SUPPORTERS of Ysgol Cilgerran’s Church in Wales school have protested at a Pembrokeshire County Council meeting against council plans to remove church status from the school.

Back in May, Pembrokeshire County Council voted to remove Voluntary Controlled (VC) status from the Welsh-medium rural school despite 97 per cent of the responses to a consultation having opposed a change which the church describes as ‘entirely unnecessary’.

The Church in Wales has objected formally to the proposal and has warned it will take legal action on the grounds of “public misrepresentation and unqualified legal assertions made by Pembrokeshire County Council officers,” and “discrimination against faith schooling”.

During Pembrokeshire County Council’s full council meeting of July 16, parents, teachers, and students travelled to County Hall, Haverfordwest to protest.

Their colourful protest signs, made by students, carried messages such as “You can’t fix what isn’t broken”, “Leave our VC status alone”, and “Don’t take away our identity for a few £££”.

One of the protesters, an ex-pupil and governor, Sarah Moore, has said: “I’m here today because I’m horrified that the council are talking about taking the church status away from our school. The church gave that land for the school over 180 years ago.

“97 per cent have voted against this and yet they’re still trying to do it. If we want our children to stay in a church school, the nearest one is Letterston. So where will these children have that good education that they are getting now?”

Kelly Davies, parent and governor, said: “We feel really strongly as parents, the pupils and the community that we’re not happy about them taking VC status away.

“We have really strong links with the church and the school and the community. It just seems that they’re taking this away from us permanently for no reason.”

The Church has said it has deep concern about what it sees as a pattern of the council’s recent actions regarding Church Schools.

In June, councillors voted to close Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School, which was damaged by a fire in 2022.

The Church says it is taking formal action in this case.

It has also expressed concerns about VC status being lost for Tenby Church in Wales VC school after councillors backed a consultation on penitential education changes in the Tenby area.

A spokesperson for the Church in Wales said: “The entirely unnecessary threat to the status of this much-loved community school has had an impact on children, families, and the wider community. We are not prepared to allow another thriving rural school to lose its treasured character.

“Ysgol Cilgerran has our full support, and we hope that Pembrokeshire County Council listens to the voices of the community it serves, and chooses not to remove VC status.”

A CLOSURE-THREATENED Pembrokeshire school, which has now been saved, should “never have been considered for closure,” a local councillor who battled to keep it open has said.

Kilgetty’s Stepaside CP School was being earmarked for closure by Pembrokeshire County Council, as part of proposals to establish a new 3-11 primary school on the Saundersfoot School site, discontinuing both Saundersfoot school and Stepaside school.

The Stepaside proposal was based on surplus places for all the schools in the proposals, with Stepaside having a surplus capacity of over 50 per cent, councillors had previously heard; figures that have since been much debated.

In March, a vote at a full meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council reaffirmed a decision of last December, that the Director for Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation to discontinue Stepaside and Saundersfoot and establish the new three-11 primary school.

Since then, Pembrokeshire’s deputy leader Cllr Paul Miller, who has recently taken on Cabinet member responsibility for education, made a call for the school to instead remain open, rescinding the previous decision to discontinue Saundersfoot and Stepaside schools, which was unanimously backed at the July 16 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council.

Local county councillors Alistair Cameron and Alec Cormack, who had both battled for the school to remain open, said they are delighted at the decision to rescind the previous backing of a public consultation on closing Stepaside School and merging it with Saundersfoot School on the existing Saundersfoot School Site.

Cllr Alistair Cameron said: “Stepaside School should never have been considered for closure. The number of pupils at the school have been stable since 2022 at between at between 110 and 115. We are looking at another good intake of pupils in September which shows just how popular this school is.

“This has been confirmed by the school inspectors, Estyn, who described it as a ‘Happy place where pupils feel safe and eager to learn’ and ‘a welcoming, calm and purposeful learning environment,’ where ‘pupils make good progress with their learning’.

“Thank you to Mr Jones, headteacher at Stepaside School, and all of his colleagues for their continued dedication and hard work for the children in their care.

“Thank you also to the Chair of Governors, Laura Burnett and all of the governors for their leadership as well as the parents and wider Kilgetty community for their support. The school staff can now concentrate on what they do best, which is to provide excellent education in a caring and nurturing environment.”

Cllr Alec Cormack welcomed the Cabinet decision saying adding “I am very pleased that the decision taken in council was unanimous.”

Speaking after the decision, Laura Burnett said: “The Governing Body of Stepaside Community Primary School are delighted to share the exciting news that the school will remain open for many years to come.

“This is a tremendous achievement for the community that is served by the school in Kilgetty.”

Year 6 pupil says the school’s 180-year connection with the Church should be celebrated, as the Church in Wales warns legal action could follow

PUPILS, parents and governors have spoken out against plans to remove the Church in Wales status of Ysgol Cilgerran.

The Church in Wales has released a series of videos featuring members of the school community as opposition continues to Pembrokeshire County Council’s decision to change the Welsh-medium primary school from a Voluntary Controlled school to a community school.

In one of the videos, Year 6 pupil Ffion makes a direct appeal for the school’s historic identity to be protected.

She said: “We have a strong connection between the school and the church, and that’s something to celebrate, not take away.”

Ffion added that supporters would continue campaigning against the change, saying: “We’re still fighting and we won’t stop.”

Parent and chair of governors Kelly Davies has also explained why retaining the school’s Voluntary Controlled status matters to her family and the wider Cilgerran community.

Former pupil and safeguarding governor Sarah Moore made a further appeal outside Pembrokeshire County Hall, calling for the school to be allowed to retain its identity.

Ysgol Cilgerran was founded by the Church and has served the community for more than 180 years.

Pembrokeshire County Council voted in May to proceed with the statutory process of discontinuing the existing Voluntary Controlled school and establishing a community school on the same site.

The proposal attracted overwhelming opposition during the consultation process.

Of the 203 responses received, 197 objected to the change, representing 97% of those who took part. Just three respondents supported the proposal.

The council has argued that changing the school’s status would improve its long-term resilience and make it possible for Ysgol Cilgerran to federate with neighbouring community schools should that become necessary in the future.

It has said there is currently no proposal to federate the school, replace its leadership or alter its Welsh-medium provision.

However, the Church in Wales has described the move as a “gratuitous attack” on faith education and has warned that legal action could follow if the council proceeds.

The Church also disputes the council’s position regarding the school site, part of which is Church-owned, and has indicated that the land would not automatically be made available for a successor community school.

Campaigners say Ysgol Cilgerran is a thriving school and that its Church status remains an important part of its history, character and relationship with the local community.