Neath Port Talbot Council Cabinet members have rejected a proposal to replace three Swansea Valley primary schools with a new English medium school in Pontardawe.
The decision (subject to a three-day call-in period) was taken at a special meeting of the council’s Cabinet on Wednesday, April 19th 2023. This followed an earlier discussion of the plans by the council’s Cabinet and Education, Skills and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.
It was in October 2021 that Neath Port Talbot Council’s previous Cabinet gave the go ahead for a new 3-11 age school plus a specialist learning centre and public swimming pool at Ynysderw, Pontardawe, to replace primary schools at Alltwen, Llangiwg and Godre’rgraig.
However, following the May 2022 local elections, the council’s new Rainbow Coalition administration decided to review the new school proposal, this being followed by a successful legal challenge to the plans by parent group RhAG in relation to a Welsh Language Impact Assessment.
As a result, a fresh round of stakeholder consultation took place between December 5th, 2022 and February 7th, 2023. It included a public meeting in Pontardawe and online, and meetings with various stakeholders including school governors, staff and parents.
The Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Steve Hunt, said: “We promised we would review this proposal and after listening to comprehensive advice from education officials and receiving the results of extensive consultation including face to face meetings from our residents, we have decided on balance not to progress the proposal.
“Our immediate focus will be on maintaining educational standards at the schools in Llangiwg, Alltwen and of course Godre’rgraig, where pupils are in temporary accommodation.”
Cllr Hunt said that the longer term consequences of the decision would need to be given detailed consideration with further comment unlikely to be announced before Autumn.
The Deputy Leader of the council, Cllr Alun LLewelyn, said: “This has been a long and detailed process and it is a significant decision for the Swansea Valley”