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PRIMARY SCHOOLS RATIONALISATION PROGRAMME.
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Reported by the Leader of the Council and by Councillor
G.O.Parry,MBE, Portfolio Holder for Education and Leisure - That an
opportunity would be given today to the representatives of the
schools under review to express their views to the Executive on the
options. The Executive would then consider the representations and
reach a decision thereon at a special meeting of the Executive to
be held on 30th November, 2009. They thanked the schools in
question for their attendance and contribution today.
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(a) Submitted - A presentation by the Strategic
Co-ordinator as regards the informal consultation that had taken
place regarding Primary Schools Rationalisation and on the
responses received from the various communities with regard to the
individual schools listed. He referred to the criteria adopted by
the Executive for identifying schools subject to the consultation
and the situation to date at each individual school against the 8
criteria that would be the main considerations when deciding on
which option to pursue.
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Following each presentation, Members were given the
opportunity of raising any questions with the individual schools in
question.
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Bethan Wyn Jones (Headteacher) Ysgol
Llanddona:-
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a very happy and homely school with the children confident
and comfortable in the presence of other children and adults
alike.
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the school was the heart of the community. Mention was
made of those parties that made use of the school facilities and
those who helped with the various school activities.
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the children were taught to be appreciative of their local
community.
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the school had evidence that pupil numbers would increase
once the uncertainty regarding the future of the school closure
disappeared.
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the children contributed towards decisions taken by the
school.
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the school had succeeded to develop children who had
educational or emotional problems and these children had developed
and flowered under a supportive environment.
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the staff got along well and they all contributed towards
the future development of the school.
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excellent relationship between parents and staff with
every family contributing towards the success of the
school.
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Llanddona was an unique school and without it, the heart
of the village and the education of its children would
disappear.
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Mr. Edward Evans (Chair of
Governors):
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educational standards excellent
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appreciative of Mr.Geraint Elis’ visit to the
school
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excellent leadership and management at the
school
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excellent grades achieved following the Estyn inspection
in January 2006
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the School Governors wished to retain the status
quo.
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children treated as individuals and had the opportunity of
becoming model citizens.
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buildings were more than adequate to provide the best
education for the 21st century.
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support for the Governors by the community had been
incredible and extremely supportive.
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education should remain within the community. Without the
school, the area would merely become a dormitory village with no
heart to the village.
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Councillor H.W.Thomas (Local
Member):
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the education provided and the support of School Governors
was second to none.
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Llanddona an unique community. An extension to the family
you might say.The people were very close.
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school closure would destroy the social life of the
community.
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children were able to cycle or walk to school from their
homes - school closure would entail the bussing of children to
school with resultant health implications.
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the school was the only facility where people could meet
in Llanddona.
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out of the 30 pupils at the school, 22 attended the
breakfast club.
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no shop or post office left in the village.
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closure of the school would harm the Welsh language in the
community.
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any transfer of pupils to Ysgol Llangoed would be via a
sub-standard road.
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the possibility following closure, that pupils would then
attend schools in Bangor.
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pupil numbers had not gone down and they were likely to
increase if the school remained open.
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Members considered that the Executive on 30th November,
2009, should be provided with a report on the condition of the
highway between Ysgol Llanddona and Ysgol Llangoed.
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RESOLVED that the
Corporate Director (Environment and Technical Services) be
requested to report back to the special meeting of the Executive on
30th November, 2009, as regards the condition of the highway
between Ysgol Llanddona and Ysgol Llangoed.
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Gwilym Bennett (Chair of Governors):
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Talwrn area and Governors were against the option of
closing the school.
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the area was a close community and the standards of the
school were high.
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the only option was to federalise Ysgol Talwrn with Ysgol
y Graig, subject to the following conditions:-
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that Ysgol Talwrn remained on the same campus;
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that the name of Ysgol Talwrn be retained;
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that the school uniform be retained;
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that the extra curricular activities continue on
site;
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that the Governors be given a strong voice in the new
procedure to safeguard the interests of the school and
pupils;
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that the staff be treated fairly in any re-organisation,
since the school had excellent staff and it would be a shame if
this was disregarded.
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by retaining Ysgol Talwrn, the Authority could offer
parents in the Cefni area the type of school they wished to send
their children. Every child cannot cope in a big school and they
often benefit from education in a small school.
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linguistic statistics showed that the children were by Key
Year 2, fluent in Welsh although they came from non-Welsh speaking
families.
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the children were successful when they moved on to the
secondary sector.
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Gwyneth Mon Hughes (Headteacher):
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the comprehensive report by the Authority reflected the
enthusiasm and the high standards of teaching at Ysgol
Talwrn.
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everyone in the locality objected to the closure of Ysgol
Talwrn. Parents had not however panicked and moved their children
to other schools. They were fully supportive of its
retention.
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pupil numbers had increased with the school now having 37
pupils.
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the school agreed with the report’s comments and
realised that the status quo was not an option.
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the school was praised by the Education Minister Jane Hutt
in 2008 - a school that had attained the Investors in People
recognition.
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Talwrn schoolchildren had the opportunity at the school to
excel, there was a safe environment in the school and the children
were eager to attend.
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federalisation of Ysgol Talwrn and Ysgol y Graig should be
considered before reaching any decision as regards
closure.
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both schools were extremely close to each other. The
advantages of two sites in close proximity retained flexibility and
effective use of present resources.
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The Strategic Co-ordinator referred to two possible
options of co-operating with Ysgol Y Graig i.e. federalisation or a
multi-site school and both these options could be discussed further
with both Governing Bodies.
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Richard Jones (Headteacher), Sharon Jones (Chair of
Governors) and Miss Bronwen Smith(teacher):
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object most strongly to any intention of
closure.
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stories of closure in the press had led to a feeling of
instability and uncertainty locally, with parents already having
moved their children to other schools. Pupil numbers as a result
had decreased from 29 to 12. Despite this the school had received
two children to the nursery class and one child to the reception
class this year.
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school had a long tradition of serving as the focal point
of the local community and was held very dear in the hearts of
former pupils. The school’s 90th anniversary was held two
years ago.
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the community did a lot with the school and likewise the
school with the community.
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the Estyn inspection of January 2007 claimed that the
children were happy in the school, that there was an emphasis on
showing respect for everybody, the standards compared favourably
with other primary schools, the skills in the Foundation Phase were
good, good in numeracy and I.T. Spiritual development was excellent
and the parents contributed well to the work of the
school.
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the success as a Foundation Phase Pilot School between
2004-09, a Healthy and Green school status, Quality Mark 1 & 2,
working with the C.C.W, Eisteddfod winners at local,county and
national level. Finalists in the national carol
competition.
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children and staff were not missing out or disadvantaged
in any way by being in a small school.
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would not make sense to close a school where the
Foundation Phase was well established and the Authority could use
the expertise within the school to assist other schools in this
respect.
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closure could have a negative impact on local house
prices. 82% of Welsh speakers in the area.
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closure could lead to a loss of jobs. What was the
Authority doing to alleviate such concerns?
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Cadi Roberts (Chair of Governors);
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the whole community believed that the school should be
retained because of the excellent education provided.
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the Estyn inspection in 2007 confirmed that the quality of
education was very good, in some cases excellent. Standards of
literacy and maths was high. First school on Anglesey to attain the
Fair Trade recognition.
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the school buildings were in extremely good condition both
inside and outside.Convenient kitchen and dining room. The Property
Department assessment listed it as Category B.
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the school and its Governors were unable to accept the
recommendation in the report that the school should merge with
Ysgol Bodffordd as an Area school. Ysgol Llandrygarn was
unsurpassed in its location.
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although the school had no school hall as such, two
classrooms had been amalgamated to create a large room for use as a
classroom and a school hall.
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the school had a large hard-play area and playing field
and an area in front of the school for staff to park their cars and
for parents and home to school transport to pull off the main
road.
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although the school had lost two pupils to other schools
in the area, two new children had enrolled, children whose family
had moved to the area to live.
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the school contributed to the community by supporting Urdd
activities and local events such as coffee mornings and
concerts.
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school pupils took part in local concerts and supported
Eisteddfod Mon and Eisteddfod Bodffordd.The whole community
supported school activities such as Christmas Fairs, auctions,
sponsored walks, etc and each one of these events raised over
£1,000 to the School fund.
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although a small school, it would appear that Ysgol
Llandrygarn was maintaining pupil numbers.
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enough area for extensions if an area school was
developed.
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there was the possibility that the community would see
developments in the future.
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the school provided the pupils with self-respect,
discipline, respect for others and property, appreciation of the
environment and community contribution, which ultimately developed
good citizens.
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Ysgol Bodorgan
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Robin Griffiths (Headteacher):
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the school provided education of the highest standard and
this was supported by Estyn reports
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the school and its community facilities were central and
served 3 villages.
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in addition to community use of the school building,
numerous societies used the playing field and hard play area for
their activities.
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closure would weaken the situation regarding the Welsh
language in the area.
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children were able to walk to school and this was good for
their health and the environment. Closing the school would go
against a number of Council and Welsh Assembly strategies to
promote healthy living.
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to bus children to other areas early in the morning was a
policy that needed to be considered very carefully. The health and
safety of children was extremely important.
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the Cylch Meithrin met at the school. Since there was no
other community building, closing the school would result in the
closure of the Cylch Meithrin.
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the school emphasised the importance of the Welsh language
and the traditions and heritage of the area.
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the relationship between staff and parents was close and
promoted good behaviour within the community.
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the school building was of a very high standard with very
little work to be done there to improve its condition. The school
yard was extensive and one of the best in the County. There was a
large hall used extensively by the community and closure would
deprive the community and the children of an important meeting
place.
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by 2011 it was anticipated that there would be 50 pupils
at the school.
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it would be sad to see Ysgol Bodorgan close in its
centenary year and deprive a Welsh speaking area which was also a
deprived area. Closure would bring further deprivation.
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Myfyr Davies (Chair of Governors):
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15 organisations made use of the community facilities and
there was nowhere else in the area that could accommodate these
activities.
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the number of vacant places was only slightly over, and by
2010/11 there would be an increase in the number of children
attending.
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only one pupil below the level quoted in the
report.
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cost per head only slightly over and would change as the
number of pupils increased.
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quality of the provision was excellent according to Estyn
inspections.
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the buildings were in a good state.
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the location was central to adjoining villages.
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children attending the Secondary school were fully
bilingual.
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85 letters of objection received to any proposal to close.
24 reasons for retention listed within the rationalisation
report.
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closure would in time result in the de-population of a
rural area.
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Dafydd Jones (On behalf of the Community):
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rural area with a scattered population, with the majority
based in the 3 main villages of Hermon, Bethel and
Malltraeth.
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the community centre was registered as a charity and was
to be used for the benefit of the local community.
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losing the school and the community centre would create an
educational and cultural void.
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over the last 10 years the building had been used both as
a crisis and emergency centre.
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the school and centre was key to strengthening the local
community and destroying that relationship would lead to the
destruction of the local culture and create social
problems.
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it was the only venue that the local Community Council
could make use of.
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who would be able to maintain the building for the
community should the school close.Not practicable for the community
to take it over due to its size.
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the school was used as the local polling
station.
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he presented the Chair with a further letter of support
from Bodorgan Estate.
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Sera Jones (On behalf of the Parents):
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Ysgol Bodorgan was steeped in local community history and
was irreplaceable.
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more than satisfied that the standard of education
delivered was higher than average for the Island.
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feel it was important for children to socialise and learn
with others of similar background.
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taking away the ability to walk to school would impact
negatively upon the children’s health. Bussing the children
to school would increase the carbon footprint.
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the building was in good condition and only recently had
new toilets installed. There was a large playing field surrounded
by fields and farm stock.
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the parents benefited greatly through the well attended
breakfast club.
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the parents were confident that with the help of Ysgol
Bodorgan, the children would be empowered to be positive members of
a larger community.
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the school had provided good education over the
years.
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important that the school be kept so as to maintain the
Welsh language within a rural community.
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had a good Estyn report in 2001 and 2007.
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the previous mention of closure had a bad effect on morale
and had resulted in parents moving their children to other
schools.
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could not understand how other schools could
‘poach’ pupils, there was no communication between
headteachers.
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school was a historic and important school to the area.
The shop and chapel were near to closure.
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Bodorgan Estate should release more land for housing and
thus ensure its survival.
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Rhian Owen
(Headteacher):
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the school organised after school clubs and participated
in catchment areas and county Urdd activities and competed at
Eisteddfod Mon.
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the newspaper reports back in 2008 had been very damaging.
The parents who were considering sending their children to the
school changed their minds having heard rumours that the school was
going to close.
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going through this process for the second time was
affecting the health of the staff and was a very stressful period
in their lives.Likewise parents were affected by the
uncertainty.
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the school promoted the Welsh language in a lovely
setting.
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the school had a successful Estyn inspection.
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one of the teachers had lost her job despite the promise
in the rationalisation documents that the Authority would give
every support to those who lost their jobs. That person was still
unemployed.
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Ysgol Aberffraw and Ysgol Bodorgan had close working ties
as regards educational trips, sports and swimming.
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agreed that small schools subject to closure should be
retained pending the establishment of Area schools.
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Ysgol
Llanddeusant
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Eirian Stephen Jones
(Teacher) (In the absence of the Headteacher):
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aware that it was not an option to keep the school open as
a separate educational establishment because of the financial
considerations.
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accept that numbers were low but that the prospects for
the next three years were stable.
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majority of the children from Welsh speaking homes.
Monolingual pupils become fully bilingual by Year 6.
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close co-operation between neighbouring schools, they
socialised through the Urdd, sports, concerts, etc.
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Paul Davies, Minister, mentioned last week that there was
no basis for closing schools for financial reasons only and good
schools should not be closed.
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adjoining areas had shown co-operation during the first
consultation and this bode well for an area school.
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better to invest in one new building than maintain several
older buildings.
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the school should not close until an area school had been
established
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confirm that existing support posts should be safeguarded
since there were no other employment opportunities in the
village.
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ask the Authority to ensure that there would be a
meaningful use for the building so that it did not become a ruin,
i.e. use as a heritage centre, Urdd centre, workshop or Council
satellite office.
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a cookery club and the Urdd met alternatively every
fortnight. A Ti a Fi Group had recently been established and met
every Wednesday afternoon at the school.
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William Hughes (Chair of
Governors):
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due to the financial and pupil number considerations,
maintaining Ysgol Llanddeusant as an independent establishment was
no longer considered to be a viable option. The Governors supported
an Area School for the four schools.This would be more sustainable
in the medium and long term.
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whilst supporting an Area school, the Governing Body
emphasised that they would not support closure of any school before
the new school building was ready.
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Wylfa ‘B’ would see an increase in pupil
numbers.
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the number of pupils had increased somewhat, which proved
that the parents had not lost faith in the school or the education
it provided.
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must ensure the future of the Welsh language and ensure
that the expertise remained in the rural areas.
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the school was the only daily focus in the area and it
would be very poor on the area without it.
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that the building should be retained as an area centre or
a workshop should there be closure.
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Councillor Elwyn Schofield (Local
Member):
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encouraging to see an area responding so positively to a
difficult problem. Agreed that the staus quo was no longer an
option.
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have to think about something better which would meet the
future needs of education on the Island.
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have to consider very carefully as to how the Council can
respond to the void that will be in our communities with the onset
of rationalisation.
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an area school was in accordance with the officer’s
recommendation. However, would the Welsh Assembly be prepared to
fund an area school?
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important that the area be kept fully informed of
developments
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until a new area school was built, Ysgol Llanddeusant
should remain open.
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Ysgol Ffrwd Win,
Llanfaethlu
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Nia Lloyd Thomas
(Headteacher):
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the building was in excellent condition and there had been
significant expenditure over recent years. It had received a
category A rating by the Property Department. It was in an ideal
location, some 0.8m from the village where approximately half the
pupils lived.
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disagree with the £4,011 per pupil allocation, based
on actual numbers the per pupil allocation was
£3,936.
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the back yard of the school was currently being developed
for the Foundation Phase.
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over the summer a parking area costing £40k was
built for the school.
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in September 2008, 5 new pupils came to the school, 4 full
time and 1 in the nursery class.
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the school could accommodate 68 pupils. At present there
were 48 pupils. This worked out that there were 29.4 empty
spaces.
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between 2002 and 2004 there was considerable expenditure
on the school with 2 new classes built and a resources room, new
hall and kitchen.
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Steve Rickards (Governor
and parent):
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there were just over 150 pupils for the 4 schools in the
catchment area. If an area school was established it would require
a headteacher (possibly a non-teaching head), a deputy head, 6 full
time teachers, designated administrative staff, receptionist,
multiple classroom assistants, kitchen staff.
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an area school would require the use of multiple
buses.
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early start for some children with a possible 30 minute
bus ride.
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Governors did not believe at present that an area school
was the right option.
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health and safety implications with unsupervised 4-11 year
olds on a bus.
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all the schools in the area provided an excellent
education for their pupils and the Estyn reports confirmed this. It
was difficult to see how an area school could improve the
education, individual needs and welfare of the children.It would
also involve significant capital cost and high transport
costs.
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the school had developed specialisms in responding to the
needs of pupils with additional educational needs.
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Councillor K.P.Hughes (Local
Member):
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the responsibility of the education authority was to offer
services of quality to any resident of the Island. He disagreed
with the view put forward that the Council should be run as a
business. It was not an establishment to make a profit.
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the real value of schools was to the community and the
preservation of the Welsh language.
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thanked the Executive for looking at the Island in its
entirety.
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the 3 schools in question favoured the retention of their
schools.
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appreciate the value of the work of the teachers at the
school, who worked as a team for the benefit of the
pupils.
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in his view primary school retention should be a higher
priority for the Island than the retention of leisure
centres.
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Ysgol Frwd Win, Ysgol Cylch y Garn and Ysgol Llanfachraeth
provided excellent educational standards and this was testified to
in the Estyn reports.The rationalisation report did not offer
anything better.
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Ysgol Cylch y Garn,
Llanrhuddlad
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Idwal Parry (On behalf of
the Community):
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the school was an integral part of the community providing
education for pupils of the area. It was a school for the
community.
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the school was very central, near the main road but far
enough away to be safe.
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parking provision was excellent with land available free
of charge to extend that provision.
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school site was ideal for any future extension with two
big playing fields.
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Wylfa ‘B’ would attract an influx of families
to the area.
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the area appreciated the work of the staff at the school
providing education of the highest standard.
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a community extension was built in the 1980’s to
provide a community hall, committee room and toilets which were
part of the school facilities during the day and used by the
community outside school hours. The extension was also the school
hall and dining room.
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the only memorial to those killed in both world wars was
sited on school grounds.
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there was increased house building activity in the area
which would ensure a supply of children to the school in
future.
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the village no longer had a shop or post office and
attempts were being made to ensure that the Chapel remained open.
Closure of the school would decimate this rural area.
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Sian Tudor (Governor and
parent):
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the school was already an area school with pupils
attending from a wide area.
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the community was proud of the relationship with the
school and the commitment of pupils to the community.
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the standard of education as seen in the Estyn reports was
excellent. It was sad to listen to statistics about empty places
and buildings as opposed to the standard of education
provided.
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very sad having had to attend a meeting and hearing
Members of the Council disparaging the standard of education at our
small rural schools, without any evidence to support such
statements.
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no problems in the area by children or young people. It
was the commitment of the parents and the school that had achieved
this.
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it was a small school with special character and
convenient parking. In passing the memorial you could see the fish
pond and the garden provided and established by the gardening
club.
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very fortunate on the teaching and support
staff.
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those moving up to Secondary School could all speak Welsh
despite some being from non-Welsh speaking homes. This was an
important factor for a rural community.
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the parents were adamant that the school should not close.
With the shop and post office closed, the school was central to the
life of the community.
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the parents were concerned that the Council was spending
money on foolish things around the Island to the detriment of the
education of its children.
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Wylfa ‘B’ could see an influx of people to the
area with a resultant increase in pupil numbers.
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Estyn report showed that the school provided education of
the highest standard.
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strong links between the school and the
community.
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children would have to travel 30 minutes if an area school
was built. There was a difference between a child of 4 and a child
of 11 travelling on an unsupervised bus to school.
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Miss Jane Ann Jones (Headteacher):
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the school had provided education in the area for over 100
years.
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staff had been retained, with a teacher there having
taught for almost 30 years, a caretaker had been there for 40
years, an assistant for 15 years and she as Headteacher for 10
years. That was a total of over 100 years service to one
school.
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the Island faced huge unemployment problems. An area
school would not be able to accommodate the employment of
every single member of staff from the schools in
question.
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12 new pupils commenced at the school in
September.
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the school co-operated fully with the
community.
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an after school club had been established. Parents also
met there in order to prepare a newsletter for the area in
general.
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there were a number of new houses being built in the area
and the school could only profit by the arrival of Wylfa
‘B.’
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the Urdd met after school on a monthly basis and Dragon
Sports met weekly.
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glad that Members were not today referring to lower
standards - education was as good if not better in a small school
as compared with a large school. The education provided was of the
highest standard with emphasis on community respect.
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she implored the Executive to consider its decision very
carefully and not reach a decision that this Island would regret in
years to come.
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The Leader of the Council
and Councillor G.O.Parry, MBE, Portfolio Holder expressed their
thanks to all those who had contributed to the discussion at
today’s meeting and to the informal consultation that had
previously taken place. They also expressed their appreciation to
Mr.Geraint Elis, Strategic Co-ordinator and to his staff for their
work in this respect.
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It was pointed out that it
was difficult for this Authority to apply for funds from the
Assembly under the 21st Century Schools Programme to build or
refurbish schools as no schemes for rationalisation had been
adopted.Unfortunately, vacant places in our schools caused a
reduction in the money allocated for education across the
Island.
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This Authority was facing
a very testing time and hard decisions would have to be made as
regards the cutting back of the level of service provided. The
Authority had already cut back on its services to the elderly. The
Executive’s decision as regards schools would be based of
firm reasons and hopefully a wise decision would be reached.
Members acknowledged the high standards achieved according to the
Estyn reports and pointed out that no-one on the Executive had at
any stage undermined the standards or the level of education
provided at any school.
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The meeting concluded
at 5.00pm
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COUNCILLOR
C.McGREGOR
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CHAIR
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