Parents have vowed to fight plans which would see their children’s English medium school close and the local Welsh medium school move in. A proposed shake up affecting four schools would see pupils from Allensbank Primary move out of their building and Ysgol Mynydd Bychan in.
Cardiff Council is looking at three options it said are aimed at getting the balance of English and Welsh medium primary provision able to meet current and future demand in Cathays, as well as parts of Gabalfa, Heath, Llandaff North and Plasnewydd. But angry Allensbank parents claim the proposals are biased in favour of Welsh medium education and point to all the ways Allensbank serves its community.
One parent has posted a blog and urged people to respond to Cardiff Council’s consultation on the proposals by opposing them. The four schools that would be affected by the potential changes are Allensbank Primary School in Heath, Ysgol Mynydd Bychan in Gabalfa and Gladstone Primary School and St Monica’s Church in Wales Primary School in Cathays.
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Under the proposals some schools could see places cut while others may more than double in size. If agreed, the proposed changes for each of the three options could take effect from September 2025.
Angry parents say all options include shutting Allensbank, so it looks like a decision has already been made. One wrote: “It is hard to believe that all parties are being given equal consideration when you look at the proposals. You don’t have to read the proposals very carefully at all to spot that all three of the options (which promise varying levels of upheaval for four different primary schools in the area) involve Allensbank School moving out of their building, and Ysgol Mynydd Bychan moving into it.”
Parents fighting the plans did not want to be named, for fear of reprisals, but said in a joint statement: “Allensbank is a wonderful multicultural school offering so much to the children of the area. The headmistress and staff have worked extremely hard to make this school what it is today. Our children are going to have their best primary years potentially disrupted all because Ysgol Mynydd Bychan was oversubscribed by just two pupils this year. It is unjustified.
“We want to protect and fight for our school. We want to keep our school for the children of the future. Funding for all children should be fairly distributed regardless. This is all about having an equal education platform for all our children. Please help us save Allensbank Primary School.”
An anonymous blog by a parent, titled Save Allensbank, outlined reasons for opposing the plans for Allensbank. The author said they believe Allensbank and its pupils and staff are being sacrificed in favour of Welsh medium school Ysgol Mynydd Bychan adding that it’s “very hard for those with a stake in the English schools to believe that favouritism for Welsh education is not at play here”...
“...To have all of the three options ending the same way for the Welsh school has been a clear communication of the council’s bias. The cynic in me says that if this is about bigger ideologies at Welsh Government level then there is no point in fighting it, nothing we do will make a difference. But I don’t want to believe that. There is still time to speak up and still hope that schools, like Allensbank, that seem to have no voice, will be listened to.”
The blog goes on: “My children have had the privilege of going to a wonderful, warm, nurturing and diverse, English Medium primary school in my local community in Cardiff. I say English Medium, and this is true, but in the course of their education they have also encountered a myriad of languages – Welsh, Arabic, Farsi, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Turkish, Hindi, Portuguese and more.
“This is a school that truly and robustly reflects the diverse community it is planted in. This is a school that welcomes all, and welcomes them in extraordinary ways. This is a school whose contribution to society has been recognised with a school of sanctuary award “for its good practice in fostering a culture of welcome and inclusion.”
The parents are also angry that Allensbank has been covered in scaffolding for long periods while improvements are made, but if the changes go ahead no one at the school would benefit from the inconvenience.
These are the three options being looked at:
Option One
Allensbank and Gladstone Primary Schools would amalgamate to establish a new 420
place (two form entry) English medium primary with nursery on the current shared site at
Gladstone Primary School/St Monica’s Church in Wales Primary School.
St Monica’s 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 Two
Allensbank Primary School would transfer to the current shared Gladstone Primary
School/St Monica’s Primary School site, and the school would reduce in capacity
from 315 places to 210 places, with the age range reducing from three to 11 to four to 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 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 Three
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 to increase
from 64 to 96.
Cardiff Council explains its proposals
Announcing the proposals earlier this month Cardiff Council said they will be subject to consultation with schools, governors, parents and children. The council said the proposals support its commitment to develop Welsh medium education and deliver on Welsh Government targets of one million Welsh speakers by 2050.
Cllr Huw Thomas 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. Members of the public can now have their say on the new set of options, all of which 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 public consultation runs until June 30 2023. Face to face and and online public meetings and drop in sessions will take place through the consultation period, the council said.
The proposals and consultation details can be found here
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