A photo for posterity. It shows the busy main road through Chop Gate, with Bilsdale Midcable CE Primary School standing on the left, likely facing conversion in the not-too-distant future into some private residence. Education in Chop Gate dates back to 1781. This 1909 school building features modernised classrooms and a garden where the children grow vegetables for hot lunches.
The school has capacity for 48 pupils and an Ofsted rating of ‘Good’. Yet none of the eight current pupils lives within the catchment area. Four pupils are due to leave next summer, leaving four children for the following academic year, with numbers expected to fall to three by 2028.
Facing a projected budget deficit of £189,200 by 2028, the governors have asked North Yorkshire Council to consult on closure. A rural village runs out of local children long before it runs out of educational quality. Or maybe its ‘Good’ Ofsted rating is precisely because it has so few pupils.
Sources
- Willis, Joe. “Bilsdale Midcable school faces closure as pupil numbers fall”. The Northern Echo. 27th October 2026. https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/26673823.bilsdale-midcable-school-faces-closure-pupil-numbers-fall [Accessed 30 Oct 2026]
- A Short History. Bilsdale Midcable Parish Council. https://bilsdale-pc.gov.uk/a-short-history [Accessed 30 Oct 2026]
- Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate CE (VC) School. https://bilsdalecarltonschools.co.uk/our-schools/about-our-schools/bilsdale-midcable-ce-school/ [Accessed 30 Oct 2026]
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