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St Francis parents ‘sidelined’ by consultation

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Huw Jones: There is no plan yet we just want your ideas

Huw Jones: There is no plan yet we just want your ideas

THE MOOD was tense at a meeting for parents arranged by the council to discuss the future of primary education in Milford Haven on Tuesday (Mar 1).

This was not a statutory consultation and this point was emphasised on a number of occasions during the evening.

With the council’s reputation on consultations on very shaky ground, there was a measurable atmosphere of fear and uncertainty in the hall.

The meeting, held at Milford Haven School, was attended by 57 people. Some present complained that the 6.30pm start made it impossible for some parents to attend. Fifteen of those attending were town or community councillors, school governors or teachers. The majority of the parents, it seemed, were from St Francis RC School – but all schools were represented.

But those representing St Francis made it very clear that they did not feel happy about the consultation. Several parents with children in St Francis said they felt sidelined, and were unhappy about how the council’s consultation document was worded.

The council claimed at the meeting that they had no plans or ideas themselves at this stage, and that this was purely consultation exercise. The council further claimed all primary schools in the Milford Haven area were advised last year that preliminary engagement would take place during the 2015/16 academic year; this was following a report to Council in December 2014.

The representatives from Pembrokeshire County Council were Huw Jones, Professional Officer, Planning Places and Admissions and Sian Rowles, Challenge Advisor.

Mr Jones said that the Meads school is currently severely overcrowded, at 114% it’s capacity. The council added temporary buildings to house additional pupils soon after the Mount school closes – but pupil numbers are expected to peak by 2020. It is expected that next year 839 pupils will attend the three schools, the highest ever number.

St Francis has 23% empty places. Parents and teachers at the school feel that because St Francis does not have a nursery, with all children attending The Meads for their first experience of school, St Francis is put at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting students.

One parent suggested that many children would like to stay in the school where they have made friends, leading to one school being overcrowded and the other underutilised.

Huw Jones stated that “with the benefit of hindsight”, it had probably been a mistake to close The Mount school. However, it should be noted that the closure of a school is normally due to a range of factors and each of these would have been taken into consideration.

Most seemed to agree, however, that if The Mount school had not been closed, that the overcrowding problem would not be so severe.

Father Harri Williams of St Katherine and St Peter’s Church, speaking in his capacity as a governor of The Meads, said: “I was told by a Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire County Council that a Portakabin was no place to educate a child in the 21st century, but here we are 16 years into the 21st century talking about adding additional Portakabins to a school in Milford Haven.

Helen Hammond, trustee of the Diocese of Menevia by Bishop of Menevia, who has a granddaughter at St Francis school, said: “I would like to thank the council for including the parents of St Francis and teachers with the consultation but it has caused much anxiety. Any closure of the school would have to be in agreement with the trustees and bishop. I know that this would not be on the agenda of the diocese.”

Mr Sean McCarthy, governor at St Francis school, said that he was disappointed that it was seeming like St Francis was being sidelined. He said that it was obvious that the thrust of the debate was about what to do with The Meads and the junior school

Several parents with children in St Francis agreed with Mr McCarthy said they felt as though their views and the future of their children’s school was being treated as an afterthought. The parents were also unhappy about how the council’s consultation document was worded.

Sonja Groves, acting headteacher of the Meads, spoke passionately for a new school for all primary school children in the town with state of the art facilities. She said that plans should take into account the deprivation and suffering of many families in Milford Haven. She was given a loud round of applause.

She added: “There are many hardships in Milford Haven and parents on the breadline. The only way to break the cycle is to equip our parents with essential life skills and offer better health support and playground facilities. A super school would be rewarding and exciting but this would take commitment and money.”

The council said after the meeting: “We have committed to adding a further mobile classroom to The Meads to assist the school in accommodating pupils in the short term – this should be in place by September 2016.”

In relation to the question of a nursery at St Francis, a council spokesman stated: “Opening a nursery would effectively mean extending the age range of the school and requires full statutory process as part of the School Organisation Code.

“In view of the wider engagement in relation to provision in Milford Haven, it is sensible to cover all at the same time.

The spokesman added: “If, as a result of the current engagement, there is an appetite to extend the age range of St Francis School, then I would recommend that course of action to Council. It should be noted, however, that such an action would require a full statutory process to be conducted but that it would be sensible to include this as part of any additional proposal arising from the current engagement.

Headmaster of Milford Haven School, Mr Rod Francis, said: “I was disappointed to hear that the council are talking about signposting children from Milford Haven, who wish to be taught in the medium of Welsh, to Haverfordwest. I think it is important that Milford Haven stays together as a community.”

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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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