STATUTORY CONSULTATION

DOCUMENT

Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy

Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy

17 September – 29 October 2018

Contents

Section Description Page Foreword 3 1. Introduction 4 2. Statutory Consultation 4 Consultation with beneficiaries 4 Consultation with children 7 How to respond to the consultation 7 3. The Current Situation 7 Background 7 Places in the school and pupil forecasts 9 Buildings and resources at the school 10 Schools that could be affected by this proposal 10 Current nursery provision in the catchment area 11 Quality and standards in education at Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy 12 4. The Case for Change 13 5. The Proposal 13 Advantages and disadvantages 13 The impact of the proposal on quality and standards in education 13 Outcomes 13 Provision 14 Leadership and management 14 The likely impact on the delivery of the curriculum 14 Governance 15 Community impact assessment 15 Impact on equality 15 Impact on the Welsh language 15 Impact on transport 15 Impact on staff 16 Finance 16 Pupil costs 16 Revenue savings 16 Capital investment 16 Capital receipts 16 Title of land and buildings 16 Other options considered 16 Pupils Admissions arrangements 16 6. Possible Risks 17 7. The Statutory Process 17

Appendix 1 – Response Form

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Foreword

Following the publication of a decision notice on 3 August 2018, the Cabinet Member for Education decided to undertake a statutory consultation process on a proposal to change the age range of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy from 4-11 to 3-11, in accordance with the requirements of Section 48 of the School Standards and Organisation Act 2013.

The statutory consultation will take place between 17 September and 29 October 2018.

Gwynedd Council would like you to present your views so that they can be considered before it makes its decision. At the end of the consultation period, we will report to the Council Cabinet.

A copy of this document, and other background papers, is available on the Council's website www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/modernisingeducation as well as in Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy. If you need more copies, please feel free to contact the Modernising Education Office by telephoning (01286) 679 247 or by e-mailing [email protected].

NOTE – any comments on the statutory consultation document should be sent to the Modernising Education Office by 13:00 p.m. on Monday, 29 October 2018. You can find the relevant contact details at the end of this document.

We look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,

Garem Jackson

Head of Education

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1. Introduction

Nearly every primary school in Gwynedd admits children to a nursery class in the September following their 3rd birthday. The school age range at Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy is currently 4-11 and the Governing Body has applied to Gwynedd Council Education Department to change the age range to 3-11 so they can also accept children in September following their 3rd birthday.

Following consideration of the application, the Education Department has agreed that it would be fair to offer the same right to Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy to offer part-time nursery (10 hours a week) in their school as well, in line with the majority of the county's primary schools and Gwynedd Council's School Admissions Policy.

Gwynedd Council's School Admissions Policy states that the Council:

• offers children a part time (10 hours a week) nursery place in a school, in the September following their third birthday for a full academic year. Schools will normally have either a morning or an afternoon nursery session. In schools which have both morning and afternoon session there is no legal right for parents to choose which session their child attends. In the few areas where the Authority does not provide for the education of children in the September following their third birthday in a school, nursery provision is offered by funding places provided by the voluntary groups i.e. Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin and Pre-School Playgroups.

Following a request from the Governing Body of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy, Gwynedd Council is presenting a proposal to change the age range of Ysgol Gynradd Dyffryn Ardudwy from 4-11 to 3-11 years so that they can also offer a part-time nursery place (10 hours per week) to children in school, in the September following their third birthday, in line with most of the county's schools.

This document outlines the consultation process that must be followed in order to do this, relevant information and the decision-making process. 2. Statutory Consultation

In order to respond to the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013, the has created a School Organisation Code, which sets out requirements and includes guidelines for what needs to be done when some significant changes are proposed to schools.

The Code states that a statutory process is required if there is a proposal to change the school age range of one year or more. As this proposal is to add a nursery class to be able to admit children in the September following their 3rd birthday, it will be necessary to follow a statutory process before this change can be implemented.

2.1 Consultation with beneficiaries

The consultation will take place between 17 September and 29 October 2018.

The consultation document will be circulated to the following consultees for the statutory consultation period, in accordance with the Welsh Government's School Organisation Code:

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Organisation Code Requirements 006/2013 Distributed to… The maintaining or proposed maintaining authority for Gwynedd Council presenting the proposal any school likely to be affected by the proposals Any other local authority likely to be affected - Powys, , Conwy and Anglesey including in the case of dedicated SEN provision any Councils authority placing or likely to place statemented pupils in it The Church in Wales and Roman Catholic Diocesan The Diocesan Authority of the Church in Wales Authority for the area in which any school likely to be affected is located

Catholic Diocesan Authority

Any other appropriate religious body for any school - likely to be affected by the proposals The governing body any school which is the subject of Governing Body of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy, the proposals and of other schools likely to be affected Llanbedr, Tan Y Castell and Y Traeth. by the proposals, including those that might receive any displaced pupils Parents (and where possible prospective parents) Parents, carers, guardians, and staff at Ysgol carers and guardians, and staff members of those Dyffryn Ardudwy. schools Welsh Ministers AM, AM, AM, AM, AM, AM, AM, AM, AM Assembly Members (AMs) and Members of Parliament Dafydd Elis Thomas AM (MPs) representing the area served by/intended to be served by any school which is the subject of the Regional AMs for North Wales proposals AM AM Mark Isherwood AM AM

Liz Saville Roberts MP Estyn Meilyr Rowlands – Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales Teaching and staff trade unions representing teachers Representatives of ASCL, UCAC, GMB, NAHT, NEU, and other staff at any school which is the subject of UNSAIN, NASUWT the proposals The relevant regional education consortium Arwyn Thomas – Chief Officer GwE Ieuan Jones – North Wales Consortium Co- ordinator The relevant regional transport consortium - The police and crime commissioner for the area served Arfon Jones – North Wales Police Commissioner by/intended to be served by any school which is the subject of the proposals Any community or town council for the area served Dyffryn Ardudwy and Talybont Community Council by/ intended to be served by any school which is the subject of the proposals

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In the case of proposals affecting nursery provision, Cylch Meithrin Y Gromlech any independent providers who may be affected

In the case of proposals affecting nursery provision, Gwynedd Ni the children and young people’s partnership and/or Mudiad Meithrin the early years development and childcare partnerships where present In the case of proposals affecting SEN provision, any Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board relevant health or third sector bodies with an interest. representative In the case of proposals affecting secondary provision, any further education institutions serving the area of - the school. In the case of proposals affecting secondary provision, parents of pupils attending primary schools from - which pupils normally transfer to that secondary school. Other Meri Huws – Welsh Language Commissioner, Head of Ysgol Ardudwy All Gwynedd Council Councillors Mantell Gwynedd

This consultation document will be published on the Gwynedd Council website www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/modernisingeducation and hard copies will be available on request from the Modernising Education Office.

During the consultation period, Gwynedd Council officers will hold a 'drop-in' session to give individuals the opportunity to ask questions and in order to discuss with governors, teaching and support staff, parents and the public. The 'drop-in' session will be held at the Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy hall on Wednesday, 26 September between 15:00 - 17:30.

The comments received during the statutory consultation period will be considered by the Cabinet of Gwynedd Council, before deciding on the next steps. The Cabinet will decide whether or not to continue with the proposal, and whether or not to issue a Statutory Notice.

As part of the consultation process, a background information pack will be available at Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy and on the Council's website www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/modernisingeducation. The pack contains:

 School Organisation Code 006/2013  School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013  Excellent Primary Education for children in Gwynedd  Language Impact Assessment Report  Community Impact Assessment Report  Equality Assessment Report  August 2018 Decision Notice

If you wish to receive this document in a different format, please contact the Modernising Education Office on 01286 679247.

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2.2 Consultation with Children

Arrangements will also be made to ensure that we receive the views of children and young people who attend Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy by holding a dedicated session with a group of them. The consultation document for children and young people can be found on the Council's website www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/modernisingeducation together with a response form/ questionnaire. This means that children and young people who have not attended a session in their school can also respond to the consultation. 2.3 How to Respond to the Consultation

You can respond to this consultation by completing the response form that is attached to the consultation document and return it to:

Email: [email protected]

Post: Modernising Education Office Gwynedd Council Shirehall Street Caernarfon Gwynedd LL55 1SH

Note - All responses, whether by post or email, must reach the Council's Headquarters by 13:00 pm on Monday, 29 October 2018.

3. The Current Situation

3.1 Background

Dyffryn Ardudwy Primary School is located in the village of Dyffryn Ardudwy in the catchment area of Ysgol Uwchradd Ardudwy in Gwynedd. The school serves the villages of Dyffryn Ardudwy and Talybont.

Map of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy catchment area:

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The table below gives information about the school with information on historical numbers and future projections.

Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy The Main Road, Dyffryn Ardudwy, School Location Gwynedd, LL44 2EP Age Range (September 2017) 4-11

School Category Community

Language Medium Category Welsh

Nursery 0 Numbers of pupils on roll – January Reception – Yr. 6 73 2018

Total 73

September 2017 73 Number of pupils on roll for the September 2016 66 previous four September 2015 63 years September 2014 62

Capacity 76

Surplus Places January 2018 3 (4%)

September 2018 76 Pupil Forecasts September 2019 88 (inc. nursery from September 2019 September 2020 85 onwards) September 2021 83

September 2022 79 3 x Adequate School performance data (Estyn) September 2014

Condition of Building Category (Council Criteria) A

Financial Allocation 2018/19 £287,149

Cost per pupil 2018/19 £3,934

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The numbers of pupils attending the school have increased in the last 5 years from 52 in 2013 to 73 at present. The present pupils are distributed between three classes, with 23 to 26 children in each class.

Classes are taught by three full-time teachers and one part time teacher (2 days) with the Head teaching the equivalent of 3 days. They are assisted by four teaching assistants (equivalent to 3.5 full time).

The budget per head for Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy is £3,934 for 2018/19. The average value for all Gwynedd primary schools is £3,777.

3.2 Places in the school and pupil forecasts

The number of school places is measured using the "capacity measure for schools in Wales" formula. School places are reviewed when a school changes the way it uses its resources and when changes occur to the buildings. There are currently 73 pupils in the school with a capacity of 76. The capacity of 76 is based on the use of existing rooms but there is an option to change the use of another room to be a teaching class in September 2019 and by doing so, increasing space for more pupils including nursery class children.

The table below shows a 5-year forecast for the school:

Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy

Numbers January 2018 73

Present capacity 76

Surplus Places September 2017 3 (4%)

Possible capacity from Sept 2019 onwards 88

September 2018 76

Pupil forecasts (inc. September 2019 88 nursery from September 2019 September 2020 85 onwards) 83 September 2021

September 2022 79

The school's 5-year forecasts (including nursery from September 2019) suggest further growth in the school's population for up to 88 pupils.

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3.3 Buildings and Resources at the School

School condition categories are reviewed annually by the Authority and reflect all the work done on schools. We therefore believe that the current condition of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy buildings and rooms is of a good quality and in condition category 'A'.

3.4 Schools That Could be Affected by the Proposal

The Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy catchment area covers a rural area and the following schools in adjacent areas are considered schools that the proposal could affect in terms of children going out of the catchment area for their education.

School Address Ysgol Llanbedr Llanbedr, Gwynedd, LL45 2NW Ysgol Y Traeth Princes Avenue, Barmouth, Gwynedd, LL42 1HH Ysgol Tan Y Castell Hwyla’r Nant, Harlech, Gwynedd, LL46 2UE

The relevant details of the schools (including Dyffryn Ardudwy) are shown in the table below.

Ysgol Ysgol Ysgol Y Ysgol Tan Dyffryn Llanbedr Traeth Y Castell Ardudwy

Age range 4-11 4-11 3-11 3-11

School category CS CS CS CS Community school [CS]

Welsh Welsh Welsh Welsh Language medium category medium medium medium medium

Nursery 0 0 21 9

Numbers of pupils on roll – January 2018 Reception – Yr. 6 73 49 182 70

Total 73 49 203 79 September 2017 73 47 201 79 Number of pupils on September 2016 66 48 213 76 roll for past four September 2015 63 50 217 78 years September 2014 62 48 211 76 Nursery places 0 0 28 19 Capacity: Reception - Yr. 6 76 81 198 139 10

Surplus Places January 2018 3 (4%) 32 (40%) 16 (8%) 69 (51%) September 2018 76 45 194 78 September 2019 88 52 183 81 Pupil projections September 2020 85 50 175 81

September 2021 83 47 173 86 September 2022 79 48 163 86 2 x 3 x 3 x 3 x Good Adequate Adequate Adequate School performance data (Estyn) (March 1 x Good (September (September 2015) (February 2014) 2016) 2013) Condition of Building Category (Council A B B A Criteria) Financial Allocation 2018/19 £287,149 £196,044 £697,540 £297,852 Cost per pupil 2018/19 £3,934 £4,171 £3,664 £4,027

More detail can be found in the background information pack on the Council's website, or a hard copy can be viewed at Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy.

As this proposal does not recommend closing or federating with neighbouring schools, it is considered that the proposal will have no impact on quality or standards in these schools.

3.5 Current Nursery Provision in the Catchment Area

Cylch Meithrin Y Gromlech is currently the only nursery provision in the Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy catchment area. The Cylch is registered with the Care Inspectorate Wales to provide care for up to 24 children.

A service is provided for children who have not yet started at school.

The cylch provides 10 hours of nursery education between 9.00 - 11.00, Monday to Friday. (Cylch Meithrin Y Gromlech is open from 9.00 - 13.00 if there are care needs after 11.00)

There were 17 children attending the cylch in the Summer term 2018. See below the age range and numbers:

Age range Numbers 2 ½ -3 yrs 2 3 yrs old after 31 March 2018 3 3 yrs old before 31 March 2018 12

Any change in extending the age range of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy from 4-11 to 3-11 is likely to affect the numbers of children attending the Cylch Meithrin and possibly the future budget of the cylch.

Assistance is available from the Gwynedd Children and Family Support Team Business Officer to assist the Cylch to look at any impact that change could have on them, and to plan to respond to any negative impact.

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3.6 Quality and standards in education at Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy

Estyn

During Estyn's last inspection in September 2014, Estyn noted that the performance of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy was adequate with the school's improvement forecasts also adequate.

How good are How good are the How good is the School leadership and outcomes? provision? management? Ysgol Dyffryn Adequate Adequate Adequate Ardudwy

Following the inspection, a number of recommendations were made.

Following a monitoring visit in December 2015 it was judged ‘that Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy had made good progress in relation to the key issues for action following the Estyn visit in November 2015. We will now remove the school's name from the list of schools that need to be monitored by Estyn. There will be no further Estyn monitoring visits in relation to this inspection.’

Welsh Government Categorisation 2017

According to the latest categorisation of the Welsh Government:

Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy is designated yellow, "an effective school that is already doing well and knows what areas it needs to improve."

4. The Case for Change - Why is this change being offered?

There are currently 86 primary schools in Gwynedd. Of these, 4 are infant schools (3-7) and 2 are junior schools (7-11). Almost every school admits children in September following their 3rd birthday. Currently, Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy's age range is 4-11 and the Governing Body has asked Gwynedd Council to change this so that they can also accept children in the September following their 3rd birthday.

Gwynedd Council’s Access to School Guidance states that the Council:

• will offer a part-time nursery place (10 hours a week) to children in a school, in the September following their third birthday, for a full school year. Normally, schools have either a morning session or an afternoon session. In schools with a morning and afternoon session, parents do not have a legal right to choose which session their child attends. In the few areas where the Authority does not provide for the education of children in the September following their third birthday in a nursery class in a school, provision is offered by funding places provided by voluntary groups i.e. Mudiad Ysgolion Nursery and Pre-School Playgroups.

Changing to admit 3-year-old children will mean that Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy will also be able to offer a place at school, in line with most of the county's primary schools. 12

5. The Proposal Gwynedd Council's proposal, with the support of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy Governing Body, is as follows: To change the age range of Dyffryn Ardudwy Primary School from 4-11 to 3-11 years of age from 2019 onwards. This means that the school will be able to admit children into a nursery class in the September following their 3rd birthday.

5.1 Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages Disadvantages Children can start school, part-time, a Possible negative effect on Cylch Meithrin Y year earlier. Gromlech.

Increase pupil numbers at the school.

Ability to offer the same provision as the majority of the county's primary schools.

Facilitate the preparation of children ready to join the reception class.

Provide seamless education from the nursery class to year 6, thereby ensuring continued teaching and learning methods and better curriculum planning.

More opportunities for children to be immersed in experiences and activities in the Welsh language.

No capital investment required.

The Governing Body supports the proposal.

5.2 The impact of the proposal on quality and standards in education

5.2.1 Outcomes (standards and wellbeing) The proposal will enable the school to assess pupils earlier and offer differentiated learning activities to better meet the needs of all pupils, especially the more able pupils and pupils with additional learning needs.

Pupils' performance can be monitored and traced more effectively from the Nursery Class to Year 6, with interventions being implemented where it is known that they will have maximum impact on reducing gaps in achievement, in the earliest years. Collaboration and earlier

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involvement will further extend the pupils' emotional needs and wellbeing and positive relationships with their families.

In addition, the proposal will ensure that the provision at Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy matches the provision that is already successfully operating in most of the county's primary schools.

5.2.2 Provision (learning experiences, education, care, support and guidance, and the learning environment)

Admission to school at 3 years old will give children the opportunity to benefit from the experience of mixing with older pupils. Attending school earlier means comprehensive care because of the nature of collaboration with schools and care and welfare agencies. They will be able to benefit from a diverse environment using whole school resources.

5.2.3 Leadership and Management (leadership, quality improvement, partnership working and resource management)

Gwynedd Council recognises the importance of strong leadership in a school as a way of maintaining and improving standards.

The following steps are in place to ensure strong leadership in Gwynedd schools for the future:  GwE is training one senior manager from each secondary school to develop their personal leadership skills, and also to develop middle school managers;  Successful schools share good practice and hold Leadership Development days for managers in the rest of the schools;  School to school plans ensure that school leaders work together and develop leader expertise;  Encourage potential leaders to gain the NPQH qualification;  Head teacher mentoring scheme;  Strategic Leadership Pilot Scheme for the catchment is in place to promote and develop strategic leadership in Gwynedd

Our hope is that the heads of all schools in the county, including Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy, will have enough opportunity to provide professional leadership and management for their schools. We also expect governing bodies to lead schools efficiently within their budgets for the benefit of the pupils. We would expect schools to have the best staff for providing education of the highest quality.

5.2.4 The likely impact on the delivery of the curriculum

The proposal will give extended opportunities to staff teaching the Foundation Phase to plan the curriculum. There is a great potential for a positive impact on the overall standards of the school.

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Pupils will be able to take advantage of Welsh-medium education in school at an earlier age; especially those who did not attend the cylch meithrin, taking advantage of the time young children are most ready to acquire language.

This should lead to the achievement of better outcomes by pupils at the end of the Foundation Phase and, in turn, at the end of the period in the primary school.

5.3 Governance

There will be no change to the governing body of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy and the implementation of the proposal will not unduly affect its responsibilities.

5.4 Community Impact Assessment

As there is no community use of the site outside school hours, other than pupils' use, and that there will be no change to the school itself, the change will not have a detrimental effect. A copy of the full assessment is included in the background information pack on the Council's website or a hard copy can be viewed at the school.

5.5 Impact on Equality

Following an equality impact assessment on the option, we consider that the proposal is unlikely to have any impact on the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010 and will have a positive impact as regards giving children the opportunity to start school in September following their 3rd birthday like the majority of the county's primary schools. A copy of the full assessment is included in the background information pack on the Council's website or a hard copy can be viewed at the school. 5.6 Impact on the Welsh language

Following a Welsh language impact assessment, we consider that there will be no negative impact, and that enabling children to start school at 3 years old will create a positive impact on their Welsh language skills, as they will be able to access education through the medium of Welsh in a school a year earlier.

A copy of the full assessment is included in the background information pack on the Council's website, or a hard copy can be viewed at the school.

5.7 Impact on Transport

In accordance with the Council's transport policy, nursery class pupils will not receive transport.

Pupils from Reception to Year 6 will continue to receive home to school transport in accordance with the Council policy.

Therefore, the extension of the age range at Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy will not affect upon transport arrangements.

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5.8 Impact on Staff

The proposal will affect staff at Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy because of the fact that the school will provide for a new cohort of pupils. Due to this, it is likely that additional staff will be required to offer the additional provision. Impact considerations and demands on staff will be made by the school's governing body.

5.9 Finance

The school will continue to be funded in accordance with the Council's scheme for school funding, and will receive its delegated funding accordingly.

5.9.1 Pupil Costs

At present, (2018/19) Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy receives an allocation of £287,149, equivalent to £3,934 per pupil.

It is not possible to give a detailed idea of the cost of pupils from September 2019 but it is anticipated that the nursery children will attract annual funding of around £1,040 per head.

5.9.2 Revenue Savings

It is unlikely that any revenue savings will result from the proposal.

5.9.3 Capital Investment

Capital investment is not required to realise this proposal.

5.9.4 Capital Receipts

There will be no capital receipts as part of this proposal.

5.10 Title of Land and Buildings

Gwynedd Council holds the land title and buildings of Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy.

5.11 Other Options Considered

The only other option that can be considered is 'do nothing'. It is considered that the benefits of adding nursery provision to the school outweigh maintaining the current situation.

5.12 Pupils’ Admission Arrangements

As there will be no school closures as part of the process, admissions to the school will continue to follow Gwynedd Council's Admissions Policy.

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6. Potential Risks

Risks Mitigation steps That there is not enough room in the school There are rooms that can be adapted to be for additional children. additional classes as required. Standards will be lowered following change. The current Foundation Phase standards give confidence that the proposal will succeed and that the admission a year earlier will benefit the pupils' development. Staffing structure will not be suitable for the The Governing Body will forward-plan class new class and children. arrangements and the staffing structure to deal with the nursery class and additional children within the budget. It will not be possible to apply for a place in The Education Department will put in place the nursery class for September 2019 special arrangements that will allow parents because the statutory procedure will not end to apply, subject to the consent being given until after the closing date for applications to change the age range of the school. for places on 1st February 2019.

7. The Statutory Process

The statutory process that is followed in relation to the proposal included as part of this document will comply with the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 and specifically the School Organisation Code (006/2013).

The process and timetable will be as follows:

Date Steps 17 September 2018 Publication of consultation document 29 October Closing date for comments on the proposal Within 13 weeks of the closing date Submit the Consultation Report to the Gwynedd above Council Cabinet – Cabinet to decide whether to issue a Statutory Notice If approved - proceed with the Statutory Notice If not approved - the proposal ends Within 26 weeks of the closing date Publication of Statutory Notice above 28 days after the date of Closing date for receiving objections to the proposal publication of the Statutory Notice Within 28 days of the closing date Cabinet Council to consider any objections and make of the statutory notice a final decision on the proposal Announcement of the Cabinet decision September 2019 Implement the proposal or continue the current procedure

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