A LONG dispute between villagers and the Diocese of Leeds over the future of the former Rathmell School is due to be the subject of a High Court hearing in Leeds next week.

The expected two-day hearing, which starts on Tuesday (April 23) will consider who is the rightful owner of the primary school - now a community hub - which was closed by North Yorkshire County Council in 2017, following a governor-led consultation due to falling pupil numbers - there were just 15 children left on the roll when it closed.

The Anglican diocese says it is rightful owner because the school became a CoE voluntary aided school in the 1950s, and that it should be transferred as is normal practice where schools close 'into a restricted fund to be used solely and for the benefit of other Church of England Schools'.

The school, however, operated as part of an established trust, with active trustees, who say that the school has reverted to them under the original terms of the trust deed. It has since been converted into a community hub, run by villagers and the Rathmell Old School Trust.

Villagers have raised money to cover the cost of their legal battle through community events, online giving and backing from private donors.

Jacky Frankland, one of the three trustees, said: “This school was a longstanding feature of the village, and was never church land. We have maintained it for years, and we’re not going away now just because they want us to.

“I can speak for the three of us in saying that we are truly humbled at the scale of support we have received, not just in cash terms by way of donations to our GoFundMe page, but in the encouragement we have received from everyone here in Rathmell, and all those who are waiting and watching how this case will go.”

Fellow trustee, Keith Mothersdale, said: “Thankfully we are not alone. As soon as people heard what was happening they stood beside us – and they’ll be standing right beside us at court next week.”

The diocese says it always treated the school as a Church of England school and in its last ten years, the diocese gave it more than £550,000 to pay for improvements to the building.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Leeds said: “At no point has the diocese said it would flatten the school and sell it to a developer. This is simply not true. In fact, several years ago the diocese suggested to the trustees there may be a way to lease or sell the site to a new community trust so it could continue to serve the community. The trustees decided to not follow this through.”