The first “All-Through” schools in Wales, catering for pupils aged 3-19 years, could be on their way in Ceredigion following the publication of recommendations from a team of independent advisors to Ceredigion County Council.
An “All-Through” school is situated on one campus and contains separate units for primary and secondary age groups. There would also be pre-school and community provisions on the same site. There would be one head teacher for the whole site, as well as heads for the primary and secondary units. Such schools have a single governing body and are financed as one single establishment. There are some schools of this type in England and Scotland, but not within Wales.
Ceredigion has now published the report of the team of independent advisors, under the Chairmanship of Lord Elystan Morgan, into the feasibility of creating new “All-Through” schools catering for pupils aged 3-19 years in both Tregaron and Llandysul areas. The study was commissioned by Ceredigion in November 2009 following the publication of the County Council’s plan “Developing Education in Ceredigion Secondary Schools 2020″.
Ceredigion County Council had been considering the way forward for education in the county for some time, especially in its most rural areas, and paid particular attention to the areas of Tregaron and Llandysul. The purpose of the study was to investigate the benefits and consider any shortcomings that would occur if the concept of “All-Through” schools was approved. The study was launched at Ysgol Uwchradd Tregaron on 27 November 2009 and at Ysgol Dyffryn Teifi on 4 December, 2009. Sustaining good standards of education underpinned the study, as well as Welsh, bilingual education and community aspects.
The issues Ceredigion has been grappling with involve both educational and financial aspects. Costs per pupil are high within both primary and secondary schools in the Tregaron and Llandysul areas. They are amongst the highest in Wales. There are also a significant number of empty places within primary and secondary sectors in both areas. That number, again, is amongst the highest in Wales. In addition, the number of pupils is decreasing.
There are significant shortcomings in the suitability of the buildings of several of the primary schools within both areas. Significant capital would need to be invested in Tregaron’s secondary school to ensure that the building meets the minimum guidance issued by the Welsh Assembly Government. At secondary level in Llandysul, the site of Ysgol Dyffryn Teifi has serious shortcomings in terms of the quality of the existing buildings and lack of space for developing on the existing site. The site is simply not suitable for development into a modern secondary school offering adequate resources.
Ceredigion has admitted it faces major challenges in implementing curricular changes in both the primary and secondary sectors.
Within the primary sector, the Foundation Phase is a new way of looking at the education of children aged 3-7. Schools and staff need the best conditions possible to enable them to introduce the Foundation Phase which places much importance on direct experiences through play and playing an active part rather than undertaking tasks in books.
Within Ceredigion’s secondary sector, implementing the Skills Measure through Learning Pathways 14-19 is a considerable challenge. The County Council has explained that it will not be easy to meet additional costs in Key Stages 4 and 5 considering the schools’ financial situation and the need to extend the 14-19 curricular menu. Sixth forms at Tregaron and Llandysul are much smaller than the minimum size recommended by the Audit Commission. The sixth form unit costs in Tregaron are Ceredigion’s highest by a considerable margin. Costs at Ysgol Dyffryn Teifi are the fourth highest amongst Ceredigion’s seven secondary schools.
Ceredigion has been considering different options for the future provision of education in both areas. The County Council came to the conclusion that the status quo was not an option and favoured creating a Welsh-medium “All-Through” school for 3-19 year olds in both the Tregaron and Llandysul areas.
The independent consultants have now reported back and recommend creating Welsh-medium “All-Through” schools for 3-19 year olds in both areas but with a slight variation in the Tregaron area, largely owing to the mountainous and sparsely populated geography of that catchment area. The consultants recommend both new facilities should be Category 2A bilingual secondary schools, according to the Welsh Assembly Government definitions.
For the Tregaron area, the consultants recommend establishing a Welsh medium all-through 3-19 school with closure of Ysgol Uwchradd Tregaron and primary schools at Tregaron, Llanddewibrefi, Llangeitho, Bronnant, Lledrod, Pontrhydfendigaid and Penuwch Primary Schools in their present form. However, they also recommend that Ysgol Pontrhydfendigaid be maintained as an area school, on a federal basis to then new “All-Through” school at Tregaron, to cater for 3-11 year olds from the Pontrhydfendigaid catchment area. They also recommend developing one of the current buildings as a federal Foundation Phase unit for 3-7 year olds in the Llangeitho, Penuwch and Bronnant areas with transition to the 3-19 school taking place at the beginning of Key Stage 2.
At Llandysul the recommendation involves replacement of Ysgol Uwchradd Dyffryn Teifi and five primary schools which all lie within some six miles radius of Llandysul with a new “All-Through” school to be developed at a new site to be identified in Llandysul. The primary schools involved are at Llandysul, Coed-y-bryn, Aber-banc, Pont-siân and Capel Cynon.
Following the publication of the independent consultants’ report at Tregaron and Llandysul on 14 and 15 April 2010, Ceredigion’s Education and Community Services Department intends liaising with the governors of all community schools to be effected by the proposals and recommendations before reporting back to the Ceredigion County Council Cabinet on both the independent consultants’ report and the reaction of schools and communities to those recommendations.
