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Parent governors of a rural primary school threatened with closure have questioned the basis on which the council will make its decision.

Rhydri Primary School, in Rudry, could shut for good in July 2025 because falling pupil numbers pose a “significant challenge” to its “future viability”, according to Caerphilly County Borough Council officials.

Campaigners have said the spectre of closure has undermined efforts to boost numbers with parents being put off from enrolling their children.

A council report, debated by the education scrutiny committee on July 16, said Rhydri Primary has 45 pupils on its books, with a capacity of 91. More than half the pupils live outside the school’s catchment area.

Council officers have put forward the argument that declining birth rates and “parental preference” will further increase surplus places.

The governing body, which is federated with Bedwas Primary, agreed to the school’s closure in March this year – a decision members say was not unanimous – citing the school’s “untenable” financial position.

This is all against the backdrop of Caerphilly County Borough Council having to make around £65m worth of savings over the next three years.

Caerphilly’s cabinet is due to meet on Wednesday July 24 to decide on the start of the formal public consultation before a final closure decision is made.

A letter to senior councillors from former parent governor Neil Ingham described the plan to close as a ‘fait accompli’ – something that has already happened.

He wrote: “I urge you to do the brave thing, show leadership and think outside of the narrow box your local education authority officers present to you. It is entirely possible that Rhydri Primary can exist and thrive for another century – the only barrier to that potential is a failure of leadership today.”

The recent history of a 123-year-old school

Like many other institutions, Rhydri was severely disrupted by the pandemic which saw pupil numbers fall from around 80 to 60.

A decision to reduce classes from three to two, which was later reversed following parent pressure, also had an impact with a further ten pupils leaving.

By September 2023 the number of pupils had fallen to just 50.

The organisation of open days, events, and a marketing blitz of 20,000 leaflets saw the school attract more pupils, many from outside catchment, to bring its numbers up to 70.

However, the announcement of potential closure in March this year has seen pupil numbers fall again.

Parent frustration

Abi Gail is a parent of a pupil at the school. She and others have been left frustrated at the lack of information from the council about the future, if the school closed.

She said: “There is no space in my son’s year at any of the four other local schools we have looked at, and a complete absence of any information from the council about where the new catchment will be.

“This has left parents understandably worried about where their children will go and therefore pupils have been leaving since March to ensure they can get places in parent preferred schools when they arise.”

Could the school have a future as a place for children with additional learning needs?

In July last year, parent Caroline Collings, of Llanbradach, spoke to Caerphilly Observer about the benefit of the school’s smaller, rural, setting.

She explained: “We choose to travel the extra distance to bring our children to Rhydri school. A small, inclusive, rural setting is like hitting gold for families with a special educational needs child, the positive impact this school’s nurturing nature has had on our son is immeasurable.”

Some 60% of new pupils who moved to the school have ALN, could this be the solution to Rhydri’s future?

Mr Ingham, who resigned as a parent governor, already expressed concern for these pupils in his letter to the cabinet.

He wrote: “This is a cohort of pupils whose young lives have already been disrupted and distorted by the pandemic. The cohort of pupils who chose to join Rhydri since September 2023 now face another change of school – particularly traumatic given most had chosen Rhydri having had difficult experiences in other, typically larger schools.

“At a governors meeting, the headteacher informed Governors that some 60% of those new pupils had ALN – they are all now forced to find new schools, settle again.”

“Die has been cast”

Campaigners who are fighting to save the school feel the decision to close has effectively already been made and attempts to find a way forward blocked.

Governors have been told by the council the school, which has an annual budget deficit of around £30,000, could be viable if it had 90 pupils, but would need to be defederated from Bedwas – a process which could take two years. Governors said officials told them they would refuse to carry projected deficits over this period – in effect it would cost too much.

Dr Kate Briscoe is a fellow governor on the board.

She told Caerphilly Observer: “The biased information that appears to have been fed to the cabinet of CCBC makes a closure decision inevitable. This makes a mockery of the so-called ‘consultation process’.

“Pupil numbers have dropped dramatically twice. Each time in reaction to two major decisions guided by the local education authority [LEA] and announced by the governing body.

“Firstly to reduce from three to two teachers in May 2023 and secondly to propose closure in March 2024.

“What is not made clear is that in between was a successful promotion campaign where numbers increased by 25% and parents out of catchment were becoming aware that their children could move to Rhydri where they would be happy and well taught in a ‘green’ warm-hearted environment. The promotion was snowballing.

“Unfortunately convention demands that finance officers can only base three-year financial predictions on live birth rate within catchment. Thus the LEA can claim that predicted numbers will never be enough, when in fact it is entirely possible.

“The clear message is that all rural schools whose pupils come from out of catchment in large degree, will end up closing.

“I am very sorry to have been part of this narrow minded process but I have been delighted to be part of the promotion campaign with wonderfully positive vibrant parents, children and staff.”

Concluding his letter to the cabinet, Mr Ingram said: “It is evident to parents and governors that the die was cast for Rhydri some years ago. The school is too small, too excellent and too rural a reality to fit within a system that demands scale, homogeneity and urbanity.

“…This school can be viable – it just needs the grace to grow a little. One hundred and twenty-five years can become 150, and future generations can thrive as our children have done.

“Our generation of leaders can’t keep making excuses for our failure to steward these key community assets, or to make young life easier – this generation of children can’t keep suffering because adults fail to make their real, immediate needs a priority.”