A PUBLIC meeting has prompted fears Colwyn Bay’s small community schools will be lost.
Parents and teachers are concerned the sense of community will be lost if three primary schools merge.
This week the minutes of a meeting held during last year’s review of primary schools have been published by Conwy County Borough Council.
The meeting was held in October 2009 after education officers selected Glan y Mor, Conway Road and Pendorlan for initial review. A public consultation was held to gauge community concern.
During the meeting parents, teachers, community councillors, groups and school governors met with education representatives. The public feared the three schools would be amalgamated into one new school, creating larger classes of 30 pupils.
The council said amalgamation of infant and junior schools could happen in three different ways. This includes using an existing site, creating a new site or the use of federalisation.
According to the council minutes one person present at the meeting said “instead of amalgamating small schools chop up the big ones.” Another person added, “small is beautiful.”
Colwyn Bay councillor Janet Griffiths said as a mother and grandmother she has found small schools have benefited her children. She said: “There is a more personal approach. The whole ethos and community spirit is better. This is very important in any school. Smaller classes are better, the teacher and student relationship is better.”
A council assessment of the schools found children are nurtured throughout their time at Glan y Mor. Conway Road was found to have a “family feel” where students all knew and looked after each other. At Pendorlan early years parental links were praised.
In Old Colwyn Ysgol Hen Golwyn and Ysgol T Gwynn Jones were selected for initial review. Education officers including Conwy’s statutory head said the schools are under review as they have a number of facilities missing and have separate infant and junior schools.
According to the council the cost of building a brand new school for 400 pupils would be £8-9million. At the meeting the officers said they were unclear on the amount of money the Welsh Assembly Government would allocate if the schools were merged.
Parents, teachers and governors said creating a new school would not be an option they would want to take and said they would want “no change.” They argued Estyn reports in the Old Colwyn schools had been excellent. The meeting found people did not want a federal head and prefer the “focused attention” offered by the two headteachers in place. One person at the meeting feared merging the schools would detract from successes in the foundation phase and said there is a more formal learning style in junior schools.
Cllr Wyn Jones, Conwy’s Cabinet Member for Lifelong Learning and Skills said: “We’ve received valuable feedback that will be used to draw-up our strategy for modernising primary education in Conwy.”
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