PARENTS WIN DAY AS CLOSURE CANCELLED

30 November 2005

Parent power has won a major victory after Swansea Council binned plans to close a school. Swansea Council is expected to abandon plans to shut Dylan Thomas Community School and merge it with Bishop Gore school.

The proposals had met with determined opposition from staff and parents at both schools.

But education cabinet member Mike Day has revealed to the Post that he is to recommend shelving the plans, although he admits the problem of pupil numbers at the school still had to be addressed.

He said feedback on plans to run one school on two sites for up to two years while work to upgrade the school to accommodate disabled pupils was carried out had raised concerns about the disruption to pupils' education.

Councillor Day insisted that was the key factor in the sudden u-turn, rather than the unpopular reaction to the plans.

He said: "The case for school reorganisation in the west of Swansea remains strong and the proposal to transfer pupils to Bishop Gore was sound but I am not convinced we can do this without an unacceptable level of disruption for pupils in the transition period.

"I have always said the school reorganisation programme would put the interests of pupils first.

"Some people might argue that having got this far we have no choice but to press on but I disagree. The council has engaged in a genuine consultation and we have listened.

"Despite the change of heart over the merger plans the rest of the council's school reorganisation proposals are going ahead.

A number of objections mean the Assembly will now decide on proposals to close Ysgol Gymraeg Garnswllt, to develop a new home in West Cross for Ysgol Gymraeg Llwynderw and to close Bryn Nursery in Townhill, with provision being transferred to Townhill Primary School. A decision is expected around Easter.

But plans for a new school based in Pontarddulais for children with learning difficulties are expected to be pushed forward.

But despite the u-turn over the plans to close Dylan Thomas, it is still unclear what the future holds for the school.

Councillor Day said: "We still have a problem, along with all other education authorities, in connection with surplus places. Falling rolls at Dylan Thomas still have to be addressed."

He said that if numbers continued to fall at the school, it could become unviable and across Swansea around 1,000 surplus places still had to be axed over the next few years.

Councillor Day said: "The fact remains that despite the recommendation I will make to cabinet next month, the issues around falling schools rolls at Dylan Thomas still exist and must be dealt with."

He said meetings with head teachers and governors of secondary schools in the west of Swansea would now be held to find a way forward.

A cabinet meeting on December 15 will be advised to drop the plans, with Councillor Day saying fears of disruption have fuelled the change of heart.

He said: "The pupils came forward with some very good points, very well made and expressed in a very coherent way.

"The consultation showed almost all respondents - including both sets of governors - feared there would be too much disruption to pupils' education during the transition period and I have been persuaded by that.

"Whatever we do, the children must come first, and this is what I will be recommending to cabinet next month.

"Cabinet has never rushed to judgement on what action to take if it agrees not to close Dylan Thomas.

"What we would do is take steps to ensure the smooth running of the school while further consultation goes on."

Cockett councillor Rhodri Thomas said: "We are delighted at the outcome of this - it is the best Christmas present the children at Dylan Thomas could have had."