A BATTLE between Rathmell villagers and the church over the future of the old village school will now be decided by the Secretary of State.

Trustees of Rathmell Old School were due to go head to head with the Anglican Diocese of Leeds at the High Court in Leeds for a two-day hearing starting on Tuesday.

But the three trustees and the diocese reached an agreement shortly before the hearing was due to start.

A spokesperson for the diocese said: "The court has declared that there is no right of reverter attaching to the site of the former Rathmell Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and this has been accepted by the trustees.

"It is now a matter for the Secretary of State as to whether or not to make an order under section 554 of the Education Act 1996. It would be inappropriate for any party to comment any further at this stage."

The diocese and three trustees disagreed over ownership of the school, which was closed by North Yorkshire Council in 2017 due to falling pupil numbers.

Following its closure, the village trust took over the building and made it into a community hub with office space. The trustees argued that the site would 'revert' back to the village after the school closed because it had been bequeathed by a benefactor in the 19th century. But the court has ruled there is no 'right of reverter'.