23/03/23

Plans to reorganise primary school provision to serve Cathays and parts of Gabalfa, Heath, Llandaff North and Plasnewydd will be publicly consulted on following agreement by Cardiff Council’s Cabinet.  

The proposals - aimed at achieving the correct balance of English and Welsh medium primary provision able to meet current and future demand in the area - have been developed for consultation with schools, governors, parents and children.

Three potential options are included in the plans which are designed to improve learning opportunities and to help relieve any financial pressures currently being experienced by schools in the area.

The options are:

Option 1

·         Allensbank and Gladstone Primary Schools would amalgamate to establish a new 420 place (2FE) English-medium Primary School with nursery on the current shared site at Gladstone Primary School/St Monica’s CiW Primary School.

·         St Monica’s CiW Primary School would transfer to the current Ysgol Mynydd Bychan site and establish nursery provision at the school.

·         Ysgol Mynydd Bychan would transfer to the current Allensbank Primary School site and increase from 192 places to 420 places with the number of nursery places increasing from 64 to 96.

Option 2

·         Allensbank Primary School would transfer to the current shared Gladstone Primary School/St Monica’s CiW Primary School site, and the school would reduce in capacity from 315 places to 210 places, with the age range reducing from 3-11 to 4-11 by discontinuing nursery provision at the school.

·         The number of nursery places at Gladstone Primary School would increase from 64 to 96.

·         St Monica’s CiW Primary School would transfer to the current Ysgol Mynydd Bychan site and establish nursery provision at the school.

• Ysgol Mynydd Bychan would transfer to the current Allensbank Primary School site and increase from 192 places to 420 places with the number of nursery places increasing from 64 to 96.

Option 3

·         Allensbank Primary School would transfer to the current Ysgol Mynydd Bychan site and reduce in capacity from 315 to 192 places.

·         Ysgol Mynydd Bychan would transfer to the current Allensbank Primary School site and increase from 192 places to 420 places with the number of nursery places increase from 64 to 96.

Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Cllr Sarah Merry said: “At the start of 2021, an interim proposal for Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and Allensbank Primary School was consulted on and having listened to the feedback, it was agreed that a long-term plan to address school places in the area was needed.

“Each of the new options have been carefully devised to ensure that there continues to be the right number of English-medium places provided within improved facilities in the Cathays and Gabalfa wards, and that these are organised in a way that supports the schools in becoming more sustainable whilst addressing demand for Welsh Medium places.

“If progressed, the proposals would help to rebalance the number of Welsh and English medium school places meaning that a greater number of children will gain entry to their local school. In addition, by reusing existing assets more efficiently and through collaborative working, the schools involved would enjoy a number of benefits including improved resources and learning opportunities for pupils and staff. The proposals keep all the existing buildings so the school community can be reassured there will be sufficient places to respond to any future population changes.”

The plans would also support the Council’s commitment to develop Welsh-medium education and deliver on Welsh Government targets set out in ‘Cymraeg 2050'.

The proposed changes for each option could take effect from September 2025. Option 1 and 2 would be subject to guidance and agreement with The Llandaff Diocesan Board of Finance as the registered Proprietor of the St. Monica’s site.

Options 2 and 3 would allow for and encourage consideration to be given to collaboration or formal federation between Allensbank Primary School and Gladstone Primary School.

There are clear benefits to collaboration or federation for schools that are based either on the same site or in the same community as it enables them to work together on shared priorities, pool expertise, make better use of resources and explore ways of doing things more effectively for the benefit of their learners and workforce.

The report went to Cardiff Council's Cabinet at its meeting on Thursday 23 March 2023. The report can be seen here.