Barton-in-the-Dale is a small primary school in the Yorkshire Dales. Miss Sowerbutts, the headteacher, is about to retire and interviews take place for her replacement. Mrs Devine is offered the job. She buys an old run down cottage in the village and is helped by local handyman Les Stainthorpe to make it habitable again.
Within her first term at the school Mrs Devine makes a few changes and improvements which are all welcomed by the staff. The local education officer then announces that the school has been earmarked for possible closure. Mrs Devine and many of the locals campaign to keep the school open. It is proving a much more popular school now that Miss Sowerbutts is no longer in charge and many of the pupils who had moved to another local school are starting to move back and the numbers are rising again.
Mrs Devine has lots of challenges to face, one of which is the chair of governors who is voting for the school to close.
This is the first book in a series. I have the next book which is Trouble at the Little Village School which I will read next.
I have previously read a few books by Gervase Phinn from The Dales series which are all stories about this time as a school inspector:
The Other Side of the Dale
Over Hill and Dale
Head over Heels in the Dales
Up and Down in the Dales
The Heart of the Dales
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