School shake-up that has split city

Apr 11 2008 by Moira Sharkey, South Wales Echo

The biggest school reorganisation in 30 years in taking shape in Cardiff. Education Correspondent Moira Sharkey asks if it will secure a better furture for the city's pupils

CHILDREN at schools facing closure like Lansdowne Primary are hoping the school reorganisation plan never becomes a reality.

Others such as the pupils of Ysgol Treganna, Canton, which is overcrowded and in dire need of expansion, are resting their hopes on change and fast.

But council chiefs say with thousands of surplus places in other schools they cannot open new sites. They are under orders from the Welsh Assembly Government and education inspectorate Estyn to stop wasting £3m each year on keeping empty classrooms open.

Teachers agree doing nothing is not an option as children’s education is suffering due to the current crisis of more than 8,000 surplus places in English primaries, overcrowding in Welsh schools and a repair backlog on school buildings of more than £50m.

Education chiefs and the Liberal Democrat-led council say they have come up with the best solutions they can find to solve the problem and create a 21st century education service fit for this and future generations.

The big question is whether the pain of change, the sacrifices made by communities as they face amalgamations and school closures and uncertainty be a price worth paying.

Today, a parent whose son is among the first to experience change as a result of the schools shake-up, a city headteacher campaigning for change and the city’s education chief have their say.

‘Jac’s going to get a local education’
Mum-of-two Ceri Boulton, from Caerau, is one of the first parents to feel the impact of the school reorganisation plan. Her son Jac is a pupil at the new Welsh starter class at Holy Family school. Jac will be at the school for three years but Ceri hopes he will then attend a new Welsh primary planned for Caerau. She also hopes her 18-month-old daughter Seren will be able to start at the new Welsh primary and reap the rewards of all the changes.

Ceri said: “I wanted Jac to be educated in Welsh and for a long time I have hoped a Welsh school would open for the communities of Ely and Caerau.

“Currently he has to travel to Pentrebane to the new starter class. It was a tough decision to make about whether this new class with just 10 pupils would be the right place for him. But he has thrived,” she added.

The council is proposing to open a new Welsh primary on the site of Cwrt-yr-Ala Junior School and a new English primary would be housed in the buildings of Caerau nursery and infant schools.

Ceri explained: “I have suggested it might be better if the plan was reversed and the English primary could take over the single building as the number of children at the Welsh school may be less initially. I think the council may consider this.

“I am just so pleased that Jac will have a local school. He is five now and will only get to the new school in 2010, and that’s if everything goes to plan. Any further delays will mean he will have spent the majority of his education at a temporary school.

“I do genuinely believe that the council is trying to do the right thing and is trying to create a better education system for all children in the city although I appreciate that for parents of children whose school is being closed or merging it is hard to see how that is for the better.”

‘We must change for pupils’ sakes’
David Pedwell, headteacher of Oakfield Primary and a member of Cardiff’s schools sub-committee which was tasked to come up with proposals for a new schools reorganisation plan. “The world is changing rapidly; we need to prepare pupils for life and its demands in the 21st century.

“Meaningful change is essential if the children of Cardiff are to be properly equipped to compete in the wider world.

“We cannot continue to provide education in Cardiff as we are; most of our buildings were constructed pre-1970 to meet the educational requirements at that time.

“Surplus places is costing the local authority in excess of £3m per year; the backlog of capital works is around £50m. Many pupils are being disadvantaged by the lack of sufficient resources and the environment in which they are expected to learn.

“The schools reorganisation plan offers a wonderful opportunity for Cardiff council to invest in a large number of schools and provide facilities fit for purpose in the 21st century.

“The introduction of the foundation phase, curriculum 2008, the 14-19 agenda, the provision of integrated children's centres, community-focused schools and developments in IT all require substantial capital and revenue investment.

“Many schools in Cardiff are developing creative strategies to work more widely with the community by providing breakfast clubs, a range of extracurricular activities and adult education opportunities.

“Schools will inevitably need to stay open for community use and work with an increasing number of organisations to ensure our children benefit from the best possible opportunities.

“Change is not a painless process; it demands courage and vision. We have an opportunity in Cardiff to make a huge difference our children; it is an opportunity that must be grasped.”