Plans to continue education while vital maintenance work assessed at historic building in Ryedale.

Senior councillors will be asked to approve proposals which will enable education to continue at a Welburn Hall School, while vital maintenance work is assessed.

A review of the school's heating system during the summer revealed extensive work is needed to the building’s heating and drainage systems.

The school, near Kirkbymoorside, provides specialist education for pupils aged eight to 19 with a range of learning and communication needs, including autism, speech and language needs and moderate and severe learning difficulties. It also currently offers boarding for some children during term time based upon their assessed needs.

The main building at the school is Grade II-listed, with original parts dating back to the 17th century. It houses the school’s boarding accommodation, the school office, reception, dining hall and kitchen.

Whilst the Grade II-listed building provides some classroom facilities, the vast majority of teaching takes place in more modern accommodation elsewhere on the school site. This part of the school’s estate is unaffected by the work required, allowing the school to continue to provide this day school provision unaffected. The county council’s executive will be asked to approve work that will see additional temporary classrooms and dining facilities installed at the site while work takes place in the hall. It is anticipated the work will begin mid-2023.

Councillors at North Yorkshire County Council will also be asked to approve proposals to temporarily discontinue residential provision in the hall from September 2023 while the work is ongoing. The council will work collaboratively with the school and support the families of the very small number of pupils impacted by this proposal to ensure their needs continue to be met beyond September 2023.

The school is currently assessed as good across all categories by Ofsted, following an inspection this year and is an important part of North Yorkshire County Council’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision in the county. The county council recently expanded the number of places at Welburn Hall so it can support children and young people with complex needs related to autism. The move also enabled pupils in the east of the county to be educated near their families and local communities, instead of travelling long distances to access education elsewhere.

The school currently has 98 pupils on roll and of those, currently 12 pupils access residential provision. The majority of pupils accessing boarding are currently in their final year of education at the school and set to leave in July 2023. The council will provide support to the very small number of residential pupils remaining to ensure their assessed needs continue to be met.

North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for inclusion, Jane le Sage, said: “We are working hard to ensure that essential work can be completed in a timely manner whilst minimising disruption to the school. Any contingency plans will be discussed fully with families and school staff once the scale of the work is fully identified.

“Although we are not yet in a position where we can be definitive about long-term plans for the building’s future use, we can reassure everyone that this school remains a vital part of the specialist provision we offer within the county.

“It is highly valued by the local authority, children, parents and carers.”

A set of longer-term investment decisions will be developed and brought back to the county council’s executive in the spring of next year. It is estimated the cost of fully replacing the heating and drainage systems will be in the region of £4 million to £5 million.

The proposals will go before North Yorkshire County Council’s executive on Tuesday, December 13.