Results not good enough: Council Leader Jamie Adams said the
county’s results should be better

THE COUNCIL has come under criticism from a number of councillors for its proposals for post- 16 education in mid and north west Pembrokeshire. At a meeting of the full council yesterday (Sept 10), councillors approved a number of recommendations but a number of councillors were unsure about how the council planned to move forward. The council discussed three matters for Haverfordwest, Welsh Medium Provision and Fishguard and St Davids as three separate items.

However, Cllr Mike Stoddart felt that all three were linked and that if they approved the plans for Haverfordwest they would be pointing the ship directly to the county town. He made an amendment on the final agenda item to get post- 16 education provided at a location in Haverfordwest, following further consultation, rather than at Pembrokeshire College. In a recorded vote, that amendment was defeated by 22 votes to 24 and the original recommendations were passed.

‘SHOULD BE DOING BETTER’ Council Leader Jamie Adams said: “We want all children to achieve their potential. I would like to congratulate all students from the county on their results but we should be doing better. In some areas the results are not good enough. “Estyn has previously challenged us on our slow progress and until me make decisions to address these matters, Estyn’s concerns will remain. “The fragmented approach is impacting on outcomes of our learners and a significant proportion of pupils are making wrong decisions at key points.”

HAVERFORDWEST – ‘ALL OPTIONS NEED TO BE CONSIDERED’

Cllr David Howlett accepted that discussions needed to go on in Haverfordwest but added: “All options need to be considered to allay the fears of the community of Haverfordwest and surrounding area. It needs to be for the benefit of the children.”

Cllr Tom Tudor said that further consultation was a ‘good thing to do’ and added that although there hasn’t been much dialogue with Trustees they are willing to meet with members of the council to discuss ways forward. Before the meeting, members of the joint board of Trustees for Sir Thomas Picton and Tasker Milward schools gathered outside County Hall on behalf of the pupils to continue to protest against the changes.

Council Leader Jamie Adams said there had been considerable attempts to arrange meetings with the Trustees but that they had refused to meet. He added: “I am not sure what jurisdiction a governing body has. There is no statutory regulation that covers governing bodies. I don’t know whether these are the views of themselves or of the trustees; the lines are getting very muddied.

“Tasker Milward is seen as a better way forward, it is the best site but there are other opportunities. It is the gift of the council to move this forward.” Councillor Myles Pepper added that he could not support the plans as there was no opportunity available in schools and added: “We have to deliver quality, this is not fair, right, balanced or proper.”

‘COUNCIL DOESN’T LISTEN’

Cllr Jonathan Nutting blasted the council and its cabinet for not listening to its residents and said that the council had ‘backed everyone into a corner’. He added: “We haven’t engaged with the real people of Pembrokeshire. No one challenges what is being said and this is becoming a real debacle.

“Everybody involved has their backs against the wall. We cannot blame the trustees, they are clear in what they say and we now know what the position is and we should discuss it with them. “The council is trying to railroad things through and we cannot honestly go the way we are being told to go.

“The people of  Haverfordwest have clearly said they don’t want their children educated in a college and we have got to listen to them.” Cllr David Simpson, appointed to the board of the college a number of years ago, said that the trust ‘were not dictating terms’ and described it as a chance to move forward. He added: “I was told by the college, when I was on the board, that they would never want sixth form education in the college because it would be bad for the people of Pembrokeshire.

“I still wonder why we are heading in this direction and I am confused as to the way we are going to go. “Pupils have said they would find it better if there was sixth form provision at the school because they have a choice of where they want to go.”

DENYING CHOICE

Cllr Stan Hudson said that the proposals would establish two tiers of education in the county whereby the people in the south have a choice and those in the north do not. Cllr Hudson went on to say: “A Level results were disappointing but most of those are going to university and I know of two who are going to Cambridge.

“I am against sixth form going to college and we would be driving the ship in a particular direction. “If we pass this, we would achieve in 25 weeks what the college has been unable to achieve in 25 years. “The choice is still there for them but these plans take away the choice for people at the age of 16.

“The Assembly government are thinking of giving 16 year olds the choice of voting and yet we are denying them the choice of where they go for post-16 education.” The recommendation to go out to further consultation for the Haverfordwest area was approved by a majority vote.