Western Vale Primary Provision
Consultation on the proposal to reconfigure primary provision in the Western Vale
Introduction
The Vale of Glamorgan Council is committed to ensuring that all pupils within the Vale have every opportunity to attain the best possible outcomes. In order to achieve this ambition it is essential that we ensure schools remain sustainable, reflect the needs of our local communities and are equipped with the best possible learning environments.
In March 2018, the Council launched a consultation aimed at taking a holistic view of primary school provision in the Western Vale. The aim of the consultation was to inform the community about the school re-organisation proposal being put forward to build a new 210 place school building for Llancarfan Primary School, with the addition of 48 part time nursery places which would be located in Rhoose, and to seek feedback on this proposal.
Members of the community raised a number of important concerns regarding the impact to their local areas, as well as raising additional questions about the proposal, while seeking to ensure their views were understood.
The Council is committed to ensuring that consultations are meaningful, relevant and appropriate for the communities that are involved, and the Council has a duty of care to ensure that proposals are clear, transparent and reflective of those affected. This is a vision that can only be realised by working in partnership with schools, governors, parents and the wider communities we all serve.
The recent consultation exercise examining primary provision in the Western vale has been valuable and important in informing the next steps. As a result of feedback, the Council has felt it is important to include greater detail in the consultation document and to provide stakeholders the opportunity to consider this information within a new consultation timeline.
The proposal
To reconfigure primary provision in the Western Vale by:
- Creating a new 210 place primary school building with a 48 place part time nursery class for Llancarfan Primary School in Rhoose;
- Transferring staff and pupils from the existing Llancarfan Primary School building in to the new school building; and
- Changing the age range of Llancarfan Primary School from 4 - 11 years to 3 - 11 years.
Reasons for the proposal
As stated above, the feedback provided to date has been incredibly valuable. A thematic review of the concerns raised has been completed and those themes form the basis for the additional detail included in this consultation. Transferring the school to a new larger building would address a number of challenges:
- The staff and pupils at the existing Llancarfan Primary School site would benefit from a new school building which meets 21st century school standards.
- Increased surplus capacity at Llancarfan Primary School would be addressed.
- Increasing demand for pupil places within the Rhoose area would be met.
- The proposed revisions to catchment areas within the Western Vale are expected to increase pupil numbers at other schools, improving future sustainability and contributing to the Council's commitment to reduce surplus capacity in its schools.
- Small site issues associated with a school on a confined site such as a lack of outdoor sporting facilities would be addressed.
- Poor access to the school through the village and lanes would be addressed.
- A nursery would be established supporting continuity and progression in children’s learning from age 3. This would support stability of numbers for the school. Extra nursery places are required in the area to meet the increased demand from nursery age children emanating from the new housing development in Rhoose and to also provide nursery education for present parents of the school.
More information on this proposal can be found in the following documents.
Responding to the consultation
The consultation period will run from 21 May 2018 to 9 July 2018. You can respond to the consultation in the following ways:
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Complete the online response form
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Attend a drop-in session to speak to us in person. This is a good way to be able to get answers to any questions your may have about the proposals. We will still ask that you complete a consultation response form, as we can only accept views in writing.
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- Complete the consultation response form, which can be found at the end of the consultation document, and return it to the address provided.
Drop-in sessions
Drop-in sessions
| Nature of session | Date / Time | Location |
|---|
| Staff meeting |
Wednesday 27 June 2018, 4:30 - 5:30pm |
Llancarfan Primary School |
| Governors' meeting |
Wednesday 27 June 2018, 5:30 - 6:30pm |
Llancarfan Primary School |
| Parents' and community drop-in session |
Wednesday 20 June 2018 9.00am – 11.00am3.00pm – 7.00pm |
Llancarfan Primary School |
| Rhoose community drop-in session |
Friday 22 June 2018 3.00pm - 6.00pm |
Celtic Way Community Centre, Celtic Way, Rhoose |
If you have a question that is not addressed by the information provided you can contact us using the details provided below.
Consultation Report
The authority is grateful to everyone who took the time to consider our proposal and to those who let us know their views. All comments were considered by the Council's Cabinet on 17 September 2018.
The Consultation Report and letter are available to download. Hard copies of the report are available on request by contacting the Learning and Skills Directorate at the Contact Details below.
Equality Impact Assessment
The Equality Impact Assessment
Publication of Statutory Notice to reconfigure primary provision in the Western Vale
The Council's Cabinet have agreed to publish a statutory notice to reconfigure primary provision in the Western Vale. The notice will run from 05 November 2018 to 03 December 2018.
The statutory notice and letter are available to download. Hard copies of the notice are available on request by contacting the Learning and Skills Directorate at the Contact Details below.
Objections to the notice should be sent in writing to:
Or
Paula Ham, Director of Learning and Skills
The Vale of Glamorgan Council,
Civic Offices,
Holton Road,
Barry
CF63 4RU
Decision
On 18 March 2019, the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Cabinet determined the proposal to reconfigure primary provision in the Western Vale by transferring Llancarfan Primary School to a new school site in Rhoose on land north-west of the railway line, extend the age range and increase the school capacity. It is proposed to implement the proposal on 1 September 2021.
The decision letter, the Objection report, Annex B and Annex C of the report are available to download or hard copies are available on request by contacting the Learning and Skills Directorate, see contact details below.
Contact Details