Agenda item

Permission was granted by the Cabinet to hold a statutory consultation, in accordance with the requirements of section 48 of the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013, on the planned proposal to close Ysgol Baladeulyn on 31 December 2026 and to provide a place for the pupils at Ysgol Talysarn from 1 January 2027 onwards.

The report was presented by Cllr Dewi Jones

DECISION

To accept the report.

DISCUSSION

He presented the item and emphasised how difficult and sensitive discussions of this kind were, and the emotion that was attached to this item as well.

He talked about the Cabinet's duty to consider several factors in reaching a decision – the reduced number of children in our communities and the falling birth rate, the financial challenges facing the Council, and the need to ensure that the education system was sustainable.

He assured the members that everything would be done so that the consultation process was open, accessible and that all voices would be heard and respected.

He revealed that discussions had been held with the School community in order to consider all available options. Reference was made to the content of the papers outlining the comments received at these meetings, and ideas by the School about possible ways forward.

The school community was thanked, and the member noted that the engagement sessions had been helpful. It was reiterated that this had come about because of the reality of declining numbers of children in schools, and that this proposal was not a reflection of the school.

The Local Member for Llanllyfni Ward expressed disappointment at the proposal to close Ysgol Baladeulyn, stating that it would be a blow to the school community if it were to close.

He acknowledged the financial challenge of maintaining a small school but noted the impact on the village if the school closed.

Concerns were raised about the impact of closing the school on the number of people who would want to move to the village, and the potential impact on the Welsh language locally.

It was noted that clarification regarding the use of the building would be required in the event of the school closing.

Queries were made about federation with Ysgol Talysarn and the addition of a specialist unit to Ysgol Baladeulyn for children with additional learning needs. It was proposed that this model would save resources and make better use of the setting.

Observations arising from the discussion:

·       There were concerns about the impact that closing the school would have on the area's Welsh-speaking community. It was confirmed that impact assessments had been carried out and it was noted that there may be an impact on the children's social use of Welsh. It was mentioned that mitigation measures would be needed to ensure that the Welsh language remained strong should the proposal be accepted.

·       A member asked about staff redundancies should the proposal be accepted. It was emphasised that no decision had been made at the moment, but there was a team of human resources experts to support the School. It was reiterated that the intention would be to find alternative jobs for those people, but it was added that this was not a straightforward process as it was the responsibility of School Governors to appoint staff.

·       It was questioned how the projections for pupil numbers were calculated. It was noted that these projections were submitted annually by the headteachers, and that the number of births in the area was also used to calculate these projections.

The importance of the School building to the community was reiterated, and reference was made to the Council's after-use policy. In addition, a member talked about holding discussions with the community to see if they had a use in mind for the building.