EVERY PUPIL SET TO BENEFIT FROM CHANGES

10 June 2005

Every pupil in Swansea is set to benefit from the city's school re-organisation plan which will see an extra £39 million up for grabs, council cabinet education member Mike Day pledged today. He made the promise after the cabinet yesterday backed the first phase of its overhaul of schools in the city.

If it eventually goes ahead, Dylan Thomas pupils will move to Bishop Gore School. Bryn Nursery in Townhill will go the same way with pupils transferring to Townhill Primary, as will Garnswllt Primary on the Swansea- Carmarthenshire border with children moving to other schools in the area.

Llywnderw Primary School will go from its temporary site at Bishop Gore to a new home in West Cross Lane.

The proposals now go out for six weeks of public consultation with pupils, teachers and parents all having their say.But Councillor Day pledged that if the proposals win final approval, the revenue savings they generate will be ploughed back into improving education in Swansea.

He revealed the council intends to spend the £39 million to improve school buildings over the coming years. Councillor Day said: "Everyone will have the chance to have their say."No decisions have been made yet. That may not come until March next year."

That is when Assembly Education Minister Jane Davidson will make a final decision if, as is inevitable, objections force her to call the proposals in and make the decision herself. If approved it will mean at least £7 million will be spent on improving facilities at Bishop Gore to cope with the influx of new pupils. The council said that it would also mean that £3.5 million of improvements will come from an Assembly grant for Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr and Ysgol Gyfun Bryn Tawe.

All the money saved on the council's education budget by the changes will be spent only on pupils."

Swansea has too many empty school places," said Councillor Day. "The organisation plan will manage this issue and all the money that is saved by not funding empty places will go to the frontline instead."

That means that the amount we can spend on every pupil will go up."

The consultation process will start on Monday with a report going back to cabinet in August.