Just a few days left to object to Pontypridd schools plans
Just a few days left to object to Pontypridd schools plans
The statutory notice period for the reorganisation of Pontypridd schools end s this Friday, 31st May.
The proposals follow what was done in the Rhondda where Tonypandy, Porth and Ferndale had their sixth forms taken away from them and centralised at Treorchy and Tonyrefail.
Karen Roberts was a governor at Tonypandy at the time and led the objections against the proposals.
"My Welsh Liberal Democrat colleagues in RCT and myself were vehemently opposed to the proposals in the Rhondda and are equally against them taking place in Pontypridd.
"We warned from the beginning that it would result in the loss of senior staff at those schools that would no longer have sixth forms as those staff would want to teach A levels. Our concerns were dismissed by the then Director of Education, now the Chief Executive, but it is just what happened.
"We also objected to the inequalities that are being created across the county, with some areas having access to nearby sixth forms and others not, some primary pupils being integrated into through schools and others not. Yet our objections fell on deaf years. The minds of the Director and the Labour Cabinet were already made up and nothing we said, nor indeed the large number of teachers who we worked with, would have made any difference.
"We would urge people to put in their final objections – even if they objected to the initial round of consultations then they need to repeat those concerns in response to the statutory notices. It might not make a difference, but at least people can say they tried."
The consultation documents can be found here.
