Cardiff Council recently consulted on proposals to reorganise education in the Whitchurch area of the city. During the consultation period a number of meetings were held with the local community and affected schools and around 1,000 written responses were received including a number of alternative suggestions and also the expression of a number of concerns.
In consideration of this further information and as part of the ongoing consultation process, officers are now asking for views on a fourth modified option before drafting the consultation report for consideration by the Executive. This to ensure that elected members have all relevant information before them before making a final decision.
The additional option
Whitchurch High School
- Whitchurch High School to be reduced in size from 12 to 11 forms of entry from September 2012 and then to 10 forms of entry from September 2015 with no further reduction proposed beyond this. No change of catchment area is proposed
- An investment programme of £5.6m would result in the removal of poor quality/demountable accommodation and refurbishment/adaptation of permanent school buildings
- This option does not involve any sale of land or increased sharing of land on the school's two sites
Eglwys Wen and Eglwys Newydd Primary Schools
- Eglwys Wen and Eglwys Newydd Primary Schools to be closed and replaced with a new 2.5 form of entry English-medium primary school with nursery on the site currently shared between Eglwys Wen and Ysgol Melin Gruffydd from September 2012, with no sale of land now proposed
- An investment programme of £2.2m would result in refurbishment and adaptation/extension to the permanent buildings, without the need for any additional demountable classrooms during the transition period. Furthermore, all existing demountable classrooms would be removed on a phased basis until the proposal is fully implemented
- It is proposed that the new school would serve the combined catchment areas of the two existing schools
Ysgol Melin Gruffydd
- Ysgol Melin Gruffydd to transfer to the site currently occupied by Eglwys Newydd as a 2FE Welsh-medium school from September 2012
- An investment programme of £4.9m would result in refurbishment and adaptation/extension to the permanent buildings including the provision of a nursery
- All demountable/substandard buildings, including additional provision needed during the transition period, will be removed on completion of the building works
For more information download the letter sent to parents (186kb PDF)Link opens in a new window
Your views are important
We want your comments on our proposals, send your comments or views on to schoolresponses@cardiff.gov.uk alternatively if you want more information call 029 2087 2720.
What next?
The findings of the consultation will be published in spring 2010 when the Council's Executive will consider all the issues and views received and will then decide how to proceed. If a decision is taken to move forward to the next stage, statutory notices will be published.
If statutory notices are published, they allow a period of two months from the date of publication for formal objections to the proposal. If there are no formal, written objections, the Executive will confirm its decision to proceed unless the Welsh Assembly Government indicates that it wishes to determine the proposal. If there are objections the Welsh Assembly Government Ministers will take the final decision. We will be making sure that you are kept up to date at every stage.