How is the future of rural schools being preserved?
THERE are 218 schools in Wales which are officially described as rural schools. The Welsh Government has special rules in place to secure them – but some think it’s too late for their schools.
Campaigners have long argued that closing schools in rural areas damages the community.
According to a new Welsh Government code, which came into force on November 1, there has to be a “presumption against closure” of rural schools. The new code says there has to be a “more detailed set of procedures” and requirements must be followed when a council is proposing to close a rural school.
The definition of a rural school is basedon the Office for National Statistics’ rural and urban classification.
Being designated as a rural school does not mean they will never be closed, but “the case for closure must be strong and all viable alternatives to closure must have been conscientiously considered by the proposer, including federation”.
Education Secretary Kirsty Williams said that getting a new code in place was one of her first tasks when she took on the education brief.
She wanted to “support the delivery of education in rural Wales”.
In April, she told a plenary meeting of the Assembly: “I have been very clear about my direction of travel and my policy intention, and I would urge them to take the spirit of that into consideration between now and any formal publication of the new organisation code”.
But then in June she told an Assembly committee that “there is no statutory requirement on local authorities and other proposers to comply with provisions in the second version of the code until it comes into force.”
The new code lays out extra steps which have to be taken during the closure proceedure. It includes clearly specifying the reasons – whether a falling school roll, difficulties delivering the curriculum or concerns about the school building.
The guidance says: “Schools are major public and community assets; it is important that their future is considered not just from an education perspective, but across the full range of a local authority’s responsibilities.”
One of those suggestions is to “cluster” and collaborate with other schools, include other community services like health facilities.
Meanwhile, Llancarfan Primary is the only designated rural school in the Vale of Glamorgan, according to the 2018 document. However, it too faces closure and is at the centre of a fight for its future.
Vale of Glamorgan Council approved plans to move Llancarfan Primary to a new £4m, 210-place building in nearby Rhoose, where hundreds of new homes are expected over the coming years.
More than 1,000 people opposed the plans across two consultations – and views against the school move were expressed in a council scrutiny committee.
The current Llancarfan School, which would move in September 2021, faces a budget cut of almost £100,000 in the next financial year, based on projected pupil numbers.
Paula Ham, director of learning and skills at the council, told a meeting that redundancies would be “almost inevitable” at Llancarfan School – but moving to a new school building would give better financial protection.