Cyflwynwyd gan:Cyng / Cllr Gareth Thomas
Decision:
To consult with the governing bodies of the schools of
the Berwyn Catchment-area on the option to abandon the proposal to establish a
Voluntary Controlled 3-19 Learning Campus (VC, Church in Wales) in the town of
Bala, in accordance with section 55 (5) of the Schools Standards and
Organisation Act 2013 - with the intention to return to the Cabinet to report
on the outcome of the consultation and make recommendations on the way forward.
Minutes:
The item was
submitted by Cllr Gareth Thomas
RESOLVED
To consult with the governing
bodies of the schools of Berwyn Catchment-area on the option to abandon the
proposal to establish a Voluntary Controlled 3-19 Learning Campus (VC, Church
in Wales) in the town of Bala, in accordance with section 55 (5) of the 2013
Schools Standards and Organisation Act - with the intention to return to the
Cabinet to report on the outcome of the consultation and make recommendations
on the way forward.
DISCUSSION
Cllr Gareth Thomas reminded members
of the background of the scheme. It was noted that a consultation period had
been held on the proposal, namely to close Ysgol y Berwyn, Ysgol Bro Tegid and
Ysgol Beuno Sant and establish a new 3-19 Voluntary Controlled school (VC,
Church in Wales), on the existing Ysgol y Berwyn site back in 2015. Although there was objection to the Church School status, a compromise
had been reached and the Cabinet had approved the proposal in September 2015.
During July 2016, the Head of Education had
held a meeting with Church Officials, and following the meeting the department
had received a letter highlighting the right to promote the school and the
school site. The letter had been received a day before the meeting of the
Cabinet was held in December 2016 and the item had been deferred from the
Cabinet meeting.
It was noted that discussions had been held
with the community regarding the letter and this had reignited objections to
the Church School status. Letters had arrived from the schools' Governing
Bodies stating that they did not support the new school with a church status,
and additionally more than 1,000 people had signed a petition objecting to the
church status. Councillor Gareth Thomas explained that a letter had been
received from the Diocese of St Asaph noting the Church's stance.
One of the things to consider was whether or
not there was a significant change to the plan. The main change was that the
trust between both partners, the community and the Church had been affected. It
was noted that there was a need to hold a consultation in order to gather the
opinion of the school Governing Bodies on abandoning the option.
Matters arising from the discussion:
-
A
lifelong learning school was about more than education, it brought the
community together, and there was a need to ensure that the community was happy
with the development to ensure its success and to get the maximum benefit from
a lifelong learning campus.
-
As
the building work was already in commencement, it was asked whether there was
any risk to the funding due to any delay caused by the consultation.
-
It
was noted that the project's business case was in regard to establishing the
school. The Business Plan focused on three things - empty spaces, the condition
of the buildings and value for money.
Any potential change to the project would involve contacting the
Government and the project would be evaluated based on the three things
included in the business plan. It is
therefore considered that the risk was very low.
- It was emphasised that shadow body
would be created to govern the school and it was important to have a
cross-section from the schools.
It was noted that there was a legal requirement to consult before proceeding.
Awdur:Arwyn Thomas
Supporting documents: