Decision details

The Director of Education and Inclusion Services advised Members of the outcome of the recent consultation in respect of the proposal to close Rhigos Primary School with pupils transferring to Hirwaun Primary School by no later than September 2024.

The Cabinet Member for Education, Youth Participation and Welsh Language took the opportunity to thank those who had responded to the consultation process, particularly the young people. The Cabinet Member provided assurance that all submissions had been reviewed by the Committee in detail. It was acknowledged that from the responses received, there was an evident passion from the community of Rhigos for the future of its young people. The Cabinet Member concluded his initial submission by stating that the passion for the best educational outcomes, prospects and facilities was shared by the Cabinet.

The Cabinet Member noted from the report that it had been identified that it would be challenging to deliver the new curriculum for Wales from the current building and asked the Director to provide further clarity in that respect. The Director advised that Hirwaun Primary School was a 21^st Century School, meaning the learning environment had been developed fit for the 21^st Century Learning in terms of digital and technology requirements. It was added that the school also has design features including outdoor areas for structured learning; and that it includes a large space which enables school staff to use flexibly.

The Cabinet Member then sought confirmation in respect of the rural status of the school. The Director informed the Cabinet that the Welsh Government School Organisation Code 2018 contains a list of rural schools and specifies that the National Statistics Urban Rural Classification has been used as the basis of the designation of rural schools. The Director confirmed that there were no schools within RCT on the list of rural schools as there are no schools that meet the specific classifications. The Director explained that although the Office of National Statistics lists both Hirwaun and Rhigos as rural classification, neither meet the specified criteria to be contained within the above-mentioned list.

The Leader acknowledged the responses stating that Rhigos is good school with positive outcomes but spoke of the fundamental issue, which was the decline in pupil numbers and questioned how robust the data is. Referring to a consultation response, the Leader questioned whether there had been a decline in pupil numbers at the school since the start of the consultation and whether that could be attributed to the uncertainty of the school and the proposal before Members. The Director advised that at the start of the consultation there were 57 pupils at the school and that since this time, the number of statutory pupils had since reduced from 51 to 49. The Director explained that the change was due to pupils moving to the Welsh Medium school in Penderyn. In terms of how numbers are projected, the Director advised that it had been calculated in accordance with the guidance issued by Welsh Government and were based on live birth data for the area. The Director advised that estimated projections indicated that there would only be 37 pupils of statutory school age at Rhigos Primary School in 2027-28, although it was acknowledged that this was an estimation and that families move in and out of the locality.

The Deputy Leader took the opportunity to thank the Scrutiny Committee for the valuable contribution. The Deputy noted and sympathised with the concerns raised from the consultation and acknowledged that with change comes worry. The Deputy Leader spoke of a similar change in her ward and acknowledged that concerns were raised by parents and care givers but spoke of the hard work of officers and the governing body to ensure the best provision is available for the young people.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Corporate Services noted that the Scrutiny Committee queried the future use of the building and asked if the commented had been addressed, should the proposals be supported. The Director advised that considerations would need to be consulted upon separately but that the Council could work with the community to identify any viable and sustainable options for community groups and to identify and potentially apply for funding. To date, no representations had been made from the community in respect of the future use of the building.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure noted from the consultation responses and from the Scrutiny discussions that the potential carbon footprint impact and the use of Home-to-school transport by parents had been raised as a point of concern. The Cabinet Member queried whether the carbon footprint had been considered, particularly in respect of the fact that Hirwaun is a new 21^st Century School. The Director confirmed that the modern building design and fabric at Hirwaun Primary School had an EPC rating of A and had been built to be more energy efficient, which would have a positive impact on the overall running cost of the school. The Director added that Hirwaun Primary School also had EV charging facilities on site, which would contribute to the delivery of the Council’s climate commitments. The Director advised that Rhigos Primary School, due to its age, had not been built to be energy efficient.

The Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities questioned what support would be provided for transition if the proposals were to progress. The Director acknowledged that the proposals were incredibly emotive from a children and young people, staff and community perspective. The Director assured the Cabinet that a seamless transition would be a priority, should the proposals be agreed and stated that officers had a lot of experience in effective transition. It was explained that for the most vulnerable of learners, a child centred approach would be adopted to ensure all needs are met. All learners would experience extensive transition activities and events such as stem projects, sporting projects and musical projects to strengthen opportunities for social interaction and for developing relationships and partnerships. The Director stated that minimising the risk of anxiety for children transferring would be imperative.

With the agreement of the Leader, the following Non-Committee Members were granted permission to address the Cabinet:

·       County Borough Councillor A Rogers

·       County Borough Councillor K Morgan

With the agreement of the Leader, the following member of the public was granted permission to address the Cabinet:

·       Ms M Evans – Chair of Governors

The Cabinet Member for Education, Youth Participation and Welsh Language thanked the Non-Committee Members and Chair of Governors for their submissions at the meeting. Following consideration of the comments at the meeting and upon reflection of the consultation responses received, the Cabinet Member was of the view that the proposals before Members was of the best interest for the pupils. Referring to the projected decline in numbers at Rhigos Primary School, the Cabinet Member questioned the future viability of the school and spoke of its ageing setting. The Cabinet Member was encouraged by Estyn’s consultation response which acknowledged the Local Authority’s rationale behind the proposals; and was also encouraged by the modern facilities and opportunities offered at Hirwaun Primary School for pupils to benefit from. As such, the Cabinet Member was in support of the recommendations contained within the report.

Following consideration of all evidence and contributions, the Cabinet Member for Development and Prosperity was in agreement that to progress with the proposals would be the right way forward.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    To note the content of the report;

2.    To note the information contained within the attached Consultation Report, attached as Appendix A to this Cabinet Report, which includes a summary of correspondence received during the consultation, including the full response from Estyn, feedback received from the online survey, and notes of the meetings held;

3.    To note the feedback from Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee which met on 14^th December 2023 provided by the Service Director of Democratic Services and Communication; and

4.    To progress the proposals to the next stage of the consultation process by issuing an appropriate Statutory Notice which will trigger the start of the Objection Period.

Note: Prior to the meeting, a letter was circulated to Cabinet Members from the Service Director of Democratic Services and Communication on behalf of the Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee who met on 14^th December 2023 to undertake pre-scrutiny the Cabinet report.