THREE schools in the Angle Peninsula have been threatened with closure and are expected to get the final decision at a special council meeting which will be held on Thursday, January 14.
A report before an extraordinary meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s full council by the Director for Children and Schools Kate Evan-Hughes recommends that Angle VC, Orielton CP and Stackpole VC schools should be closed, and replaced by a new English medium VC school for ages 3-11 in the peninsula.
The recommendation to discontinue the three schools follows a PCC decision to authorise statutory consultation on the proposal which lasted 6 weeks from September to mid October.
The report for councillors published that: “Surplus places in the Angle Peninsula are a cause for concern and represent one of the key elements of a case for change,” adding: “Currently there are 40 per cent surplus places across the schools on the peninsula. Surplus places cost money because schools have to run and maintain buildings that are bigger than they need to be.”
All three schools which are currently led by one headteacher, have a higher cost per pupil than the county average. The report states: “The cost per pupil is currently £5,958 for angle, £4,478 for Orielton, and £4,700 for Stackpole against a county-wide average of £3,615.”
It also makes reference to the current condition of the schools, stating: “The condition of the Angle School buildings, in the ownership of the St David’s Diocesan Board, is described as C-Poor, with Stackpole B-Satisfactory and C-Poor, while Orielton is graded as C-Poor and D-Bad.”
The favoured location for the proposed new 120-pupil capacity school is located across the road from the current Orielton CP School in Hundleton, on land south of The Elms, over 7-miles away from the current locations of Angle school.
A public consultation was held at Pembroke Town Hall on September 28, on the matter which was attended by 50 people. A total of 380 responses were received on the consultation, with 67 per cent of those responding supporting the proposal.
Concerns have been raised with regards to the peninsula’s roads which in the winter can be extremely hazardous, also that people might be drawn away from towns like Angle which will then lose their community feel and become more like “holiday/retirement villages”.
Concerns have been raised about the millions of pounds the proposed new school would cost, which would be jointly funded by the Welsh Government and Pembrokeshire County Council.
Another response said: “For the people who will have to live with the consequences of your proposed school closures, the idea of a large school that is not the centre of any community is more than unappealing, it is saddening.”
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