Name: Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School
Location: Harrogate
Headteacher: Mr Andrew Symonds

Welcome to Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School. I am proud to be the Headteacher of such a thriving, successful and happy school.  

Since the school was first established in 1785 we have remained true to our Christian foundations; we believe that our school is a place where we create confident, resilient, happy and successful learners prepared for the next stage of their journey. 

Our Mission Statement for every member of our community is clear to all:  

Richard Taylor School is a caring Christian community where all children in our safekeeping learn:  

  • Knowledge with skills
  • Friendship with respect
  • Confidence with humility
  • Service with responsibility
  • The resilience to succeed
  • That they are loved as children of God 

During our last Ofsted Inspection, the lead inspector was keen to stress in her report that ‘The school lives out its Christian and British values with integrity and fervour. There is a tangible sense of community, care, respect of, and value for others as soon as you enter the school and as staff and pupils carry out their daily work.’ 

The school was judged to be outstanding during its SIAMS Inspection; we were delighted by the outcome of our inspection where the report states that we were ‘A school community living its Christian values.’  

In March 2015, we became founding members of the Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust with St Aiden’s High School. This has grown in size and currently includes 9 highly successful schools from the local area. 

Our children and staff care deeply about their school; we give all children the opportunity to play an active role in the life of the school. Our pupil ambassadors play a leading role in helping to shape the future of our school and the curriculum we deliver. 

We are guided by Christian values which are celebrated in every aspect of our lives in school. Through our curriculum and pastoral care, we promote the Christian values which prepare our children to be successful learners and active citizens in the modern world. 

We deliver a rich and varied curriculum which supports a thriving culture of learning, which inspires children to achieve their goals. Our children have the opportunity to participate in fantastic sporting teams and an amazing choir whilst enjoying the vibrant outdoor green space which surrounds the school. 

Our curriculum has been strengthened by our Mastery Approach to Maths which has produced outstanding results in recent years. We are also a school which prioritises both scientific investigation and environmental education. We hold The Eco Award, Gold Tree Award and The Space Education Quality Mark. 

Recently we were honoured to be one of a select number of schools nationally to be invited to submit a video message to the delegates at the COP26 Conference in Glasgow. Sharing our passion for sustainable growing and ecology. 

We have a highly dedicated governing body and wonderfully supportive parents which all help to build a superb learning community where everyone matters. 

You can catch up with everything happening at school via the weekly Headteacher blog published on our website. 

We are proud of the improvements which we have made to our school building and grounds, making sure that it is a fantastic environment for children to learn and grow. This includes a wonderful library learning space and fantastic wildlife garden as well as a purpose built polytunnel.  

The school has created an online tour and additional information on the school website which we would recommend that you explore to learn about us: http://rtsharrogate.com/ 

We strongly recommend that anyone considering a place at RTS arrange to visit us and see how we learn together on a daily basis.

If you have a child who is starting school in the September term, please contact the office, 01423563078 in order to arrange a visit on one of our tour dates. 

Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.