Schools could enter into a federation deal to promote ‘long-term development’

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Two schools in Abertridwr could enter into a federation agreement, working under a single governing body.

Caerphilly Council is expected to launch a consultation on Cwmaber Infants School and Cwmaber Junior School strengthening ties.

According to a council report, federating the two schools enables them to “work together through a formal structured process by sharing a governing body that will make decisions in the best interest of all the schools, staff and pupils in that federation”.

It could provide “a foundation for sustainable long-term development and improvement”, the council added.

Each school can maintain its own delegated budget, name, “character”, uniform and “ethos” but would be allowed to share resources including facilities, IT services and staff.

Any new staff could be appointed on the basis of working across both schools.

The council has acknowledged several “challenges” to federation arrangements, including “building trust” between school communities and the “need to ensure [the] full commitment from all schools involved”.

Each school should feel “equally valued” in any new arrangement, and there is also the risk that experienced governors could be lost under a merger, the council advised.

Any federation is still a long way from completion, however, and will need to go through a lengthy process before coming to fruition.

The first step will be to receive the endorsement of Caerphilly Council’s education committee, which will meet on May 20 to debate the proposals.