Issue - meetings

To submit a report by the Head of Learning.

It was resolved –

·        To approve Option 2 namely to build a new school for Bodffordd and Corn Hir schools and to continue to maintain educational provision in Llangristiolus either by maintaining Ysgol Henblas in its current form or as a multi-site school [i.e merge Ysgol Henblas with the new school and create one school on two sites].This decision to be linked to assurance in a year’s time [i.e. by the end of the 2018/19 school year] that standards at Ysgol Henblas are improving, that the current pace of improvement increases and that prospects with regard to pupil numbers remain constant or increase.

·        That discussions be held with the Bodffordd Community Council and with the community of Bodffordd to safeguard and retain the community hall. The discussions to commence within the next 6 weeks.

The report of the Assistant Chief Executive incorporating the report on the outcome of the statutory consultation on the modernisation of the primary education provision in the Llangefni area (Ysgol Corn Hir, Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Henblas) was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

Having declared a prejudicial interest in this matter, Councillor Llinos Medi Huws, Councillor Richard Dew and the Chief Executive all withdrew from the meeting during the discussion and determination thereof. Councillor Ieuan Williams, the Vice-Chair took the Chair for the item.

The Chair invited Councillor Aled Morris Jones, Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee to report on the deliberations of the Scrutiny Committee on this matter from its meeting held on 23 April, 2018 and the recommendations resulting therefrom.

Councillor Aled Morris Jones reiterated his thanks to all those who had contributed to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee’s discussion on this subject at the 23 April meeting and especially to the representatives of the three schools in question who had all made a robust case on behalf of their schools. The representatives of Ysgol Bodffordd had conveyed the picture of a busy rural school actively contributing to its community and with a well-regarded Cylch Meithrin. One of the concerns regarding the report presented to the Scrutiny Committee was the lack of evidence to prove the Council’s ownership of land and a community building linked to Ysgol Bodffordd about which doubts were raised at the meeting. Councillor Jones said that the Committee was keen to ensure that this issue was clarified prior to this meeting of the Executive. With Ysgol Corn Hir the Scrutiny Committee heard that a pressing issue was lack of space for the children at the school. The representatives of Ysgol Henblas had described the strides the school was now making in improving standards and performance under the leadership of an enthusiastic, new Head Teacher. Councillor Jones said that the emerging picture in relation to both Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Henblas was that of two medium sized schools (or schools that could even be considered large by Anglesey’s standards) being caught up in the need to find a solution to the lack of primary education places in Llangefni. Whilst it was accepted that the situation in Ysgol Corn Hir needs to be resolved, the concern that was being put across to the Scrutiny Committee was that this should not be at the expense of Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Henblas. Councillor Aled Morris Jones referred to remarks made by the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education in the plenary session on 25 April when questioned by Anglesey’s Assembly Member with reference to the schools’ modernisation programme in Anglesey - and specifically a lack of clarity due on the one hand to the expectations of the Twenty-First Century Schools Programme that funding for new schools is based on generating savings by amalgamating/closing existing small schools, and on the other hand, the presumption against the closure of rural schools in the new draft  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9