To consider a report by County Councillor Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property.
Minutes:
County Councillor Myfanwy Alexander declared a personal and prejudicial interest in this item and left the meeting while it was being discussed.
Cabinet was asked to give its approval for the following:
a) To submit a Programme Business Case (PBC) to the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Programme for the following capital investment in the Llanfyllin catchment:
· To establish and build a new 360 place area school, to replace Carreghofa School and Llandysilio C. in W. School – this could also potentially include neighbouring schools in the Welshpool catchment as well. Site to be confirmed. The Portfolio Holder for Education and Property explained that one catchment was not being looked at in isolation and that catchments were not set in stone and boundaries may change.
· To provide an extension to Llansantffraid CiW Primary School.
· Possible closure of Llangedwyn CiW School, Llanfechain CiW School and Ysgol Bro Cynllaith.
The cost of the preferred way forward was estimated to be £49.5 million.
In the case of Ysgol Llanfyllin, it was not anticipated that any further consultation would be required to develop the new build community campusas a school reorganisation process to merge Llanfyllin C.P. School and Llanfyllin High School was carried out last year, and Ysgol Llanfyllin opened as a new all-age school in September 2020. With regard to the other proposals, confirmation was given that there would be full and transparent consultation with all schools and communities that were potentially affected and all schools would be named in the report that came to Cabinet in December.
The Leader confirmed that the Cabinet had received an email from County Councillor Arwel Jones as local member to Carreghofa and Llandysilio Schools who had asked the Cabinet to take into account that both schools offered excellent education and that the majority of pupils were able to walk to school which would not be the case with an area school. He had noted that extensions had been built at both schools at considerable expense and that whilst pupil numbers had fallen in recent years, the projections going forward were looking stable with planning applications approved for a total of around 130 properties to be built.
RESOLVED
1. To submit a Programme Business Case (PBC) to the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Programme for the following capital investment in the Llanfyllin catchment:
· A new community campus for approximately 900 pupils aged 4 – 18 in Llanfyllin, replacing the current poor condition buildings of Ysgol Llanfyllin – to be built on the current Ysgol Llanfyllin site.
· To establish and build a new 360 place area school, to replace Carreghofa School and Llandysilio C. in W. School – this could also potentially include neighbouring schools in the Welshpool catchment as well. Site to be confirmed.
· To establish a new Welsh-medium school on the current Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant site, replacing both Ysgol Pennant and Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant Primary School. This may require capital funding to extend the school.
· To provide an extension to Llansanffraid CiW Primary School.
· Possible closure of Llangedwyn CiW School, Llanfechain CiW School and Ysgol Bro Cynllaith.
2. To bring back a further report to Cabinet by December 2020 outlining the initial school reorganisation proposals required. Full consultation will be undertaken before any final decisions are made. In the case of Ysgol Llanfyllin, it is not anticipated that any further consultation would be required to develop the new build community campus as a school reorganisation process to merge Llanfyllin C.P. School and Llanfyllin High School was carried out last year, and Ysgol Llanfyllin opened as a new all-age school in September 2020.
Councillor Alexander returned to the meeting.
Supporting documents: