Is Tairgwaith Primary School set to close?

June 23, 2021July 5, 20214 years ago 6 min read

Since the school consultation proposal began in the Swansea Valley; Something never added up. Within Council reports, there were nearly 200 full time pupils that appeared at the new school but NOT at the 3 Pontardawe schools which faced closure.

This led to a belief within the community that a fourth school would be added. Rhos Primary and Rhydyfro seemed the most likely contenders. Where else could 200 pupils magically appear from?

We have reason to believe that the school most likely to close now is Tairgwaith Primary School. You can read more about the pupil figures here.

Why Tairgwaith?

Firstly, there would be very little opposition. The Amman Valley is isolated politically. Closer to Carmarthenshire, Powys and Swansea counties than the Council offices within Neath or Port Talbot. Parents and residents could protest but from afar. Crucially too, it is likely to have a very supportive Labour councillor.

Gwaun Cae Gurwen Councillor Sonia Reynolds has been a very vocal supporter of new, large schools. Appearing to believe that small, older schools have had their day. The Labour councillor voted alongside all of her colleagues to close the schools in the Swansea Valley and has regularly promoting the idea in Pontardawe facebook pages etc.. There are few councillors who appear more against smaller community schools than the GCG representative.

Money Saving

The school has a backlog figure of around half a million pounds. This was a major reason for closing the Swansea Valley schools. Tairgwaith is also not all within one block, which had been a concern for Llangiwg primary. There is asbestos present, although a limited and manageable amount but this could be a reason to close the school at any time.

Essentially, all of these problems would go away for the council by closing the school.

At its last inspection, Tairgwaith Primary School was 10th out of the 65 primary schools in Neath Port Talbot in terms of its school budget per pupil. Meaning that it is an expensive school to run. There would be a day-to-day saving with teacher/head teacher salaries should this occur. Savings here would comfortably pay for the transportation of children up and down the valley, especially when it could be linked with Cwmtawe.

TOO FAR AWAY?

A bus would need to be provided in order to get pupils from the Amman Valley to Pontardawe. The Council is required to provide transport for any distance greater than 2 miles.

Tairgwaith Primary is just under 7 miles away from the new Pontardawe school site. Only slightly further than residents in Ystalyfera who will also be bussed to the same school. It is thought that it would fall comfortably within what the council sees as an acceptable distance away.

WHAT HAPPENED IN PONTARDAWE?

There has been wide-spread objection to the school closure in Pontardawe. The Town Council, Community Councils, Former mayors, local councillors and the vast majority of residents objected. However 15 Labour councillors voted to close the schools whilst 11 Plaid and Independent voted against.

There is anger in the Swansea Valley that the result was predetermined. Former NPT leader Rob Jones was recorded stating that he wanted the schools to close before the consultation began. There are also concerns about the misleading pupil figures. The council predict that 402 pupils are projected to be in the 3 existing schools in 2024. Yet 587 will attend the new school that same year (according to the report). This has caused some residents to believe that there is a fourth school which will be closed to fill the missing numbers. (you can read more on the pupil figures here)

There is also a wide-spread belief that the emergency closure of Godre’r’graig Primary School was a part of the plan. The school was closed ‘overnight’ prior to the consultation. A temporary school was placed 3 miles away, near where the proposed school is to be located. The council stated that there was a potential landslip behind the school. Although houses either side of the school have been told that their houses are safe.

It must be said that the council stand by their figures. They also state that the closure of Godre’r’graig had nothing to do with their plans. However, there is a genuine belief in the Swansea valley that the council have closed their schools in an underhand way.

STILL UNPOPULAR

Asides from that, the school proposal is also very unpopular. The location of the school is the far North/East side of the valley. It is within half a mile of the Swansea council border. This will mean there is no English medium school within 5 miles of Ystalyfera at the other end of the valley. This would see kids as young as 3 needing to catch a bus to school on their own. Which is highly controversial.

The size of the school will be the biggest in the Borough and is seen as somewhat of an experiment. There are worries by some parents that their kids will become a ‘number’ and that teachers won’t know them.

There is also a huge worry about the community impact. Less interaction at the school gate. The environmental damage as parents drive to school, the inability to walk and exercise. Essentially, the objections were vast but residents feel that they fell on deaf ears with the Labour councillors.

As well as all of this, there is a democratic concern. Parents have stated how they cannot democratically stop this. Not one councillor in the Swansea Valley supported the proposal. This decision was forced upon the valley by Labour councillors from Neath and from Port Talbot, who are unaffected.

Tairgwaith closure?

Andrew Thomas, head of education in Neath Port Talbot has said “Categorically, there’s no plans to close any further schools in the Swansea Valley as a part of this proposal… If things happen that are unpredictable, we’ll have to respond to whatever those circumstances are at the time.”

If things ‘happen that are unpredictable’ such as an asbestos emergency to Tairgwaith Primary School then it may be too late.