Nice to see the play equipment in the playground on Foxwood Lane being spruced up today. According to social media the volunteers who did the work were from the Food Standards Agency.
We’re hoping that the Council will ensure that repairs to playgrounds generally are undertaken quickly.
In addition it would be nice to see at least one piece of play equipment renewed each year. This would give children something new to look forward to while minimising the upheaval of complete modernisation every 20 years.
More than half of York’s primary schools will take part in Walk to School Week 2019, which runs from 14 to 18 October.
The national, awareness-raising event is staged annually and aims to encourage children and their families to walk, cycle or scoot to and from school, rather than travelling by car.
Locally, in excess of 8,000 students from 28 different schools will get involved. City of York Council’s iTravel team will present the Jack Archer Award to the school with the highest proportion of its students walking, cycling or scooting throughout the week, as well as cash to spend on sports equipment, which has been donated by Age UK. The Jack Archer Award is now in its sixteenth year and Age UK has supported the competition since it was first launched as part of its intergenerational work to encourage children to be more active.
Councillor Andy D’Agorne, the council’s Executive Member for Transport, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many local schools getting involved in Walk to School Week and competing for the Jack Archer Award.
“The council is committed to promoting sustainable forms of transport and it’s important that children are encouraged to adopt these habits from a young age. In addition to the health and wellbeing benefits for the children themselves, walking, cycling or scooting benefits everyone by reducing traffic congestion and emissions, and improving air quality.
“Good luck to all the schools taking part!”
Residents of all ages can find out more about sustainable travel options by visiting www.itravelyork.info.
Westfield Primary School has undergone an £1m investment programme over the last two years, with £425,000 being spent this year on refurbishing the east wing.
Westfield school
The most recent phase of the refurbishment has focused on the area of the school which houses foundation stage children through to Year 1 pupils. It has included replacing 104 windows, re-roofing two sections and removing a 40-year-old temporary double classroom.
The work has not only improved the condition of the school, but has also increased the school’s ‘environmental credentials’ by reducing energy wastage.
Re-organising the classrooms has also enabled the school’s nursery pupils to be brought into the main building so, besides being supported by teachers, they’re now co-located with the other pupils.
Last year, the school’s dining room, roof and kitchen area underwent a £695,000 refurbishment, enabling children to spend less time queuing for food and more time eating a healthy meal. The former vast kitchen and dining spaces were reorganised, creating a pleasant, calming place to eat.
Parents and members of the community will be invited into the school during school holidays to experience the new space for themselves.
Lamara Taylor, Headteacher at Westfield Primary School, said: “The support we’ve had from the building team and City of York Council has been great and the scheme has led to considerable improvements to our school. The result has been amazing.
“I’m proud to show prospective parents around Westfield and the investment in the school will have positive benefits to the whole school community in the future. It’s all very exciting.”
Contractors at the new centre for disabled children on Ascot Way were piling yesterday. The site is only a few metres from the school so it is unfortunate that the nosiest work couldn’t be completed before the new school term started.
The residents association at their meeting on Wednesday are likely to be demanding answers to questions about why work on the replacement off street games facilities for young people haven’t been started yet.
Residents were promised 6 months ago that an all weather surface would be provided at Thanet Road together with an outdoor gym.
Neither has appeared although the Kingsway MUGA was closed some 3 months ago
The cost of the pavilion is controversial because it is being partly funded from monies generated by building on playing fields at Lowfield.
More modest changing facilities would have allowed the surplus to be used to provide an all-weather games area to replace both the facilities lost at Lowfields and also the Kingsway West children’s games area which the Council demolished earlier in the summer.
The Council has still not made any public announcement about the replacement games area which could be located on Thanet Road.
The cost of the Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children, currently being constructed on Ascot Way, has increased by £1.2 million.
Part of the additional funding is coming from the NHS
The “current timeline for the centre is for the main build
to be completed by January 2020 with opening scheduled for May 2020”.
A council report says that, during quarter 1 within the
Lincoln Court Scheme, the work to relocate all Lincoln Court tenants into
alternative accommodation was completed successfully, this has then allowed
Sewell’s to take possession of the site, undertake site set up and begin
enabling works.
This has included a full invasive asbestos survey and works
to build an access road and car parking for sub-contractors accessed via the
Hob Moor primary academy site.
All the remaining window replacement works have been completed
in this quarter as has the demolition of the single storey extension in
preparation for works to begin for the new build extension.
The Council says that “the Centre of Excellence and Lincoln
Court project teams have worked together to communicate with residents
neighbouring the site and also to keep Ward Councillors updated on project
progress. £750k budget has been transferred from 2019/20 into 2020/21”
There is still no update provided on the promised replacement children’s games area
will be provided
Another successful year for A level students in York
Provisional results for York schools’ sixth forms and York College show that the very high standards of previous years have been maintained, and indicate that A Level results in the city remain consistently amongst the best in the country.
York school sixth forms – All Saints RC, Archbishop Holgate’s CE, Fulford, Huntington and Joseph Rowntree – and York College – are reporting strong results including ‘best ever’ performances.
Overall results are showing increases in the number of students achieving the highest grades, the overall A*-E pass rate is above the national average and both the proportion of students achieving A* and A grades and the overall A*-E pass rate are above the national averages reported today.
Early results for the schools show that across the board young people will be able to get to the universities of their choice, including those applying to Oxford and Cambridge universities and medical courses.
With A-Level and GCSE results days approaching, City of York Council is reminding young people across the city that there are several sources of support throughout this exciting yet challenging time.
There is support for people who may be seeking an apprenticeship or other employment opportunity, or who want to move into full time education. Young people who are concerned that their personal circumstances may make accessing education, employment or training more difficult could also benefit from advice.
People can find support across the city from:
Careers Advisers employed by our local sixth forms and colleges – help will be available when results are collected
City of York Council Learning and Work Advisers in our Young People’s Service at 30 Clarence Street; extra appointment slots and drop-ins are available and Advisers can support with searching for vacancies, developing your CV, completing applications and preparing for interviews. Tel: 01904 555400; www.yor-zone.org.uk/someone-to-help.htm
Council-led ‘York Apprenticeship Hub’ – find us on Facebook (York Apprenticeships) and Twitter (@York Apprentices); email us at York.apprenticeships@york.gov.uk; T: 01904 553732 for local apprenticeship vacancies; there are still around 100 opportunities in the city, and many more in the region, across a range of sectors and job roles.
National Careers Service – for local employment and training opportunities; drop in to the York office at 18-19 Colliergate or call the national help-line 0800 100 900
The Local Government Ombudsman was asked to investigate 57 complaints about the York Council last year.
Transport and planning issues attracted the most complaints.
Ombudsman complaints 2018/19
The equivalent figure for the North Yorkshire County Council
was 82 complaints in total, with Adult Social Care and Children’s Services being
the most criticised.
The figures are included in the annual report of the Ombudsman
Of the York complaints, 21 were further investigated by the Ombudsman.
Of these, 11 were upheld. A full list can be found here (click)
The Ombudsman says that the Council complied with their recommendations
in all 11 cases although there were delays in 3 instances.
The annual letter from the Ombudsman to the York Council can also now be read on their web site (click)
It includes a “public interest” report about the Council’s failure to provide adequate support for a couple with a terminally ill baby.
The report says that social workers did not visit the baby in hospital
The Ombudsman’s findings are normally reported to a Council committee for consideration and possible changes to procedures.
Extract from the Ombudsman’s annual letter 2019 to York Council
