Council told to ‘be mindful’ of staff and pupils at heart of school closure bid

Staff and pupils at the centre of a controversial proposal to shut down Rhydri Primary School must be given support, councillors have said.

Members of the school and local communities have one more week to have their say on Caerphilly County Borough Council’s proposals.

The council has blamed the potential closure on the school’s difficulties balancing its budget, due to falling pupil numbers.

But the proposal has proved contentious among some governors and parents who believe the school, in Rudry, can be made “viable”.

Some of those who want the school to remain open have previously said they feel like a closure decision has already been made – although this is disputed by council officers.

At a meeting of Caerphilly County Borough Council’s education committee, on Tuesday October 15, chief education officer Keri Cole said Rhydri Primary had been given five years to try and balance its budget – instead of the usual three.

The council and school leaders had “explored so many options”, including the site becoming a faith school.

“Unfortunately, schools are funded through pupil numbers… and those pupils simply weren’t in the catchment [area],” she told the committee.

A council report shows the school can accommodate 91 pupils, but there are currently just 39 attending – the majority of whom live outside the school catchment area.

But when the matter was raised at a previous council cabinet meeting, critics of the closure plan then claimed the focus on pupil numbers had ignored work to bring more children to the school.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer in July, a governor said a recent “successful promotion campaign” had increased numbers by 25% and encouraged families from further afield to be “taught in a ‘green’ warm-hearted environment”.

At the October 15 education committee meeting, councillors Arianna Leonard, Marina Chacon-Dawson and Colin Gordon were among those to ask about other options for the school, and what would happen to Rhydri Primary’s pupils if it closed.

Committee member Pamela Ireland also asked decision-makers to “be mindful” of the school’s staff, who she said were “struggling” with the ongoing uncertainty.

Ms Cole said it was a “very difficult time” for everyone involved, and the council is “doing our best to support the school”.

Andrea West, the council’s place shaping and Sustainable Communities for Learning service manager, said all parents will be able to put forward a preferred school for their children, “subject to availability”, should Rhydri Primary close.

But the officers said more precise plans for the school’s future could not be taken while the consultation period was ongoing or until a final decision was made.

Committee member Kelcie Stacey asked what the council would do to help pupils if they had to move to a new school.

Again, Ms Cole said a decision was “yet to be made” but added the wellbeing of pupils was “right at the top of our list”.

A public consultation on the plans will close on Tuesday October 22.

Visit the council’s website for more information, and to have your say on the proposals. https://conversation.caerphilly.gov.uk/rhydri-primary-school