our school serves a unique and diverse community and we are continuously adapting our curriculum to deliver equally unique educational experiences.
Having the children on one site from the beginning of their learning journey will enable us to build on their skills and knowledge in a coherent and consistent way, which was more difficult to achieve when the two schools worked separately.
The school’s curriculum is designed to build a culture of success and achievement. Learning across the curriculum is enriched through an on-site Forest school, which promotes the development of communication and language, mindfulness and personal and social skills.
County Councillor Patrick Mulligan, Executive Member for Education and Skills, said:
I’m delighted that Moorside is now an all-through 3 to 11 primary school. The removal of the transition at age seven allows an uninterrupted learning experience.
The vacant infant site is to be used for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision as a satellite of Mowbray School, a County Council special school in Bedale.
