CONSULTATION OVER - NOW FOR FEEDBACK

Peter Slee - 15 July 2005

Swansea Council says it has finished its public consultation on plans to shake up the schools service in the city. Council officers and councillors have attended more than 30 meetings during the past two months to discuss proposals with parents, pupils and school staff.

Feedback from the consultation will now be considered before proposals go to cabinet in August.

The in-depth consultation follows a wide-ranging deliberation process from last autumn when the council asked thousands of parents, pupils, governors, staff and other interested parties for their views on the challenges facing education in Swansea.

It is expected during the next five years that there will be fewer pupils attending schools in Swansea.

The council's school organisation plan is designed to tackle falling pupil numbers, use resources more efficiently, maintain a flourishing school in every locality and improve the quality of school buildings.

The biggest shake-up centres on Swansea's Dylan Thomas Community School in Cockett, set to go if the council has its way. Parents there are furious at the move and have vowed to fight it all the way.

Mike Day, cabinet member for education, said: "We want to improve education and opportunities for every child in Swansea.

"We can only do this if we tackle the issues currently holding us back.

"Like every other council in Wales, we have to deal with falling pupil numbers, because at the moment we are spending vital resources on empty chairs and desks.

"We believe our proposals will bring huge benefits to pupils, parents and school staff by investing in the future of schools and pupils.

"It is also important, if any changes are proposed, that the council works closely with those potentially affected to ensure a smooth transition for everyone.

"The next stage will see the feedback and proposals discussed by the council's cabinet in August.

The current proposals include a recommendation that Dylan Thomas school is closed and the pupils transferred to Bishop Gore. There are also plans to create a new teaching facility for children with special needs at Pontarddulais Comprehensive School and to move the existing Welsh-medium primary school from its temporary location at Bishop Gore to a new site at West Cross.

Other main proposals include the closure of Garnswllt Primary School, which has very few pupils, and their transfer to other schools in the area. Bryn Nursery is also slated for closure, with pupils transferring to Townhill Primary School.

Meanwhile, today council officers emphatically denied claims by protesting parents at Dylan Thomas school that some of the figures relating to the reorganisation programme were fabricated.

A spokesman insisted: "This is absolutely not the case."