PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL (PCC) met with members of Estyn this week (Oct 11) for a confidential seminar on the future of secondary school education provision in Pembrokeshire.

Just months after councillors voted against the proposed plans to reorganise Pembrokeshire’s secondary school structure in May this year, plans for a new sixth form provision in the county have surfaced once again.

A major aspect of the newly proposed plans include an 11-19 school to be sited in Haverfordwest – this is in addition to the 3-16 Welsh medium school which will be sited at Withybush, Haverfordwest.

The specific site of the new secondary school is still unknown; there is several in contention, including the site of Tasker Milward, Sir Thomas Picton, or a new site entirely. Also discussed as a possibility was a split site; however, this is now increasingly unlikely.

The new school will feature sixth form provision with ‘delivery to be in line with any future arrangements for Pembrokeshire’.

Three smaller 11-19 schools to be sited in Milford Haven, Greenhill and Pembroke also feature in the newly proposed plans. The current school of Pembroke had been hoping for a new vocational centre as an off-shoot of Pembrokeshire College; however, decisions taken by PCC in July have likely brought such plans to a close.

Presenting at the seminar, Director for Children and Schools Kate Evans-Hughes also stated the need for a ‘revised federation model’ for secondary school provision in Pembrokeshire.

Reiterating this point, and largely proposing a new set of guidelines regarding sixth form provision, was Frank Ciccotti of the Pembrokeshire Association of Secondary Headteachers (PASH).

In what seemed to suggest a consolidation of post-16 education in the county, PASH said: “The larger the school, the more viable, allowing greater investment in A level teaching.”

PASH also stated, in its presentation, that ‘no sixth form can survive alone and offer the full range of subjects’, and furthermore suggested that there would be ‘significant benefits from a school of 500+ in sixth form, as regards the ability to offer more subjects and deliver surpluses’.

With reference to the financial viability of the current model, it was suggested that subjects currently require at least 15 students to achieve viability.

Taking only AS level into account, in the north of the county, Ysgol Bro Gwaun currently has no subjects which fill this quota. Ysgol Dewi Sant has four (out of 11 subjects); English Literature, Chemistry, Maths and Religious Studies.

Institutions in Haverfordwest fare slightly better, with Pembrokeshire College achieving the 15 students mark in 13 out of 15 subjects offered, while Sir Thomas Picton currently meets the target in 12 out of 19 subjects. Tasker Milward, however, only achieves the target in three subjects; Chemistry, Biology and Psychology.

The south of the county appears in a similar situation to the north, with Milford Haven, Greenhill and Pembroke collectively offering 11 subjects which have 15 students or more – out of a collective subject count of 56.

With the figures to hand, Mr Ciccotti suggested ‘there is limited strategic planning of what is taught where’ and, as such, went on to echo the words of Kate Evans-Hughes in calling for a ‘federation model’ and a ‘duty to collaborate’.

Justifying the need for a federation model, Mr Ciccotti said that the current situation means there is ‘no consistency of subjects offered across the county’, with subjects often based on ‘historic legacy’. He also added that the best teachers may not be available in each school. This has resulted in duplication of subjects and resources being stretched, and students being forced to ‘travel to get their choice, or select subjects based on logistics’, Mr Campion added.

Also expressing concern over financial sustainability, Mr Campion went on to list further justifications for a federation model. These included insufficient investment for existing facilities and technology, as well as professional development of staff. He also added that resources are diverted away from 11-16 teaching in order to support A level teaching, which is ‘not fair or appropriate’.

Mr Ciccotti has previously called on PCC in the past, repeatedly questioning the sustainability of the current secondary provision model.

Mr Ciccotti also made reference to the need for greater ‘access to technology’, suggesting that the way in which students learn is changing: “No longer are libraries the way students study.” He added that a rural community such as Pembrokeshire requires teaching methods that allow for remote learning.

In the closing stages of his presentation, speaking in regard to some form of consolidation across the county, Mr Ciccotti expressed how ‘on a combined basis, 30 subjects are viable; however, even more could be offered’.