Llanbradach: Final decision on Cwm Glas School closure in April

A final decision on the closure of an infants’ school in Llanbradach will be made in early April, after parents and governors decided not to object to the plans.

Just 33 children are currently on the rolls at Cwm Glas Infant School, meaning nearly half of pupil places are unfilled.

According to a Caerphilly Council report, the drop in learner numbers is expected to worsen in the coming years, owing to parental preference and a decline in local birth rates.

Projected pupil numbers and the “resultant financial outlook” pose a “significant challenge” to the school’s leadership to maintain the site and staffing levels, the council warned.

Cabinet members backed the proposed closure in December 2023, and in a subsequent consultation parents and governors were among those able to lodge formal objections to the plan.

What is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet?

A council’s cabinet is made up of councillors in charge of different policy areas – such as education, environment, local economy, etc – and a leader.

It is separate to the council’s corporate management structure, which is headed up by its chief executive and various directors. Cabinet is made up of councillors, who are elected and have the ultimate say.

Typically, cabinet members are councillors from the party with the most elected council members.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet is made up of:

Cllr Sean Morgan (Nelson) – Leader
Cllr Jamie Pritchard (Morgan Jones) – Deputy Leader; Prosperity, Regeneration and Climate Change
Cllr Nigel George (Risca East) – Corporate Services and Property
Cllr Eluned Stenner (New Tredegar) – Finance and Performance
Cllr Carol Andrews (Gilfach) – Education and Communities
Cllr Shayne Cook (Morgan Jones) – Housing
Cllr Elaine Forehead (Van) – Social Care
Cllr Philippa Leonard (Risca East) – Planning and Public Protection
Cllr Chris Morgan (Machen and Rudry) – Waste, Leisure and Green Spaces

Corporate management is made up of unelected employees of the council and has responsibility for day-to-day management of services, such as making sure the bins are collected. Corporate directors work with cabinet members to come up with policy which is then agreed upon by the cabinet.

_{Last updated October 13, 2023}

“Reasonable alternatives to closure”, such as cutting the number of classes or co-location, were considered by the council and headteacher but “deemed not viable or sustainable”, according to the report.

If the closure is approved by the council’s cabinet members in April, it is estimated that all current and future pupils of Cwm Glas could be accommodated at Coed y Brain Primary School, roughly a mile away.

At a meeting of the council’s education scrutiny committee on Tuesday March 12, Cllr Colin Gordon said Coed y Brain was an “excellent school” and there would be no problems with children going there.

Cwm Glas currently teaches pupils aged three to seven and serves as a feeder school for Coed y Brain.

If cabinet members proceed with the proposal to close Cwm Glas, as expected, the school will shut its doors for good on July 20, at the end of the current academic year.

Maps

Low birth rates blamed for school’s dwindling pupil numbers

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