Solva Village hall: Residents attend meeting about the Save Our School campaign

SOLVA COMMUNITY COUNCIL has expressed grave concerns about the Council’s commitment to retain Solva School and the future arrangements for its running and governance.

In a letter addressed specifically to freshly-minted Cabinet member Myles Pepper and St Davids Councillor David Lloyd but sent to all county councillors, the Community Council has laid bare the extent of the arm-twisting tactics to which the IPPG has resorted in order to railroad its proposals through the Extraordinary Meeting scheduled for Thursday  (Nov 26)

The letter states that Council Leader Jamie Adams, who is coincidentally also the head of the Council’s 21st Century Schools Project Board has refused a request made by IPPG councillor Lyn Jenkins that changes to Solva School be subject to further clarification. Jamie Adams is said to have told Cllr Jenkins Solva School will close unless the proposal goes through without amendment.

As the Community Council points out, Cllr Adams’s attitude calls the democratic nature of the consultation into question. Regarding Jamie Adams’s dictatorial attitude, the letter continues to say “that any concerns or issues that were unresolved by the consultation would become a matter for the shadow governing body and that neither he nor the Director would respond to our questions”.

A key area for the Community Council is what it regards as its inequitable treatment by the Leader and Head of Education, as funds are ring fenced for development in Saint Davids while Solva School faces being short of space for its Foundation Phase pupils.

The letter reveals that Cllr Adams, on whose authority he has not made clear, has refused to allow Cllr David Lloyd to read a statement from Cllr Lyn Jenkins because Cllr Lloyd is not a member of Jamie Adams loyal band of placement. Cllr Adams has suggested Cllr Myles Pepper read the statement instead.

The Community Council has pointed out that there has been no consultation as to the status of a VA School in Solva. It goes on to suggest that as the proposal is a material change to the school’s status, a further consultation should take place to examine Solva parents’ areas of concern.

The letter concludes by noting the Community Council’s opinion that “the whole process has been brought into disrepute, with the statements made by the leader suggesting that he is in overall control of this issue and that it is bereft of any democratic principle. The council should start again, consider the county as a whole and come up with a plan which, ensures the development of top-class education for everyone in the county, regardless of where they live, their faith or their age!”

As the School will be changing from maintained to Voluntary Aided status, it is not clear whether the Council is aware of, or has chosen to yet again ignore the regulations governing that process published by the Welsh Government.

The relevant section of the compulsory guidance relate that it is not possible for VA, VC or foundation schools with a designated religious character to become a community school through a change of category proposal. Similarly community schools cannot become VA or VC schools with a designated religious character.

Community schools are not permitted to have a religious character and no alteration may be made to a maintained school that changes its designated religious character or causes it to acquire or lose a designated religious character.