Agenda item

QUESTION BY MS JULIA REES TO COUNCILLOR GARETH JONES, EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER FOR EDUCATION & CHILDREN

“From the information supplied by the LEA, it is clearly evident that the figures have been manipulated by individuals to bolster a particular scenario. There are 121 pupils in the school that do not live in Llangennech. But there are 96 children from the village travelling to other schools out of the area. 81 of them are attending an alternative English medium school. If the 81 children could attend their community school, the figures would then show more of a 50/50 demand for English and Welsh in the community of Llangennech. Parents who sought English medium education in the past at Llangennech have been turned away because the school was full. But this wasn't the case, as some parents proved during a tribunal, and who were then offered a place at Ysgol Llangennech. Why were English medium places refused when the capacity for English medium was half the capacity of  Welsh classes? How can the school publicise its green credentials when it will support transporting a large number of pupils into and out of the village?”

 

Minutes:

“From the information supplied by the LEA, it is clearly evident that the figures have been manipulated by individuals to bolster a particular scenario. There are 121 pupils in the school that do not live in Llangennech. But there are 96 children from the village travelling to other schools out of the area. 81 of them are attending an alternative English medium school. If the 81 children could attend their community school, the figures would then show more of a 50/50 demand for English and Welsh in the community of Llangennech. Parents who sought English medium education in the past at Llangennech have been turned away because the school was full. But this wasn't the case, as some parents proved during a tribunal, and who were then offered a place at Ysgol Llangennech. Why were English medium places refused when the capacity for English medium was half the capacity of Welsh classes? How can the school publicise its green credentials when it will support transporting a large number of pupils into and out of the village?”

Response by Councillor G.O. Jones, Executive Board Member for Education & Children:-

The pupil figures presented in the Consultation Document are those in being at the time of the annual statutory pupil count in January 2015.

 

The latest figures for January 2016 are as follows:

 

Llangennech Infants School

 

The total number of pupils is 210, with 161 children residing within the catchment area and 49 pupils residing outside the catchment area.

 

Llangennech Junior School

 

The total number of pupils is 236, with 175 children residing within the catchment area and 61 pupils residing outside the catchment area.

 

 

Both Schools Combined

 

Aggregated together the totals for both schools are – the total number of pupils is 446, with 336, or 75%, living in the catchment area and 110 children, or 25%, living outside the catchment area.

 

In January 2016 there were 96 children living within the catchment area of the Llangennech schools attending other schools. Of these, 16 children attended Welsh medium schools, 7 attended dual stream schools and 73 attended English medium schools, with a significant number of 39 children, over half those leaving the catchment area, attending Bryn school. 3 of the children attended faith based schools.

 

It is relevant to note that due to the configuration of the catchment area of the Llangennech schools a significant number of children living in the south of the catchment area reside closer to other schools than they do to the Llangennech schools. Prominent among these is Bryn School which receives 39 pupils from the Llangennech catchment area who live in or close to Penllwyngwyn Road, Hendre Park, Harddfan, Bryn Uchaf and Pendderi Road and live much closer to this school.

 

The Llangennech schools are able to accommodate all children living within the catchment area. These children receive preference to children living outside the catchment area under the established admissions policies.

 

No children from within the Llangennech schools catchment area have been denied a place at Llangennech schools by the County Council as the statutory Admissions Authority.

 

The published Admissions Numbers for the Llangennech schools apply to the school as a whole and do not consider language choice. Children can only be admitted to the schools by the local authority as the statutory admissions body. Schools do not have the right to admit pupils themselves or to decline places. The County Council has not refused a place to any child residing within the catchment area, irrespective of language preference.

 

The movement of pupils between school catchment areas is a common circumstance across the county in both urban and rural areas.

 

Schools are categorised according to an assessment against a national framework set out by the Welsh Government. The framework takes into account the standards achieved by pupils, the attendance of pupils, the quality of leadership at the school and the school’s capacity to improve. The categorisation framework does not take matters such as language designation or admissions arrangements into account.”

 

Ms Rees asked the following supplementary question:-

 

“You state that no child has been refused at Llangennech School on the basis of language selection so please can you explain why both of my sons were refused places at Llangennech Infant School despite the English stream classes for their year being 29 places under capacity and the Welsh stream classes for their year being over capacity by 11 places.  Yet their refusal letter stated that the English stream was “at capacity and that the addition of a further pupil to the current numbers would present severe difficulties for the school”.  How can this be construed as anything other than an intentional engineering of  figures to favour Welsh medium inclusion over English medium?”

 

Response by Councillor G.O Jones, Executive Board Member for Education & Children:-

 

“That is something I am not aware of and I will have to find out more about that and I will certainly investigate to see what is happening.”

 

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