RTS the History & Today

Richard Taylor School, How it all began………….

Richard Taylor Primary School was built in 1973 to replace the Bilton Endowed School established in 1793 by the Richard Taylor Educational Foundation. The Foundation was set up in 1785 by Richard Taylor and John Inman, the first master of the Endowed School. Richard Taylor was one of two brothers living in Bachelor Gardens. They owned land and property and spent the money they received as rent on the schooling of children whose parents couldn’t afford to provide for them. When Richard Taylor died in 1791, the land and property were left to the Foundation so that children could still be aided with their education. The Foundation continues to support our School today.


The Building

Richard Taylor School has 9 class bases. Each class has its own toilets and all have direct access to outside learning. We have a school hall which is also used as a dining area. The school building and grounds are No Smoking areas. In recent years the school has undergone significant building work, creating a state of the art learning zone at the heart of the school as well as replacing the school roof, all toilets and the heating system to ensure that our building is a fantastic platform for delivering a fantastic education for all. All classrooms have been also been renovated in the last 5 years. Our building gives an ideal platform for high quality learning.

The school has invested heavily on developing the outdoor learning areas of the school. A Peace Garden, outdoor classroom, bike rack, play trail and Key Stage One outdoor area have all been created to support learning. All playground areas have been resurfaced and enlarged. The friends of the school have recently raised almost £8,000 to fund improvements to the EYFS outdoor learning area.


Funding Our School

As Richard Taylor is part of a Multi Academy Trust, its financing is different from an L.E.A. County School. The normal running costs are paid from funds made available directly from Central Government and not via the Local Authority. All schools are facing challenging financial times as austerity measures have significantly reduced the funds available to maintain and improve the fabric of the building. This also impacts of the school’s ability to continue to maintain the quality of ICT hardware available to the children.

In these circumstances, the Governors have realised that a number of minor repairs, one major repair or any improvements could cause some major financial difficulties. Rather than having to raise large sums by holding a number of fund-raising events, the Governors have set up a voluntary system under which parents are invited to donate a sum per term or per annum to the Governors’ Fund.

Our hope is that as many families as possible will donate whatever they feel able to give – the suggested figure is £8.00 per month per child or whatever sum parents can afford. The details of the scheme and the latest statement of accounts will be made available to parents on request from the Clerk to the Governors (via the School Office) or when an offered place is accepted.


Organisation

There are 9 classes in School, some of which are mixed year groups. There are 4 classes for children in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 and 5 classes for Key Stage 2 children. The children are placed in a class according to age and the number on roll. In the September following the child’s eleventh birthday, they transfer to one of the 5 local comprehensive schools according to the system in operation in the Harrogate district.


School Accreditations