File photo: Angle school

RURAL COMMUNITIES south and west of Pembroke face the potential loss of their school following a formal consultation by the local authority.

Angle, Orielton, and Stackpole schools face closure and/or amalgamation on a single site under the proposals.

However, the proposals are not new and have been doing the rounds at County Hall since at least 2013, when Jamie Adams told The Herald that a review of schools provision on the Angle Peninsula was to be undertaken.

In October 2014, the Council launched a preliminary consultation on its plans for the schools that would be directly affected by any changes.

That consultation, prepared by former director for Children and Schools Jake Morgan, set out three options. Retention of all existing school sites; amalgamation of Orielton School with either Monkton Priory or Ysgol Gelli Aur with federation of Angle and Stackpole schools, and closure of Angle, Stackpole, and Orielton schools with a new school to be established on one of the existing sites whether under community or voluntary control.

While Jamie Adams has previously criticised the local press for their use of words in the Council’s own internal reports, it is noteworthy that the word ‘closure’ is used in all documents apart from the announcement of the statutory consultation.

At that time the review gave no steer on where a replacement school would be built; however, The Herald has noted the October 2014 document’s observation that whereas Orielton and Angle schools present significant challenges for expansion, the Stackpole school site is large enough to accommodate a larger building. However, difficulty in parking at that site is highlighted as a barrier to further development.

Estyn’s judgements at all the above schools are that they provide good value for money. However, the current pupil values are such that it costs £2284 more to fund a place at Angle VC School than the county average. Across the peninsula as a whole, pupils’ values are £1187 greater than the county average.

With the possibility of amalgamating at different sites, Monkton and Gelli Aur, assessed as poor, the Council has decided to proceed with the next phase of the consultation by presenting the option of closure of the three rural schools and their amalgamation under voluntary control for children aged 3-11.

However, the preliminary consultation document accepted that the isolation of the communities served by the schools, particularly Angle, meant that there was work to be done on ensuring transport provision was sufficient for any new school. The condition of the road network connecting the disparate villages is also a significant cause for concern, with pupils from Angle either facing travel through the village of Castlemartin or travelling as far as the top St Daniel’s Hill, under a mile from Ysgol Gelli Aur, to reach any combined school located in Stackpole.

It is noteworthy that three other sites were identified, with one in Maidenwells, at property already owned by the local authority, being cited as a possible location for a new purpose-built school to serve all three communities.

A consultation document and response form will be available on the County Council’s website from Thursday, September 3 and the closing date for responses is Friday, 16th October 2015.

There will also be a public information session at Pembroke Town Hall on Monday, 28th September from 6.30pm to 8pm. At that information session, Kate Evan-Hughes, Director for Children and Schools, will give a presentation on the proposal, to be followed by a question and answer session.

Parents, teachers, and other local residents are invited to come and give their views.

Information provided to children and young people will be presented in such a way that it is relevant to their age and level of likely understanding and be in accordance with the National Standards for Children and Young People’s Participation.