A THRIVING school, which once faced closure, is holding an open event for prospective pupils and parents in a York village.

As The Press reported earlier this year, Naburn CE Primary School came out of special measures back in June.

It came after head, Jonathan Green found himself pitched into a battle to save the school after an Ofsted inspection in December 2021, shortly after he took over, rated it ‘inadequate’.

Read next:

But the improved Ofsted, together with the fact that the school has now been sponsored by the Driffield-based TEAL (The Educational Alliance) multi-academy trust, means its future looks secure.

TEAL appointed a full-time head, Kate Durham, who has taken over - under Mr Green as executive head - from September, and pupil numbers have recovered to 50.

She is working with Mr Green for a couple of terms under a ‘transitional period’ until he retires and she becomes the school’s sole head.

Mr Green said she is a ‘brilliant’ teacher with ‘great experience’.

“So already I can see that the next chapter is unfolding,” he said.

On Saturday, September 23 the school is hosting an open event from 11am - 3pm, with school tours from 12pm - 1pm and refreshments and hot dogs being served alongside entertainment from Ian’s Mobile Farm  and a community cricket game from 1pm - 2pm.

Mr Green said: "The event is to encourage people to visit us and show them that we are an excellent school, doing extremely good things for our children, parents, village, community and city.

"The plan is that I will run a community cricket match for an hour on the grass at the village hall and we will have the community farm at the village hall also all through the event.

"The head of school and I will run school tours of the school between 1pm and 2pm.

"We have been superbly supported by our MAT sponsor, TEAL, in organising and sorting this exciting event and we want people from near and far to visit us.

"Refreshments will be supplied by them as well as a catering team."

Mr Green said the school was a vital part of the village. Without it, parents with young children simply would not come to live in Naburn.

“We really are at the heart of the village,” he said.

To find out more about the school go to: naburnschool.com