PUSH FOR A LLANGATWG SUPER SCHOOL

It is thought that Tonna Councillor Leanne Jones, Aberdulais Councillor Doreen Jones and Cadoxton Councillor Anette Wingrave could push for a 3-16 super-school in the Lower Neath Valley. Closing Cilfrew Primary School, Catwg Primary School and Tonnau Primary School.

The three councillors and their Labour colleagues unanimously voted for a similar proposal in Pontardawe on 16^th June 2021. Here the education department expressed concerns for smaller, older schools and the advantages of having one large new ‘super-school’.

There are vast similarities between Pontardawe and the schools in the lower Neath valley. The size, age and maintenance backlog of the schools make comparisons easy. Meaning that it seems unlikely that the councillors would believe that this move was best for Pontardawe but not for their own area.

ASPESTOS IN CATWG PRIMARY SCHOOL

A freedom of information request has allowed us to see that Catwg has a backlog of maintenance nearing £600,000 according to Neath Port Talbot Council. A similar figure was used to persuade local councillors to close Alltwen, Godre’r’graig and Llangiwg primary school. There is also Asbestos present in Catwg Primary school although it is currently deemed ‘manageable’.

We received no information on Cilfrew or Tonnau Primary schools although it is expected that the three combined Primaries have a backlog figure between £1.5 million and £2 million (as most schools in Neath Port Talbot face similar maintenance backlog figures).

The Education Department for NPT Council have stated “The school building stock is ageing and the Council is facing increasing backlog maintenance and repair costs. As money and opportunity becomes available the Council will seek to replace existing schools with new builds and state of the art teaching and learning facilities.”

A Llangatwg ‘Super School’ would allow the council to alleviate the backlog costs of all 3 schools and provide a “school fit for the 21^st century”.  

In the Swansea Valley the council also stated “Currently the three schools are separate establishments, on sites some distance apart. Creating a single larger primary school can lead to increased benefits for staff and children, as well as enabling a more efficient and effective use of resources.”

Local Labour councillors have expressed their concern with smaller, older schools and are proven to prefer amalgamated ‘super schools’. Last year, former Council leader Rob Jones stated his desire for “all schools to be 3-16”.

How would a Super-Primary School work?

For NPTC a super primary school in the lower Neath valley is far easier than in Pontardawe as the borough will not need to offer any transport for children within a 2-mile catchment area. Any school built near or on the Llangatwg Secondary School site would mean that no busses would need to be provided by the council.

With around 700 pupils the new school would also have 3 classes per year group. It could also be linked to an ASD unit. The building would be funded predominantly with Welsh Assembly Money through the 21^st century schools programme and the old school buildings would be sold off for development.

This would alleviate the backlog costs for the council and reduce staff overheads. Amalgamating these three schools would save 2 head teacher salaries and potentially less teachers. The benefits for the council can be summed up with this line within their report “It (‘super-school’) will be managed with one head teacher and one governing body and will have one budget allocation and one group of staff.”

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.  

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