Local schools face new shake-up (From Free Press Series)

Local schools face new shake-up

PRIMARY schools in Torfaen are to be merged and closed in a move to cut surplus places caused by falling birth rates.

At a meeting of Torfaen council's cabinet committee yesterday, councillors voted to send letters to 10,000 parents in the borough detailing possible options to cut the surplus places. They also plan to move to a system of all-through schools catering for 4 to 11-year-olds.

A series of public consultation meetings on the changes will take place throughout October. They will be followed in November and December by a further series of meetings over the possible closure of Trevethin comprehensive school.

The letters will be sent home with pupils at the borough's 39 primaries this week.

Torfaen's director of development Mike de Val told the cabinet meeting that by 2008 around one in four places in the borough's primary schools would be empty. That would mean 2,535 empty desks.

Figures from the education department show they cost the council around £360,000 each year. That could rise to around £500,000 by 2008.

Although officers were at pains to emphasise no final decisions had yet been made, possible moves include;

Merging Penygarn Infants and Juniors. Building a third Welsh-language school. Merging Greenlawn Junior and New Inn Infants. Merging Croesyceiliog Junior and Infants.

The highest rates of surplus places are in the Abersychan, Croesyceiliog and Trevethin areas. Mr de Val said falling rolls were an issue for councils throughout Wales.

He pledged any money saved by closing schools would be reinvested in education. A particular concern is the estimated £30 million it would cost to upgrade the borough's schools.

As well as cutting surplus places, the council wants to move to a system of all-through primary schools. They would replace the two-stage infant and junior schools. The council believes they would result in raised educational standards and better use of resources.

Councillor John Turner, executive member for education, asked people to read the letters being sent out and to make their comments known. He promised the council would listen to what they had to say before making up its mind.

"I don't think anyone in the community could accuse us of having made up our minds before we go forward," he said.