CARDIFF COUNCIL CYNGOR CAERDYDD EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MEETING: 6 NOVEMBER 2008 SCHOOL ORGANISATION PLANNING: PROVISION OF WELSH MEDIUM AND ENGLISH MEDIUM COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN CANTON – CONSIDERATION OF OPTIONS. REPORT OF CORPORATE DIRECTOR (SOCIAL) AGENDA ITEM: 7 PORTFOLIO: EDUCATION & LIFELONG LEARNING Reason for this Report 1. In the light of the decision on the 14 July 2008 to enable the Executive to consider whether any further options are to go forward for public consultation. Background 2. At its meeting on the 19 December 2007 the Executive received a report outlining a number of recommendations relating to proposals which responded to the rising demand for Welsh Medium Education in Cardiff, whilst also addressing the issue of surplus English Medium places. At this meeting the Executive agreed to go out to public consultation on the following proposal (Min No 104): • “To close Lansdowne Primary School and redistribute its catchment between Radnor, Severn and Kitchener Primary Schools, establishing these as two forms of entry English Medium Schools, each with nursery provision. • To relocate Ysgol Treganna onto the Lansdowne site as a 2 FE Welsh- medium Primary School with nursery. • To explore the subsequent arrangements of the catchment areas for both English-medium and Welsh-medium provision in this area”. 3. Public consultation was held between 21 January and 20 March 2008. Parents, young people and others in the local community, together with staff and Governors of the affected schools were invited to respond to this consultation. Page 1 of 20 4. Following consultation officers reported back to the Executive on 14 July 2008 and as far as the proposals concerning Lansdowne and Treganna Schools were concerned the following was agreed (Min No. 24): “(6) – Officers work on options appraisal and feasibility particularly in relation to community, educational and financial criteria around Lansdowne/Ysgol Treganna Primary Schools and report back to the Executive in the Autumn of 2008 recommending the way forward, noting that any option other than that currently proposed would require a new period of consultation”. “(9) - The impact that current overcrowding has on educational provision within Ysgol Treganna be recognised and Officers be instructed to commence immediate discussions with Radnor Primary School and Ysgol Treganna with the purpose of achieving improved facilities for Ysgol Treganna within the site until such time as a final decision is made by the Executive on school arrangements in the area“. Consideration of Further Options 5. Officers have undertaken option appraisals in respect of a number of alternative options. All the appraisals have been carried out in the context of, and informed by: • The Schools Strategic Framework • Education benefit to be derived from said proposal • Technical feasibility • Compliance with the financial models for school reorganisation • HR implications • A risk assessment All appraisals have also been informed by consultation with other relevant Service Areas including Housing & Neighbourhood Renewal, Highways & Transportation and Culture, Leisure & Parks. 6. Officers also had regard to the decision of the Executive dated the 14 July 2008 (Min No 18) which i. Noted the Capital Vision document as setting out the key issues to be taken forward by the Council ii. Approved Appendix C as an addendum to the Corporate Plan 2008/11 for consideration by Council. The relevant paragraph of Appendix C reads as follows: “Capital Vision seeks to raise standards of achievement for all learners and to support this by enhancing the leadership of schools. It also sets out the commitment to making better use of school buildings so that they become more community focused. Increased standards and an investment plan for delivering 21st Century Schools - including the establishment of the third Welsh-medium secondary school, proposals Page 2 of 20 in relation to educational provision in Canton and progress on Integrated Children’s Centres - form part of the school organisation planning proposals that are currently being progressed by the Council’s Schools Sub-Committee as indicated in the Corporate Plan, (Objectives SO6, SO7 and SO10) and which will continue to be addressed through the statutory consultation process”. Alternative Site Provision for a Welsh- medium Primary School 7. The most important drivers for school reorganisation within this area of the City are the increasing pressure on Welsh-medium school places and the need to deliver a reduction in surplus school places. Officers were asked to consider a number of possible sites to facilitate the construction of a 2 form entry Welsh-medium primary with nursery provision. A number of sites came forward which are set out below:- • Arjo Wiggins - Land not owned by the Council. Potential issues regarding early acquisition of site and high land costs. No guarantee it could be used for a school site. • Pontcanna Fields (Changing Rooms/Car Park) - The changing facilities and car park serve large and intensively used playing fields. • Suffolk House - Insufficient land near busy road junction. In a long-established residential area • St Winifreds Nursing Home - Potential high acquisition costs, therefore unaffordable. In a long-established residential area • Fitzalan High School - See paragraph 11 below. These were assessed in accordance with the detail contained in paragraph 5 above. The first 4 were considered to be unviable for reasons which primarily related to site, and location and unrealistic financial costs. Further details of the evaluation of these sites are provided in the background papers to this report. The original proposal (Option 1) 8. In summary, the original proposal which was reported to the Executive on the 14 July 2008 was:- to close Lansdowne Primary School and redistribute its catchment area between Radnor, Severn and Kitchener Primary Schools, establishing these as 2 form entry English-medium schools, each with nursery provision; to relocate Ysgol Treganna onto the Lansdowne site as a 2 form entry Welsh-medium primary school with nursery; to explore the subsequent arrangements for both English-medium and Welsh-medium provision in that area. The detailed assessment of this option is included in Appendix 1, but in summary the Lansdowne Primary School site is in a suitable location for a Welsh-medium school serving the Canton area and it was the officer view that English-medium demand within the Lansdowne catchment area could be accommodated in other local schools. 9. During the consultation there was strong opposition to the closure of Lansdowne Primary School on the grounds that it was a popular and successful multi-cultural school that served its local community well. The Page 3 of 20 proposal in so far as it related to Welsh-medium provision was welcomed by the Ysgol Treganna community as a solution to the significant over-crowding that they currently faced in their existing educational space. At the time of the consultation between January and March 2008 Lansdowne Primary School had the highest number of surplus places of any English-medium school in the Canton area. This is still the situation in September 2008. 10. Since the original consultation, the demand for Welsh-medium places has increased to such an extent that further capital investment for Welsh-medium provision will soon be needed. Both options allow for some resources to assist with meeting this increased demand pending full implementation of any proposal. The original proposal would not preclude an option to build a new one-form entry primary school on the Fitzalan High School site should demand for either English or Welsh-medium increase significantly in the medium or longer term. The total projected costs for this option as assessed in the initial development appraisal are £1.810m which is within the agreed financial model. This figure allows for a range of improvements including works on Priority 1 and disability discrimination (DDA) in the school buildings. The costs include a general contingency allowance of 10% and are adjusted for construction cost. Fitzalan High School (Option 2) 11. Arising from the process outlined in paragraph 7 above, officers have developed an alternative proposal to address the provision of English and Welsh-medium primary education within Canton as follows:- • To transfer Lansdowne Primary, reduced in size to a one form entry English-medium Primary School with nursery to Fitzalan High School site in new build premises. • Ysgol Treganna to move to occupy the current Lansdowne School site as proposed in the original consultation documents. • Radnor Primary School to include provision for a nursery, by adaptation. The detailed assessment of this option is included in Appendix 2, but in summary the Fitzalan High School site is owned by the County Council and has sufficient land to accommodate a one-form Primary School with Nursery. However this option would involve the removal of existing hard and soft play areas from Fitzalan High School and there would therefore be a need to provide new compensatory provision possibly including playing field pitches. The option partially reduces English-medium surplus capacity in the area and allows flexibility for any significant future increases in English-medium demand. 12. The proposal increases the Welsh-medium provision from one form entry in currently unsuitable premises to two form entry in suitable premises and provides a new facility for approximately 200 English-medium pupils. The total projected costs for this option are assessed at £5.486 million. This figure includes an investment programme sufficient to effect the changes in provision required and significantly contributes to priority one repair and Page 4 of 20 disability discrimination (DDA) issues. The costs include a general contingency allowance of 10% and are adjusted for construction cost inflation. The additional financial resources required for this option have not been identified within the existing model. There are no financial capital sources within the Council’s existing capital programme to deliver the shortfall of funding associated with this option, of £4.236m.