Denbighshire’s Cabinet yesterday agreed to consult on proposals that have been drawn up following a review of education in the Edeyrnion area.
These proposals follow a four month consultation which started in November 2010 and involved numerous meetings with staff, governors, parents and the wider community in the Edeyrnion area.
Councillors meeting in Ruthin agreed to consult on a package of four proposals:
Proposal 1 – An area school for Cynwyd and Llandrillo. (This would mean closing Ysgol Maes Hyfryd in Cynwyd and Ysgol Llandrillo and establishing a new area school in their place. In the short term, the new area school would use the existing school buildings in Cynwyd and Llandrillo, moving to a single site in Cynwyd – subject to securing capital funding for expansion and refurbishment works)
Proposal 2 – Close Ysgol Glyndyfrdwy and transfer pupils to Ysgol y Gwernant, Llangollen, subject to parental preference.
Proposal 3 – To recommend federation to the Governing Bodies of Ysgol Betws Gwerful Goch and Ysgol Bro Elwern, Gwyddelwern. (This would mean that both schools would stay open, but they would share a headteacher and a governing body).
Proposal 4 – To recommend federation to the Governing Bodies of Ysgol Caer Drewyn and Ysgol Carrog. (This would mean that both schools would stay open, but they would share a headteacher and a governing body).
Proposals 3 and 4 can only be progressed by the Governing Bodies of each school.
The Council believes that these proposals, should they be implemented, would:
- Provide an educational system able to sustain, safeguard and develop further standards of education within the area
- Retain parental choice through providing a range of school sizes and linguistic options
- Strengthen Welsh medium provision
- Significantly reduce the number of empty places across the area
- Address headteacher recruitment issues whilst building leadership capacity in the area
- Remove all mobile accommodation from the area
- Provide a more cost effective and efficient educational system
- Provide a platform to secure capital investment for schools in the area.
Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans, said: “The Council is committed to providing a first class education for all children and young people in the county. As part of this commitment, the Council has agreed that modernising the education provision is a priority as we recognise the importance of having school buildings, learning surroundings and resources that will meet future needs.
“These reflect national drivers from the Welsh Government and Estyn which ask local authorities like Denbighshire to look at reducing surplus places, improve schools and make better use of school buildings.
“These proposals, should they be implemented, would provide a stable educational system in the Edeyrnion area to sustain, safeguard and develop education for years to come”.
“We received a large number of responses to our initial consultation and we recognise that there is significant support to keep schools open, a willingness to see greater collaboration between schools and concerns regarding the impact of any changes on pupils and parents, as well as the local community.
“ We can assure people that the comments received during the initial consultation were taken into account when these proposals were drafted and that Members have carefully considered these views before taking the decision to consult further.
This latest consultation begins on 7 June and ends on 19 July 2011.
Full details of each proposal will be available on the Denbighshire website at the start of the consultation period: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/modernisingeducation
Responses should be sent in writing to the Modernising Education Officer, Denbighshire County Council, County Hall, Wynnstay Road, Ruthin LL15 1YN or by e-mail to [email protected] by 19 July 2001.
Denbighshire’s Cabinet will then consider a report on the outcome of this consultation , including a recommendation from officers on 27 September.
