CYNGOR SIR POWYS COUNTY COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE CABINET REPORT 2nd October 2012

REPORT AUTHOR: County Councillor Myfanwy Alexander Portfolio Holder for Learning and Leisure

SUBJECT: Review of Gwernyfed catchment primary schools

REPORT FOR: Decision

Summary

The Gwernyfed catchment area is the second area where the council has undertaken a review of its primary schools following the Maesydderwen (Ystradgynlais) review which is now largely completed. Formal consultation took place in February and March 2012 on a proposal to reduce the number of schools in the Gwernyfed catchment from ten down to five. Cabinet considered a report on 31st July which outlined the issues to be resolved in a phased implementation of the review. Cabinet agreed to publish statutory notices of closure for two of the smaller schools in the area (Ffynnongynydd C in W School and Glasbury C in W (Aided) School) but deferred a decision on a third (Rhosgoch) pending consideration of further information. Cabinet also deferred a decision on proposals for Clyro Church in Wales School to provide a new school at that location for September 2014.

Proposal

Formal consultation took place in February and March 2012 on proposals to reduce the number of primary schools in the Gwernyfed catchment from ten to five. The likely revenue savings resulting from the review are set out in Appendix A. The primary schools in the catchment area and the number of pupils (January 2012 excluding part time pupils) are as follows:

Hay on Wye CP School 160 Llangorse C in W School 128 Archdeacon Griffiths C in W (A) School 91 Clyro C in W School 73 Talgarth CP School 65 Glasbury C in W (A) School 27 Bronllys CP School 24 Ffynnongynydd C in W School 21 Llanigon CP School 19* Rhosgoch CP School 17*

*Llanigon and Rhosgoch have confirmed that they both have 15 pupils on roll at September 2012.

The modernisation proposals on which consultation took place involved building two new schools – one in Hay on Wye and one in Talgarth – and remodelling three others in Clyro, Llyswen (Archdeacon Griffiths C in W (A) School) and Llangorse. The proposals also involved the closure of six existing schools:

Ffynnongynydd C in W School Glasbury C in W (A) School Rhosgoch CP School Llanigon CP School Bronllys CP School Talgarth CP School.

On 31st July 2012 Cabinet agreed that the first two schools listed should have statutory notices of closure published early in the Autumn Term 2012 with a view to them being closed at Christmas 2012 due to parental decisions to relocate all the children to other schools. These notices were published on 13th September; if any objections are received the decision will be made by the Minister at the Welsh Government.

Cabinet deferred a decision on publishing statutory notices of closure for Rhosgoch CP School pending further information on the programme and timing of works at the receiving school - Clyro Church in Wales School.

Rhosgoch CP School

A significant number of responses (36) were received to the formal consultation on the proposed closure of Rhosgoch CP School and its public meeting was very well attended. Comments made in both the meeting and the responses received centred on the following issues (followed by a summary of the officer response):

The school is at the heart of the community. o The school’s role as a focus for the community is not in dispute but there is not a great deal of non-school community activity that takes place at the school. The school’s role in the community needs to be balanced against the fact that there are only 15 children currently in the school. A large rural area would be without a school if Gladestry C in W School (in the adjacent John Beddoes catchment) was also to close. o See comments below. Concern that Hay on Wye and Clyro (that are to remain open) are within two miles of each other. o See discussion on Clyro C in W School below. Excellent facilities are available at Rhosgoch. o The facilities at the school are not in dispute but the pupil numbers are too low to justify continuing support for this school site. Increased travelling for children. o There will undoubtedly be additional travelling for children as a result of the proposals but the distances involved are considered to be reasonable and the improved educational experiences for the children are sufficient justification for the additional travel involved. Low numbers in the school are attributed to the schools modernisation process. o There was a general downward trend in pupil numbers at the school between 1999 and 2009 of about ten pupils prior to the start of the catchment review in October 2009. There was a significant fall of 14 pupils between January 2009 and January 2010 but no closure proposals were considered by the Area Project Board until January 2011. Unfairness of a phased implementation of the review on staff. o This point was raised at many of the consultation meetings. Staff in the small schools closing in 2012/13 will have less opportunity than where all staff in the catchment are made redundant and appointed to new posts at the same time but this is a product of implementing a phased review. The phased approach would however give more certainty for the staff in the schools that are to remain open and these people are significantly in the majority. Concerns about traffic safety at Clyro (the proposed receiving school). o Any proposals at Clyro would require planning permission where highway safety would be a major consideration. It is likely that any proposals would involve an improved access and car parking to the appropriate standard. Results of the Gwernyfed informal consultation were ignored. o The results of the informal consultation were reported to the Area Project Board and the Learning in the Community Programme Board before decisions were made to progress to the formal consultation stage.

A summary of all the responses received and an officer response to each was appended to the Cabinet report of 31st July.

Cabinet members at the meeting on 31st July were concerned about the impact of closing Rhosgoch and potentially closing Gladestry C in W school as part of the John Beddoes catchment informal consultation leaving a large rural area with no primary school.

Gladestry is 6.5 miles from Rhosgoch. The attached Table 1 (discussed further below) shows that as many children from Rhosgoch’s closest zone attend Hay and Clyro schools as attend Rhosgoch CP School itself. 5 children from the Rhosgoch area already attend Gladestry C in W School although none come in the opposite direction.

Elsewhere on this Cabinet agenda there is a discussion about Gladestry C in W School which concludes that the school should remain open; this would therefore address this concern.

In conclusion there was nothing that was raised in the responses to the formal consultation that would suggest that the council should be deterred from implementing closure of Rhosgoch CP School. It is proposed that the school should close and that statutory notices are posted as soon as possible, the target closure date being August 2013 and that the receiving school is named as Clyro C in W School.

Clyro C in W School

The Gwernyfed formal consultation proposed that the first phase of modernisation should, in addition to the closure of three small schools, involve the remodelling of Clyro C in W School for September 2013. A notional indicative budget of £3.4m was included in the 21st Century Schools bid of 2011. The budget was not based on an agreed design solution or brief. The remodelling would be funded from the council’s capital programme, only relying on a very small amount of funding from Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Programme.

Pupil data Concerns were expressed by Cabinet on 31st July about the close proximity of the proposed new schools at Hay on Wye and Clyro and more information was requested on the current pupil travel patterns, the next nearest schools for pupils from those proposed for closure and the number of non-Powys resident children in these two schools. Members also requested more information on the surplus capacity that will be created in the new schools at Hay and Clyro if they are completed to the target size (240 and 120 pupils respectively).

The attached table (Table 1) and map shows the current pupil movements in the catchment area using January 2012 data. The table shows on one axis (horizontal rows) the pupils that live closest to a particular school and where they actually go to school. It also shows pupils attending each school (in the vertical columns) and the school to which they live closest. It is a useful tool of analysis in school modernisation and also provides a somewhat crude measure of school popularity (although it can be distorted by the council transporting pupils to a school that is not their closest).

In the case of Hay and Clyro the analysis shows a small number of children (6 in one direction, 7 in the other) travelling past each other to go to school in the neighbouring community. This is not a significant number in relation to the number of pupils in the two schools (233) and both schools retain a high proportion of their closest zone pupils.

Despite there being 160 pupils in Hay and it being only two miles away, many Clyro parents still prefer to send their children to Clyro C in W School which now has 83 children (September 2012). Clyro is a popular and well-performing school, located on one of the principal routes in Powys and with a suitable site for redevelopment. It serves the needs of those parents who would prefer to send their children to a village school but, unlike several such schools in the catchment, it has the numbers and educational standards to be sustainable.

It is also possible to analyse the next nearest school for pupils if their nearest school was to close. This computer analysis does not take in to account parental preference and assumes that pupils will always attend their closest school. This obviously doesn’t happen in reality but it is still a useful method of analysing the possible impact of school closures. The attached table (Table 2) shows the impact of closing a series of schools individually and as combinations and how many pupils (2008-11 average pupil number) are added to the closest zones of other schools.

The immediate point to identify in Table 2 is the discrepancy between the number of pupils on roll and the number of pupils in a school’s closest zone. In general, the largest and best performing schools attract more pupils than the number that live closest to them. With such a large discrepancy between pupils that live closest and parental preference, it is perhaps not the best analysis tool in this particular catchment. However, the table identifies that, with the preferred 5-school option and the closures involved, an additional 84 children could be added to Hay and Clyro Schools. When added to their existing closest zone pupils, this would make a total of 251 pupils. This is above the optimum school size of 240 which would suggest that either a larger school needs to be built in Hay or that the area can support two schools. Furthermore if one adds together the current pupil numbers of Hay, Clyro, Ffynnongynydd, Rhosgoch and Llanigon, it is clear that the northern end of the catchment actually needs to cater for around 290 children. This analysis doesn’t include Glasbury children, who are physically closer to Bronllys (to the south) but may actually choose a school to the north. By allocating 15 pupils (around half) of the Glasbury pupils to the north of the catchment, it could be expected that the north of the catchment would need to cater for around 305 children. This would suggest that building new schools at Hay and Clyro with target capacities of 240 and 120 respectively might have a level of surplus places of around 15%. This is within the target range for schools in Powys and would still give average class sizes of just over 25 (i.e. 305 children in 12 classes).

Table 3 shows the children from out of county (January 2012) that attend Powys primary schools (NB these children are included in the above analysis). The table shows that there are 44 children attending Hay and Clyro Schools from Herefordshire which is 17.6% of the children at the two schools. Given the proximity of the border with England, it is likely that this will continue and may even rise as a result of investment in Powys schools.

Construction issues

Although the former Cabinet agreed that a remodelled school should be provided at Clyro for September 2013, the scope of works and school requirements has only recently been confirmed. This combined with certain site constraints and ecology issues has resulted in an extremely challenging construction project to be completed in a fast timeframe with associated risks.

From the date of this report to the proposed completion of the remodelling for September 2013, only 11 months are available to provide a new school. For a project of this nature, a minimum of 24 months is required and more likely 30 months to design, procure, secure planning permission and complete the construction work. Therefore, the original opening date of September 2013 is now not achievable.

To provide the recently agreed school requirements of a 120 place Primary School with a 20 place expansion, Early Years ages 2+ and 3+, ALN facilities and new hall results in a building area of circa 1000m2. Remodelling the existing building would provide circa 400m2 of accommodation and circa 600m2 provided by constructing additional new buildings.

Given the extent of remodelling and new construction, maintaining the quality of education at the school whilst using the existing buildings during the construction period would be compromised, the construction period extended and site segregation of pupils and construction activities extremely challenging.

Therefore it is considered necessary to provide a temporary school on the site of the existing playing field if the remodelling option is pursued.

The estimated cost of the remodelling/extension scheme is approximately £4m and provision of the temporary school £0.5m. The cost of the temporary school is abortive and doesn’t add value to the final scheme and therefore cannot be funded through the capital budget.

As an alternative, officers have considered the option of constructing an entirely new school on the lower part of the site allowing the existing school to stay in use during the construction phase. This being demolished to allow development of new play areas once the new school is occupied. A similar approach was taken at the recently completed Trefonnen Primary school. Initial budget costs amount to approximately £4.5m for this option.

The above constraints suggest that the remodelling of Clyro C in W School should become a new school built at the western end of the school site with the consequent advantages in terms of its attractiveness to parents and the community. The capital cost for both options is approximately £1m above the estimate currently included in the capital budget.

The original cost of the new Welsh medium school in Newtown was estimated at £9.4m and is now projected to cost £8.5m, so there is likely to be sufficient funding in the council’s Capital Programme to meet the cost of both schemes. It will be necessary however for Cabinet to make the appropriate virement within the Capital Programme.

It is recommended that the authority now plan to replace Clyro with a new school rather than the part new build and remodel option. This will allow site difficulties to be managed and to allow for a smooth transition for pupils into the new school building.

It is recommended that the Powys Property team develop the design (in consultation with stakeholders), procure and construct the new school with a target completion date of Christmas 2014.

Conclusion In conclusion, it is reasonable to support the recommendation of the Gwernyfed Area Project Board that there should be new schools in both Hay and Clyro and that they should be built to the planned capacity of 240 and 120 respectively and that the level of surplus places in these new schools is acceptable. However to avoid local uncertainty and to prevent pressure on Clyro C in W School from this school being completed earlier, it is recommended that the two schools progress in tandem. To this end the target completion date for Clyro should be Christmas 2014 with the council maintaining its aim for completion of the new school in Hay-on-Wye by September 2015.

Hay development scheme

In the council’s 21st Century Schools bid to the Welsh Government and in the Gwernyfed formal consultation it was proposed that the new school in Hay on Wye would be funded directly from developer contributions. (This contribution was also to be used to match fund the Welsh Government’s 50% capital contribution to the Gwernyfed review.) In summary, a proposal was put forward from a developer to construct a new school at no cash cost to the council on land on the edge of Hay on Wye in return for the existing school site on which the developer proposed the construction of a supermarket.

Cabinet on 31st July agreed not to proceed to statutory notices for Llanigon CP School before a decision is made on the Hay scheme and consequently a new school in Hay on Wye.

Cabinet are due to make a decision shortly on the Hay scheme and the closure of Llanigon CP School is dependent on a clear resolution of this matter.

Site for proposed new school in Talgarth

The formal consultation in the Gwernyfed catchment proposed that Talgarth and Bronllys CP Schools and Glasbury C in W (Aided) School would close in 2015 and that a new school would be constructed in Talgarth at this time to accommodate these children. Cabinet on 31st July agreed to the early closure of Glasbury C in W (A) School due to there being no pupils from September 2012.

Whilst a suitable site has been identified for the new school in Hay Road, it is not in the council’s ownership and is outside the current development limits of Talgarth having a current agricultural use. The council has however been negotiating with the land owner who has expressed a willingness to negotiate with a view to agreeing suitable terms. The position is complicated by the fact that the Brecon Beacons National Park (BBNP) is the local planning authority for the site and is currently in the process of working towards the adoption of the Local Development Plan (LDP). However, the policies in the BBNP’s Unitary Development Plan and the emerging LDP support the development of community facilities (such as schools) in locations adjacent to settlement boundaries (where the preferred site is) if all other development sites in the settlement have been exhausted. The landowner has ambitions for residential/mixed use development for the site in question having submitted it as a candidate site. This aspiration is being progressed by the landowner through the current LDP process which should reach a conclusion by summer 2013. The Inspector’s report on the LDP is anticipated in August 2013 and the recommendations are binding on the Park Authority.

Cabinet on 31st July agreed that the council continues dialogue with the landowner to secure the site for a new school in addition to entering into separate discussions with the BBNP with a view to gaining a clearer picture regarding the emerging LDP.

Officers met with representatives of the BBNP on September 11th to discuss the best way to progress the new school. The broad conclusion of this meeting was that the council should let the LDP process take its course and await the report of the inspector concerning the suitability of the Hay Road site for residential development. The BBNP for its part is confident of its housing supply figures and that the site will not be allocated for housing by the inspector. If it isn’t, the council will negotiate with the landowner about purchasing all or part of the site for a school. If it is allocated for housing, the council will negotiate with the landowner about the adjacent site which he also owns. This site will then be adjacent to the new settlement boundary and should also be acceptable in planning policy terms for school use.

21st Century Schools Programme

The council received a positive response to its bid for 21st Century Schools capital funding from the Welsh Government (WG) in December 2011. This will potentially provide over £78m (£39m from WG) for investment in modern educational facilities in the county commencing April 2014. This bid included approximately £7.5m from WG for the Gwernyfed catchment, matched by the council and developer contributions.

As noted earlier, the council has committed to fund some modernisation projects ahead of the 21st Century Schools funding becoming available in April 2014. This includes £5.82m for the Gwernyfed catchment, the majority of which would be for the Clyro scheme (£3.4m) although a significant element (£2.9m) is identified for the new school in Talgarth. Whilst the council could theoretically proceed on both of these two schemes, a significant element of the funding for Talgarth is reliant on 21st Century Schools funding and on the private sector funding from the Hay scheme matching the council’s capital investment. The investment in a new school in Talgarth is therefore reliant on the Hay scheme proceeding as originally envisaged.

Officers are now required to provide a business case to WG by the end of September which sets out the justification for projects under £5m which would include the Clyro and Talgarth projects.

There is also now an opportunity to bid for capital funding from the 21st Century Schools Programme for schemes to be implemented BEFORE April 2014 and the council will take the opportunity to bid for these resources for the Clyro scheme.

Potential revenue savings

The projected full year annual savings from the closure of Rhosgoch, Ffynnongynydd and Glasbury is estimated at £200,533 and is detailed in Appendix A. The pupil numbers used are those used for funding the three schools for the 2012/13 financial year.

The figure in respect of transport is based on the transport of those pupils in the school at the time of closure. Members need to be aware that there are already pupils living in the catchment areas of these schools who are already attending other schools; where these schools are the closest school to the home address then they would also qualify for free transport. Further costs in the region of £75,000 could therefore be incurred.

Corporate Improvement Plan A priority of the Corporate Improvement Plan is to provide high quality educational opportunities for all and this priority has been encompassed within the Learning in the Community improvement priority of the Powys Change Programme. The proposals within this paper will also help to meet the efficiency priority targets within the Plan.

Options Considered/Available An alternative option would be to delay implementation until all the issues with the review are resolved, but this would not be in the best interests of the pupils in the small schools and would not demonstrate decisive action on the part of the council to address the issue of surplus places. The council could proceed with the construction of a new school at Clyro in advance of any certainty over the Hay scheme but it is considered prudent for the reasons outlined in the report to wait for some clarity over the provision of the new school in Hay.

Preferred Choice and Reasons It is considered appropriate to construct new schools at Hay and Clyro to a similar timetable in order to provide certainty for local people and to reduce pressure on Clyro if it is completed without any certainty over the construction of a new school in Hay on Wye.

Sustainability and Environmental Issues/Equalities/Crime and Disorder,/Welsh Language/Other Policies etc Closing smaller rural schools may increase the need for private travel and additional home to school transport. This needs to be balanced against the environmental benefits of the new schools provided. These schools will provide more modern environmentally-friendly buildings which are better insulated and more fuel-efficient than those that will be closed.

An Equality Impact Assessment was produced as part of the consultation process and no adverse impacts have been identified at this stage.

None of the schools are designated Welsh medium schools so no adverse Welsh language issues are anticipated. A Welsh medium workstream of the Area Project Board was established and preliminary conclusions indicated that there was not sufficient demand in the catchment to justify a Welsh stream in any of the remaining schools. Any work however on developing bi-lingual provision would be welcomed.

Children and Young People's Impact Statement - Safeguarding and Wellbeing The best interests of young people in these schools will be safeguarded at all times particularly during this uncertain period of review. In the case of small schools that will be closing, every effort will be made to ensure a smooth transition to new schools and safe and efficient transport to their new locations.

Local Member(s) Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe has commented as follows: As local member for Hay on Wye I raise concerns that the proposals for local area not including the Hay school will leave Hay school alone and with no firm proposals will be a detriment to the community. I will address the Cabinet as local member with more detail.

Councillor Geraint Hopkins has commented as follows: I have no further comments to make.

Other Front Line Services No implications identified.

Support Services (Legal, Finance, HR, ICT, BPU) Legal - Legal Services are content with the recommendation.

Finance - The Principal Accountant for Community Skills and Learning comments that the revenue savings provided in Appendix A are correct based on the 2012/13 delegated funding, the savings do not at this stage include the costs of any redundancy or early retirement costs, and transport and central costs are estimates.

The Principal Accountant (Capital) confirms that the Severn Valley Welsh Medium Project does include £1m which is no longer required for this project.

Local Service Board/Partnerships/Stakeholders etc No implications identified.

Communications The Corporate Communications team will be working closely with staff in the Schools Service to plan and manage communication with the ten schools concerned.

Statutory Officers The Strategic Director, Law & Governance (Monitoring Officer) has commented:- “I support the recommendations.”

The Strategic Director, Finance & Infrastructure (Section 151 Officer) has commented:- "I note that the Principal Accountant has confirmed the costings in the report. I note the costs do not include redundancy or retirement costs or the costs of de-commissioning buildings. I also note that some costs are, by necessity, estimates. Nevertheless, the proposals do produce substantial recurring savings which will be necessary to fund the prudential borrowing for new schools and contribute to the Council's savings' target."

Members’ Interests The Monitoring Officer is not aware of any specific interests that may arise in relation to this report. If Members have an interest they should declare it at the start of the meeting and complete the relevant notification form.

Future Status of the Report Members are invited to consider the future status of this report and whether it can be made available to the press and public either immediately following the meeting or at some specified point in the future.

Recommendation: Reason for Recommendation: It is proposed that Rhosgoch CP School To ensure the efficient use of council should close and that statutory notices resources and in the interests of the are posted as soon as possible, the future education of pupils. target closure date being August 2013 and that the receiving school is named as Clyro C in W School.

That the authority now plans to replace To give certainty to local people about a Clyro C in W School with a new school, coordinated programme for local schools. the target completion date being Christmas 2014, with the council maintaining its aim for completion of the new school in Hay-on-Wye by September 2015. That the additional capital funding of £1m To make appropriate provision in the required for the new school at Clyro is capital programme. vired from the capital allocation for the new Welsh medium school in Newtown.

That the design and feasibility of the new To meet the published timetable. school at Talgarth is progressed so that delivery of the school is possible for September 2015.

Relevant Policy (ies): Policy for the Organisation of Primary Schools 2006 Within Policy: Y Within Budget: Y

Relevant Local Member(s): Councillor Chris Davies Councillor Melanie Davies Councillor Stephen Davies Councillor Geraint Hopkins Councillor William Powell Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe

Person(s) To Implement Decision: Stephen Rogers – Head of Schools Date By When Decision To Be Implemented: September 2012

Contact Officer Name: Tel: Fax: Email: Owen James 01597 826709 [email protected]

Background Papers used to prepare Report:

None