As you will no doubt be aware the Council brought forward plans for Cardiff schools. These proposed changes included the closure of Eglwys Wen Primary school and Cefn Onn Primary school. However these were not the only schools in Cardiff North to be affected. Whitchurch High School (Lower site) was to be closed and the School cut in half so that all students were on one site and Ton-Yr-Ywen Primary School pupils were to fall into the Cathays High catchment area.
The Labour Team declared their support for Parents and schools as soon as the announcement was made and vowed to fight the proposals. Local Councillors led the campaign against the fundamentally flawed plan and they voted against the plan going out to consultation. Labour Councillors also called for parents, teachers, governors, pupils and Councillors to be involved in developing any future plan as they know what's best for their children and their communities.
Hundreds of people descended on County Hall to show their opposition to the plans and as a local Councillor I met bus loads of parents, pupils and teachers from Cardiff North schools and was able to present the petition (with over 5,000 signatures in three weeks) gathered by Eglwys Wen Primary School to save their school along with a book of 312 reasons to not close the school to the Leader of the Council, Rodney Berman.
Below is some text of what I said in support of some of the schools in Cardiff North during the Council meeting on the issue:
"How can we support a plan which seeks to close successful schools? How can we support a plan which has financial gain at its heart rather than the best educational interests of our children? How can we support a plan which divides previously harmonious communities by closing English medium school where they are on shared sites? How can we support a plan which fails to give consideration to any other policies on transport and the environment and would see children, such as those in Ton Yr Ywen travelling across the city to get to school? Parents agree that something must be done but this is certainly not it. Never before have I seen protests of this magnitude. The people of Cardiff have spoken on this issue and I suggest we listen."
I also attended the Whitchurch High meeting arranged by Sue Essex AM, Julie Morgan MP and myself and was also present at the Cefn Onn parents meeting where I said:
"Cefn Onn is a successful school which is in the heart of the community. These plans which proposed to close the school works against the principle of local schools for local children, which has been at the heart of Labour's policies on the Council. The plan also fails to consider environmental issues by taking away parents ability to walk their children to school and raises questions about the safety of children having to travel so far. Cefn Onn can and should be saved by parents, teachers and local representatives working together."
The Labour Team will continue to support schools in any way we can and Sue, Julie and myself have pledged to work with parents to support the school and to investigate ways of improving pupil numbers such as breakfast and after school clubs.
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