NORTH Yorkshire County Council could be handing over a troubled special school for boys with behavioural problems to an independent provider.

A spokesman said the council wasexploring the option of leasing Foremost School in Darley, near Harrogate, to an independent provider. The school offers residential education for boys with behavioural, social and emotional difficulties and opened less than two years ago to replace the closed Netherside School in Skipton and Baliol School in Cumbria.

Its education was branded inadequate in all areas by Ofsted last May, and in December an inspector wrote to the school after a follow-up visit saying the education still had not made enough progress, although the residential care was now considered adequate.