Agenda item

To consider a report by Councillor Eryl Williams, Lead Member for Education presenting the findings of the formal consultation and seeking Cabinet approval to the publication of a statutory notice on the proposal to close Ysgol Llanbedr DC as of 31 August 2016 with existing pupils transferring to Ysgol Borthyn, Ruthin subject to parental preference.

RESOLVED that Cabinet approve the publication of a statutory notice on the proposal to close Ysgol Llanbedr DC as of 31 August 2016 with existing pupils transferring to Ysgol Borthyn, Ruthin subject to parental preference.

 

Councillor Eryl Williams presented the report detailing findings of the formal consultation on the proposal to close Ysgol Llanbedr DC as of 31 August 2016 with existing pupils transferring to Ysgol Borthyn, Ruthin subject to parental preference, and sought Cabinet approval to publish a statutory notice on the proposal.

 

The proposal had been made as part of the wider Ruthin area review and whilst some background information had previously been provided Cabinet was required to consider the consultation responses afresh.  The case for change had been set out in the report based on the Council’s objectives to reduce surplus places, achieve a fairer and more equitable distribution of school funding and provide greater efficiency and effectiveness of the school estate.  The consultation responses included an alternative option put forward by the Diocese of St. Asaph to federate Ysgol Llanbedr DC with Ysgol Trefnant VA and change the legal status from Voluntary Controlled to Voluntary Aided.  Cabinet was asked to consider the viability of the federation option before determining whether to approve the statutory notice for closure.

 

Cabinet considered the case for federation and questioned whether it would meet the Council’s objectives to tackle surplus places in the Ruthin area, provide better educational outcomes, decrease the cost per pupil and provide a sustainable school for the future.  Benefits and risks were also considered together with implications for the proposed federation partners.  During debate Cabinet noted that –

 

·         federation would involve both schools remaining and sharing a Governing Body – it would not address the issue of surplus places

·         no savings would be made in terms of cost per pupil as a result of federation and for future sustainability there was a need to reduce both revenue and capital costs

·         educational outcomes in the Ruthin area were generally good with schools expected to maintain or improve outcomes – a judgement could not be made at this time as to whether federation would produce better outcomes

·         both the Diocese Authority and Governing Body were passionate about keeping Ysgol Llanbedr open and had made a case for federation as an alternative option to closure – however there could be potential risks for the federation partner, which was currently a sustainable school in its own right

·         the benefits of the federation option had been set out by the Governing Bodies within the report and included best practice and learning experiences – many of those benefits could be realised by schools working more collaboratively and were not by themselves a strong case for federation

·         no detail of the federation model had been provided at this stage and whilst a 10 mile distance between the schools was significant, the proposal stated that pupils would not be transferred between sites, only teachers, and questions were raised over the practicalities of such an arrangement with no economies of scale realised

·         some financial responsibility would be removed from the Council arising from a change in legal status to Voluntary Aided which related to the premises allocation for maintenance.

 

Councillor Huw Williams responded to the debate on federation and advised that –

 

·         no consultation had been carried out at this stage and it was difficult to answer particular questions until the proposal had been properly consulted upon

·         immediate savings included £26k from not having to transport transferred pupils to Ysgol Borthyn and £12k on staffing and there were no budget deficits in either school

·         there were successful federations in the Wrexham area between schools further than 10 miles apart, and

·         Ysgol Llanbedr’s pupil numbers and projections continued to increase.

 

Councillor Huw Williams also raised questions regarding the increase in savings put forward as a result of the school closure; whether Cabinet had been privy to the full evidence submitted by the Diocese Authority, and sought the views of Councillor Eryl Williams, as Lead Member for Education, on the Hill report.  In response officers –

 

·         explained that the difference in the savings calculation from £68k to £126k was due to changes made via the Schools Budget Forum in terms of non-pupil led funding – no savings would be made by the local authority from federation

·         advised that if Cabinet was minded to pursue a federation option it would need to be taken forward by the Governing Bodies, and

·         provided assurances that all documentation submitted had been made available to Cabinet members.

·         Councillor Eryl Williams responded that many of the Hill report’s recommendations had not been taken forward and were a matter for Welsh Government together with subsequent reviews such as the Donaldson report.

 

Cabinet discussed the report and other consultation findings and questioned whether the proposal would deliver the Council’s objectives in terms of surplus places, educational outcomes and sustainability.  Officers confirmed the issue of surplus places would not be addressed by retaining the school.  The number of pupils in Ysgol Llanbedr had increased but the school was still considered unsustainable given that there was alternative suitable capacity in the area – an increase in pupils in Ysgol Llanbedr may also give rise to surplus capacity in other schools.  Capital and revenue savings would also be made if the proposal was implemented by providing greater efficiency and effectiveness of the school estate.

 

Councillor Huw Williams raised questions regarding surplus places and the capacity/suitability of Ysgol Borthyn to accommodate additional pupils.  Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts highlighted the changes to the original Ruthin area review proposals and sought assurances that each school had appropriate capacity to meet local needs.  Officers responded to the issues raised as follows –

 

·         assurances were provided regarding the capacity of Ysgol Borthyn to accommodate relocated pupils and the fire risk assessment had been included in the Capital Plan for completion by the end of March 2015.  The road assessment and traffic risk assessment were satisfactory

·         if all the Ruthin area review proposals were implemented surplus places would reduce from 23% to 9% – calculations for school places had been made with regard to the mix of schools and provision in the area and information available.  Whilst there were no absolute guarantees, recent figures had been predicated with a high level of accuracy.  Capacity was managed further by the authority through the schools admission process.

 

Councillor Huw Williams highlighted the need for a solution to satisfy the local community with 539 respondents in support of the school compared to 6 for closure.  He added that Ysgol Llanbedr had the full support of the community and would have a future if it was allowed to prosper via federation.

 

The Chief Executive highlighted the difficult but necessary decisions to be made in order to tackle surplus places, invest in modernising education and ensure sustainable schools for the future.  He believed that federation was a solution in particular scenarios but not so in this case.  The Head of Legal, HR and Democratic Services highlighted the requirements of the School Organisation Code and the consideration that Cabinet should give to the consultation responses. He reminded Cabinet that the proposal under consideration was the proposal to close the school and that the issue of federation had been raised as part of the consultation on that proposal. Cabinet members should decide, after taking into account all that they had heard and read in response to the consultation, whether or not to publish a statutory notice in respect of the proposal to close the school. If Cabinet members were persuaded that the federation option put forward during the consultation should be pursued then they would need to vote against the recommendation and commence a new consultation exercise in respect of a proposal to federate.

 

Having carefully reviewed the report and consultation responses received it was –

 

RESOLVED that Cabinet approve the publication of a statutory notice on the proposal to close Ysgol Llanbedr DC as of 31 August 2016 with existing pupils transferring to Ysgol Borthyn, Ruthin subject to parental preference.

 

At this juncture (12.30 p.m.) the meeting adjourned for a refreshment break.