CYMDEITHAS yr Iaith wrote to Ceredigion Council Cabinet members ahead of a decision on Tuesday (3 September) on authorising a consultation on the closure of 4 of the county’s rural Welsh-medium schools, warning them that “whole methodology” behind the proposals is “incorrect”.
According to the organisation, the process in which the proposals were drafted go “completely contrary” to the Welsh Government’s School Organization Code, which requires detailed consideration of all options other than closure while proposals on the future of schools are still at a formative stage.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s letter to the cabinet members outlined several options that were not considered in the proposal papers, for example transferring buildings to community trusts, or establishing a federation or a multi-site school that would cover several buildings.
The letter from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Education Group to members of Ceredigion Council’s Cabinet says: “Such alternative options are not a subject for discussion today, but identifying their existence as options not discussed in the formulation of these papers means that the papers are not valid as a reliable basis for statutory consultation.”
The Council’s reluctance to discuss openly with stakeholders before drawing up proposals is also criticised: “The schools have been calling out for information and discussion for months since the initial shock meetings to which heads were summoned, but to no avail. Cymdeithas yr Iaith were told in early summer that our proposals would be studied and that we would receive a response within a week, but all requests for further discussion were ignored.
“Now you are being asked to authorise six short weeks of statutory consultation on proposals drawn up by officials without discussion, and schools are being expected to justify their existence and explain why they should not be closed. There is a better way to move forward.”
