York Youth Council has awarded Scarcroft Primary School its first Minding Minds Award in recognition of the school’s commitment to improving pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
Major improvements announced at Westfield School
Westfield school
A meeting of the Councils Executive will be asked next week to agree to an investment of £650,000 at Westfield Primary school
The money will be spent modernising and expanding school meal provision at the school.
A report describes the background to the plan. ”
The increasing number of pupils at the school has highlighted the problems the school currently has around the management of the school meals service as more pupils are having a school meal.
The proposed scheme will include work on both the dining and kitchen areas which will address current safety concerns and enable more pupils to access nutritional school meals”.
UPDATED 1430 Another day, more snow and more school closures in York
School closures in York following snow
Several schools in York will be closed today following overnight snow. Those affected include:
- All Saints RC School is closing at 13.15
- Applefields School
- Archbishop Holgates CE Academy
- Badger Hill Primary School is closing at 15.15 (parents can collect their children anytime from 13.00)
- Bishopthorpe Infant School
- Carr Infant School
- Copmanthorpe Primary School
- Danesgate Community to all except Year 11
- Fulford School
- Hob Moor Oaks School
- Huntington Primary Academy
- Huntington Secondary School
- The Joseph Rowntree School
- Manor CE Academy
- Millthorpe School
- Naburn CE Primary School
- Robert Wilkinson Primary Academy
- St Aelred’s RC Primary School is closing at 12.30
- St Paul’s Nursery School is closing at 12.30
- St Paul’s Primary School is closing at 13.00
- Vale of York Academy
- Wheldrake with Thorganby CE Primary School
- York High School
Also North Yorkshire Schools – Easingwold School and Tadcaster Grammar School
An up to date list can be found by clicking this link
Pupils asked: ‘Should you sack your chauffeur?’
Pupils in York are being asked ‘should you sack your chauffeur?’ as part of a drive to improve pedestrian safety at school gates.
Dringhouses, Hempland and Westfield primary schools are piloting the scheme and are holding short assemblies to launch it this week (w/c 26 February).
The children will be shown examples of poor driving habits, illustrated in a lighthearted way, but with the intention that they will help to encourage their parents to drive and park more considerately.
Currently, the council receives frequent and numerous complaints about unsafe driving and parking outside schools. This partnership approach with schools aims to involve young passengers to encourage their drivers to behave in a more responsible way around the school, making it safer and more pleasant for everyone.
In addition, parking awareness road sign characters will be loaned to the schools and located to best influence driver behaviour. The campaign will be supported by monitoring and enforcement against illegal and inconsiderate parking.
If the pilot proves successful, it will be rolled out to other primary schools areas where inconsiderate driving and parking have been identified as a particular concern.
Gill Williams, headteacher of Dringhouses Primary School, said: “Inconsiderate and dangerous parking and driving during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times is a constant problem for our school. There are road markings outside school to deter cars from parking close to the school gates, however a small minority of parents still choose to park on these lines or use the entrance to the school gates to drop off or do a U-turn. It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.
“We very much welcome this new safety initiative and hope that, by engaging the children in a fun and creative way, the importance of road safety awareness will be raised.”
Inkwell Goes to the Zoo
York Explore Library :
Sat 24 Feb :
2.30pm – 3.30pm :
Free
A FREE creative writing session for 5-12 year olds!
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! From adventurous aardvarks to zany zebras, Inkwell needs your help rounding up all the animals of the zoo.
How many will you write about?
For more information please call York Explore Library on (01904) 552828 or york@exploreyork.org.uk.
Universal Credit and its impact in York – Call for Evidence
Later this year, a Council report regarding the impact of Universal Credit and it’s rollout in York will be presented to the Executive Member for Adult Social Care. As part of this, the Liberal Democrats would like to hear from residents about their experiences of accessing Universal Credit.
The report, due to be presented on the 14th June 2018, will be given to Cllr Carol Runciman to consider as part of her responsibilities to review financial inclusion in York.
Given the controversial nature of Universal Credit and the difficulties some residents have had using the service; the Liberal Democrats are keen to ensure residents in York have their experiences included as part of the report, so it is truly reflective of the current situation.
If a resident would like to share their experience of Universal Credit in York, then please do contact Cllr Carol Runciman at cllr.crunciman@york.gov.uk to make sure your observations are included.
Cllr Carol Runciman, Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Adult Social Care, said:
“The rollout of Universal Credit has caused a great deal of stress for many residents across the City.”
“It is absolutely vital that the Council considers the impact of Universal Credit in York and listens to the experiences of residents using the system.”
“I would strongly encourage anyone who accesses Universal Credit to share with their experiences me and ensure that their voices are included as part of this report.”
Free school meals
The Tory government is repealing the free school meal legislation introduced by the last coalition government.
New regulations published this week indicate that a child will only receive a free mid day meal if his or her parents are in receipt of Universal Credit and earn less that £617 a month.
The new rules come into effect on 1st April 2018
Several families in York are expected to be hit hard by the new cut.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/148/pdfs/uksi_20180148_en.pdf
Plans for Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children revealed.
Ascot Way proposals generally welcomed
The plans to establish a new centre for disabled children on the former Windsor House site on Ascot Way were generally welcomed at a public meeting held on Monday. The plans will now be discussed at a Council Executive meeting next week
The Council says that the new building will be the setting for a range of support services which will enable disabled children to remain in their families and in their community, delivered from a safe, accessible space
- Flexible short break provision to meet the needs of children and young people with Autism, Learning Disabilities and/or additional health needs.
- Family Intervention Rapid Support Team (FIRST) and Therapeutic Short Breaks a specialist Clinical Psychology led intensive assessment and intervention service for families with children and young people who have Autism and Learning Disability and challenging behaviour which affects their ability to live in the local community
The facility will be linked to Hob Moor Oaks special school. Disabled children will be able to walk to the new provision after school, instead of being transported across the city on minibuses. Part of the playing field of the school will be used for the project.
The buildig will replace the facilities currently provided at The Glen.
The scheme is imaginative and worthy of support. However, the proposal to retain the front entrance (and therefore vehicular access) via Ascot Way is controversial. There are already congestion and parking problems in the area. An access, with car parking, via Hob Moor school would address this issue, while offering the opportunity to provide better accessibility for Lincoln Court.
The detailed plans also suggest that an outdoor play area be provided adjacent to Lincoln Court. While many older people like to feel involved in the local community, inevitably playgrounds can be noisy places. We think that the location of this part of the facility should be reconsidered.
Residents will hope that any building work on the project will not take place at the same time as the threatened development of the Newbury Avenue garage site.
Illustrations of what is proposed are reproduced below
Public meeting to discuss future of Windsor House site
Plans for Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children
Windsor House which would be demolished under the plans
Residents are being invited to give their views at a Westfield ward meeting being held on 15th January 2018. The meeting is being held at Hob Moor school with the Windsor House item being discussed from 7:30pm
No details are given of access arrangements. There are concerns that any intensification of the use of the Windsor House site on Ascot Way, would exacerbate traffic congestion and parking problems in the area.
A decision on whether to proceed with the centre idea is due to be taken at a Council executive meeting being held on 25th January 2018
A special website gives more details of the disability centre plans.
Disability Centre of Excellence Monthly Updates
What we have done
- Final feasibility design, layout and site options have been presented by Gilling Dod Architects to a group of key staff, managers, parent / carers and partner agencies.
- A potential land option for the Centre of Excellence has been agreed by Council Executive in December. This is the site of Windsor House Older Person Accommodation, which is planned to close. This land is adjacent to the Hob Moor Oaks Special School playing fields. Discussions are taking place with Hob Moor Federation of Schools about co locating part of the new provision and its outdoor amenities and space on some of the surplus playing field land.
- A report is being prepared for the Council Executive meeting on 25th January 2018. This report will ask Elected Members to commit the capital needed to build a Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children and their families and seek agreement for the preferred site layout
- The report also contains information about how staffing roles and structures will develop in the future in order to deliver a new way of working within a Centre of Excellence.
What we plan to do next
- We will communicate the decision following the meeting on 25th January to parent /carers, staff and partner agencies.
- If there is agreement to progress the project to an implementation phase, we will continue to adopt a co production approach of involving parent /carer, staff, children and young people and partner agencies in each stage of the future development.
- Finally, hope you all have a great Christmas and new year. Thank you all for your time, energy, enthusiasm, ideas and input that has helped shape and develop this project to the stage we are at now.
How you can be involved
Please send ideas, questions, feedback to feasibility@york.gov.uk
For more information please contact william.shaw@york.gov.uk
Keep checking web pages for the latest information and areas that we are working on that we want feedback on
Liberal Democrats seek funding commitments for Children & Young People in York
In a motion put to full Council on the 14th December, Liberal Democrats are calling on the Council to stand up to the Government and insist the Secretary of State reconsider York’s abysmal school funding position.
Under the new Schools National Funding Formula, the Government is imposing real term cuts 
on schools by freezing per-pupil funding, while inflation and school costs, such as staff salary costs, employer pension and national insurance contributions, increase; affecting all schools and academies in the process.
York has historically been the lowest funded local authority area, in terms of school funding, in the Country and with the Government’s new proposals, is set to remain the lowest funded.
Furthermore, York Liberal Democrats are also seeking assurances that the Council will maintain funding levels to the City’s Youth Council, which has worked tirelessly to campaign for young people in York.
Cllr Ashley Mason said: (more…)