Full-Formal-Consultation-Document-WM4-English

Formal Consultation to establish a Welsh-medium primary school and to relocate Pillgwenlly Primary School 4th July 2019 – 13th September 2019 If you would like this information in any other format, for example braille or large print, or help with interpretation in a different language, please contact Newport City Council on 01633 656656 or by emailing school.reorg@newport.gov.uk English Os hoffech yr wybodaeth hon ar unrhyw ffurf arall er enghraifft braille neu brint bras, neu os hoffech help gan ddehonglydd iaith arall, cysylltwch â Chyngor Dinas Casnewydd ar 01633 656656 neu e-bostiwch school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Welsh 如果您希望以其他格式獲取以上信息，例如凸字及大字體印刷，或者如您有口語翻譯的需求，請與新港市市政 府聯繫。電話：01633 656656 郵箱school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Cantonese Pokud byste chtěli tyto informace v libovolném jiném formátu, například braillském písmu nebo velkém tištěném textu nebo pomoci s tlumočením v jiném jazyce, kontaktujte Newport City Council na čísle 01633 656656 nebo e-mailem school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Czech ‫ لطفا با شورای شهر‬،‫اگر شما این اطالعات را در فرمت دیگر می خواهید مثالً بریل (الفباء نابینایان) یا چاپ بزرگ یا کمک به تفسیر در زبان دیگر‬ ‫نیوپورت‬Newport City Council ‫ تماس بگیرید‬01633 656656‫ یا بہ این ادرس ایمیل کنید‬school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Farsi Ha szeretné ezt az információt másmilyen formátumban, peldául Braille-írással vagy nagybetűvel nyomtatottan vagy szeretne fordítást különböző nyelven akkor legyen szives kapcsolatba lépni a Newporti Tanáccsal a 01633 656656 telefonszámon vagy emailezzen a school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Hungarian Jei norite gauti aukščiau pateiktą informaciją kitais formatais, pvz., "Brailio raštu" ir dideliu šriftų spausdinimu, arba jei turite žodinį vertimą, susisiekite su Niuporto miesto vyriausybe Tel: 01633 656656 ElektroninisPaštas: school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Lithuanian 如果您希望以其他格式获取以上信息，例如盲文及大字体印刷，或者如您有口语翻译的需求，请与新港市市政 府联系。 电话：01633 656656 邮箱：school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Mandarin Jeśli chcesz te informacje w innym formacie, np Braille'em czy dużym drukiem, lub pomoc przy tłumaczeniu w innym języku, prosimy o kontakt z Urzędem Miasta Newport na 01633 656656 lub wysyłając maila na school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Polish Se vocờ quiser essa informaỗóo em qualquer outro formato, por exemplo braille ou impressão em letra grande, ou ajuda com a interpretaỗóo em um idioma diferente, entre em contato com a Câmara Municipal de Newport através número 01633 656656 ou enviando um email para school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Portuguese Dacă doriți această informație ỵn alt format, de exemplu Braille sau ỵn format mare, sau ajutor cu interpretarea ỵn alta limbă, vă rugăm să contactați Newport City Council la numărul de telefon : 01633656656 sau prin e-mail-ul:school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Romanian Если вы хотите получить вышеуказанную информацию в других форматах, таких как шрифт Брайля и большой шрифт, или если у вас есть необходимость в устном переводе, обратитесь в управление города Ньюпорт Тел: 01633 656656 Электронная почта : school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Russian V prípade, že potrebujete tieto informácie v inom formáte, ako napríklad Brajlove písmo alebo veľká tlač alebo potrebujete pomoc s prekladom alebo tlmočením iného jazyka, prosím kontaktujte Newport City Council na telefónnom čísle 01633 656656 alebo mailom na school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Slovak Si desea esta información en cualquier otro formato, por ejemplo braille o letra grande, o ayuda la interpretación en otro idioma, por favor póngase en contacto el Ayuntamiento de Newport al 01633 656656 o por correo electrónico a school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Spanish ‫اگر آپ یہ معلومات کسی دوسری شکل میں حاصل کرنا پسند کریں گے مثال کے طور پر بریل (نابینا اشخاص کے ل ٔیے) یا بڑے پرنٹ میں یا دوسری‬ ‫ زبان میں ترجعے کے ل ٔیے تو برائے مہربانی نیوپورٹ سٹی کونسل‬Newport City Council ‫سے اس نمبر پر رابطہ کریں‬ 01633 656656‫ یا اس پتہ پر ای میل کریں‬school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Urdu Information can also be arranged in other community languages if needed Please contact us on 01633 656656 to arrange Contents Introduction Background The Consultation Process The Proposal The Seedling Model What are the benefits of a seedling school? What are the disadvantages of a seedling school? Affected Schools 10 Provision and Demand for Welsh Medium Education 11 Past and Projected Numbers – Welsh-medium Primary Schools 11 Reception Admission Numbers 2018/19 for Welsh-medium Primary Schools 12 Past and Projected Numbers – Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed 13 Past and Projected Numbers – Pillgwenlly Primary 13 Past and Projected Numbers – Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School 14 Building Condition 15 Statutory Primary Education - Standards 16 School Categorisation 18 What Will the Proposal Provide? 18 List of facilities provided under the proposal 19 When Will This Be Effective? 20 Cost of the Proposal 20 Alternative Options Considered 21 What will the preferred proposal achieve? 22 School Organisation Arrangements 23 Catchment Areas 23 Admissions 25 Home to School Transport 25 Governance 26 Staffing 26 Advantages and Disadvantages 27 Risks 28 Consultation Response Pro-forma 30 Introduction The purpose of the consultation is to seek views on the following proposal:    To establish a Welsh-medium seedling primary school on the vacant site of the former Caerleon Lodge Hill Infant School from September 2020; To relocate Pillgwenlly Primary School from its existing site to the new build on the Whiteheads development, and in doing so to increase the capacity of the school for mainstream pupils from 546 to 630 and its Learning Resource Base (LRB) from 10 to 20 places from January 2022, and; To subsequently transfer the seedling school to a permanent location on the site of the current Pillgwenlly Primary school from September 2022 This is your chance to ask questions and make comments that will be considered when the Council decides how to proceed This formal consultation period:   Begins on Thursday 4th July 2019 Ends at midnight on Friday 13th September 2019 Background Newport currently has three Welsh-medium primary schools, each providing education for pupils between and 11 years Two of the three schools are now operating at 90% of total available capacity and, as at April 2019, there are only three (equivalent to 2.7%) places available in the Reception year groups across the three schools Welsh Government approved Newport’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) in 2018 Newport’s WESP includes a commitment to expand primary provision across the City so that the proportion of seven-year-old pupils taught through the medium of Welsh is increased from 3.9% to 5% by 2022/23 The establishment of a fourth Welsh-medium primary school will assist in reaching these objectives and will support Welsh Government’s charter of achieving million Welsh speakers across Wales by 2050 It is proposed that this new school will be established from September 2020, initially as a seedling provision for Nursery and Reception pupils only, at the currently vacant former Caerleon Lodge Hill Infant School The school will subsequently transfer to a permanent location, at the current site of Pillgwenlly Primary School, from September 2022 Pillgwenlly Primary is a community maintained English-medium school, with a published admission number of 78 The total capacity for pupils of statutory school age is 546 There is also a 56-place nursery class able to accommodate a maximum of 112 children over either a morning or afternoon session and a 10 place Learning Resource Base (LRB) The school is extremely popular and all year groups are fully subscribed A waiting list is in operation for all year groups The demand for pupil places in the area is expected to increase following the new housing developments in the Pillgwenlly and Maesglas areas Pupil forecast pressures have been identified in the area and for this reason the Council initially explored expansion of the school in the 21st Century Schools Band B programme There is, however, insufficient space within the current site to expand the school any further, as any additional buildings would replace outdoor play areas Notwithstanding this, a new school build is planned for the nearby Whiteheads development, on a piece of land that will be suitable for the creation of a 3-form entry school (90 places per year group) This land will be transferred to the Education Service as part of the Council’s section 106 planning agreement with the developer, with the build project being funded via the 21st Century Schools Band B programme It is proposed that on completion of this project, the current Pillgwenlly Primary School will relocate to the new building in January 2022, thereby enabling the school to expand as originally planned The vacant building will subsequently be fully refurbished, before the new Welsh-medium Primary School is able to relocate to this permanent site Newport City Council has successfully submitted a bid to Welsh Government for funding to undertake this project via the Welsh Medium Capital Grant The funding supports the proposal to establish a new Welsh-medium Primary School and will be used to make improvements to the temporary seedling facility and to the existing Pillgwenlly Primary School buildings Ultimately, the project will deliver a new 2-form entry Welsh-medium Primary School with nursery and Special Education Needs (SEN) facilities Overall, the proposal will provide an additional 430 Welsh-medium primary pupil places (including Learning Resource Base) plus 48 part-time nursery places The full capacity of the school will be realised over several years, as the school will grow under a seedling model, similar to that used to successfully establish Ysgol Gymraeg Ifor Hael and Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon The Consultation Process The consultation process represents an opportunity for people to learn about the proposal, ask questions and make comments that will be recorded and summarised in a consultation report This report will be published on the Council’s website and will be considered when the Council decides on the way forward The consultation will involve drop-in sessions with those affected by the proposal, where Council officers will be on hand to explain the proposals in more detail and answer any questions: Table 1: Drop-in Sessions Location Date & Time Session Pillgwenlly Primary School, Capel Crescent, NP20 2FT 10th July 2019 15.00-17.00 Drop-in event Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed, Dyffryn Way, Dyffryn, NP10 8BX Pillgwenlly Primary School Capel Crescent, NP20 2FT 11th July 2019 15.30-17.30 16th July 2019 09.00-11.00 Drop-in event Drop-in event Welsh Romanian Slovakian Czech 5th September 2019 15.45-17.30 12th September 2019 08.30-10.00 Drop-in event Welsh Drop-in event Welsh Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School Roman Way, Caerleon, NP18 3BY Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed, Dyffryn Way, Dyffryn, NP10 8BX Translation available Welsh Bengali Punjabi Arabic Urdu Kurdish Somali Welsh If you require a translator for another language at any of these drop-in sessions, please contact Newport City Council at school.reorg@newport.gov.uk at least a week in advance so that the necessary arrangements can be made to provide this service Comments and questions can be submitted using the online response pro-forma available at www.newport.gov.uk/schoolreorganisation Responses can also be returned by email to: school.reorg@newport.gov.uk Alternatively, the pro-forma enclosed can be returned to the Education Information and Development Officer, Room 425w, Newport City Council, Civic Centre, Newport NP20 4UR Social media facilities such as Twitter and Facebook will also be available Please note that negative responses made to the proposal will not be counted as objections to the proposal, they will be recorded as adverse comments Objections can only be registered following the publication of a statutory notice The deadline for all responses is midnight on Friday 13th September 2019 Following consultation, the Newport City Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills will consider the views expressed and then decide whether to proceed with the proposal If the decision is taken to proceed, a statutory notice will be published on the Newport City Council website and notices posted on the school gates at all affected schools1 The statutory notice period will last for 28 days following the date of publication and enables people to express their views in the form of supporting or objecting to the proposals If no objections are received following the publication of the statutory notice, the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills will make the final decision as to whether to proceed If any objections are received and not subsequently withdrawn during this notice period, the Council’s Cabinet will determine the final decision Arrangements for the participation of children and young people A Children and Young People’s Everyday Summary Version of this consultation has been produced Both this and the full version are available via the NCC website www.newport.gov.uk/schoolreorganisation, from the Civic Centre, and the Information Station Copies can also be requested by emailing school.reorg@newport.gov.uk or by telephoning 01633 656656 Who will we consult with?             Parents, carers and guardians of pupils attending all affected schools Pupils attending all schools affected by this proposal; Members of staff currently employed at all schools affected by this proposal; The Church in Wales, Diocese of Monmouth; Roman Catholic Archdiocese; Neighbouring Local Authorities across the South East Wales Consortium area; The Headteacher and Governing Bodies of all Newport schools; All Newport City Council elected members; All Newport City Council Heads of Service; All Community Councils across Newport; The Welsh Ministers; Assembly Members (AMs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) representing the area served by the schools subject to the proposals; The schools affected by this proposal are listed on page 10 of this document               Estyn; Teaching and staff trade unions representing teachers and staff employed at all schools affected by this proposal; The South East Wales Education Achievement Service; The Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent; Newport’s Welsh in Education Forum; The Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership; Any independent early years providers in the Caerleon and Pillgwenlly areas; Aneurin Bevan Health Board; Public Health Wales Newport Serennu Centre SNAP Cymru Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations Preventative services The Welsh Language Commissioner What you have to consider? The remainder of this document sets out the rationale for the proposal We would like you to consider the information contained within the document and to hear your views as to whether or not you support the proposal The Proposal This is a proposal to:    establish a Welsh-medium seedling primary school on the vacant site of the former Caerleon Lodge Hill Infant School from September 2020; to relocate Pillgwenlly Primary School from its existing site to a new build on the Whiteheads development, and in doing so to increase the capacity of the school for mainstream pupils from 546 to 630 from January 2022, and; to subsequently transfer the seedling school to a permanent location on the site of the current Pillgwenlly Primary school from September 2022 The former Caerleon Lodge Hill Infant building was vacated in October 2018 when pupils from the school moved to the new Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School building funded via the Council’s 21st Century Schools Band A programme The vacant building is in good structural condition and includes facilities such as classrooms, toilets and dining facilities appropriate for children aged between 3-7 years There is some refurbishment work required to enable this to be used for a Welsh-medium seedling school, and this will be funded via Welsh Government’s Welsh-medium capital grant The WESP outlines a commitment to stimulate demand for Welsh-medium education across Newport Currently, only a very small number of families living in the Caerleon area actively seek Welsh-medium education It is anticipated therefore that the decision to locate the seedling school in this area will stimulate demand for this type of education provision, resulting in a legacy that with benefit the whole city as more and more parents consider this a preferred option for their children Pillgwenlly Primary School is a community maintained school with a published admission number of 78 The total capacity for pupils of statutory school age is 546 There is also a 56-place nursery class able to accommodate a maximum of 112 children over either a morning or afternoon session In relocating to a new school building on the Whiteheads development, the capacity of the school will be able to increase to 3-form entry with a published admission number of 90 The total capacity of pupils of statutory school age will be 630 The new site is less than mile from the current building Pillgwenlly Primary School houses a 10 place Learning Resource Base (LRB) and as part of the proposals to relocate to the new building, the LRB provision will also increase to two 10-place classes (20 places in total) Pillgwenlly Primary School was initially included in Newport City Council’s 21st Century Schools Band B Strategic Outline Programme for expansion on its existing site However, this has since been discounted due to the constraints of the site, as any building development would significantly impact on the available play space Relocating the school to the Whiteheads development will enable the required expansion to Pillgwenlly Primary School whilst leaving behind a vacant building able to accommodate Newport’s fourth Welsh-medium Primary School The new Welsh-medium school will include a nursery class and a dedicated learning resource base provision to support pupils with additional learning needs Such a facility does not currently exist across Newport’s Welsh-medium primary estate The identified site will also have sufficient accommodation to facilitate an immersion unit to support learners who choose to access Welshmedium education later in their primary school careers A temporary Welsh-medium immersion unit is being created at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon from September 2019, pending the establishment of the new school at its permanent site This proposed permanent location also supports the creation of Welsh-medium primary places in the south-west of the city, some distance away from the three existing schools Fig.1 School Locations The Seedling Model What is a seedling school? A seedling school is a model that can be used when establishing a new school to allow the facilities and staff to be used efficiently whilst the school grows to its full potential The school opens initially with only Nursery and Reception classes, and a year group is then added each academic year until the first reception cohort reaches Year Welsh-medium Primary School Class Size During the first year of the seedling school opening, two mainstream classes will be in operation as follows:   A nursery class where up to 48 part-time places will be offered over either a morning or afternoon session; A reception class with a maximum of 30 places; In the second year, the seedling school will consist of:    A nursery class where up to 48 part-time places will be offered over either a morning or afternoon session; A reception class with a maximum of 30 places; A Year class with a maximum of 30 places; In the third year, the school will be located on the permanent site at Pillgwenlly and will consist of:      A nursery class where up to 48 part-time places will be offered over either a morning or afternoon session; Two Reception classes with a maximum of 60 places (30 per class); A Year class with a maximum of 30 places; A Year class with a maximum of 30 places; A LRB class with a maximum of 10 places In the years following, each new reception year group will have a maximum of 60 places (two classes of 30 children) Full capacity of the school will be realised in September 2028 when all year groups will operate under a two-form entry arrangement The table below shows an example of the seedling model of growth for a two form-entry school Table Year 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 2028/29 N 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 R 30 30 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 Y1 30 30 60 60 60 60 60 60 Maximum places per year Y2 Y3 Y4 30 30 60 60 60 60 60 30 30 60 60 60 60 30 30 60 60 60 Y5 30 30 60 60 Y6 LRB 30 30 60 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 The seedling model is considered the most appropriate solution for new Welsh-medium schools Whilst demand is growing for Welsh-medium education, opening the school immediately to all year groups could destabilise other schools across the city and could adversely affect the ability to support effective immersion provision What are the benefits of a seedling school?      The school capacity would grow as demand increases; Stable growth to support existing schools; Reduces the possibility of mass movement of pupils from other schools; Effectively manages class sizes to support staffing and the school budget; Pupils living outside the school catchment area can still apply for a place at the school and may be successful What are the disadvantages of a seedling school?    Takes a number of years to deliver growth Possible implications for siblings with changing catchments; Possible implications for families moving to Newport with different aged children due to changing catchments; Consideration of the potential impact of the proposal on quality and standards is aligned with the Estyn Inspection framework: Standards – The proposal will not affect the standards in any of the Welsh-medium schools affected or at Caerleon Lodge Hill primary Pillgwenlly Primary standards may improve as with the increase in school capacity the current mixed year group classes will be changing to specific year group classes The new Welsh-medium primary school will receive the appropriate level of challenge and support to ensure that a high quality standard of outcomes are achieved Wellbeing and attitudes to learning – The provision of additional pupil places at Pillgwenlly Primary School is expected to enable more children to attend school in their local community and with their siblings The creation of a new Welsh-medium primary school will increase parental choice in the city and provide Welsh-medium education closer to home for children living in the city centre or west of the city The proposal will also provide new or upgraded facilities for learners For these reasons pupil wellbeing and attitudes towards learning are expected to improve once Pillgwenlly Primary school moves to the new building and the new Welsh-medium school settles at its permanent location Pupil wellbeing is a priority which is monitored and reported through school self-evaluation and improvement plans and also by the local authority’s wellbeing monitoring group The proposal will not impact wellbeing and attitudes towards learning at the other affected schools Teaching and learning experiences – The quality of teaching will remain the same in Pillgwenlly Primary school and the teachers will continue to follow the national curriculum The learning experiences may be improved by having newer/updated facilities The teaching at the new Welsh-medium Primary school will follow the national curriculum with Welsh as the language of teaching and learning The proposal will not impact the teaching and learning experiences at the other affected schools Care support and guidance – At Pillgwenlly Primary school the care support and guidance will continue at the same standard or could potentially improve, currently classes are mixed with different year groups but once the school moves, the classes will be dedicated to one set year group The new Welsh-medium primary school will be supported by the local authority and the Education Achievement Service to provide high quality care, support and guidance There will be no change in care support and guidance at the other affected schools Leadership and management – There will be no change to how the quality and effectiveness of leaders and managers will perform in Pillgwenlly Primary school or at the other affected schools At the new Welsh-medium primary school, the school leadership team will receive support and guidance from the local authority and Education Achievement Service to ensure best practice in leadership and management are adopted 17 School Categorisation The National School Categorisation system gives us a clear and fair picture of how well a school is performing compared with other schools across Wales and helps us to identify the schools that need the most help, support and guidance to improve The system has been developed collectively between regional education consortia and Welsh Government Its primary function is to identify, across Wales, the schools that need the most support In the latest (January 2019) categorisation for primary schools, the affected schools are in the following categories (in the range Green, Yellow, Amber, or Red): Table 17 – School categorisation School Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary Pillgwenlly Primary Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd Ysgol Gymraeg Ifor Hael Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed Category Green Green Yellow Green Green Yellow The Council firmly believes that this proposal will have a positive impact on standards across this range of schools as all buildings will be well-equipped to deliver a full curriculum for mainstream pupils and pupils with additional learning needs What Will the Proposal Provide? The proposal will provide a new two form-entry Welsh-medium Primary School and will include a 48-place nursery, a 10 place Learning Resource Base (LRB) and a dedicated Welsh-language primary immersion unit Alongside this, the project will deliver significant refurbishment and improvements to the recently vacated Caerleon Lodge Hill Infant School building which will be used to provide temporary accommodation for the new Welsh-medium Primary School for two years (September 2020 – July 2022) The proposal will also deliver a new three form-entry primary school building on the Whiteheads development in the Pillgwenlly area which, once complete, will enable the relocation of the current Pillgwenlly Primary School This new building will enable the school to expand, increasing the total capacity of Pillgwenlly Primary School from 546 to 630 mainstream places, and from 10 to 20 Learning Resource Base places for children with additional learning needs Catchment areas for Pillgwenlly Primary School and the four Welsh-medium primary schools will be re-defined to support this proposal As a result of the expansion of the Pillgwenlly Primary School catchment area onto the Whiteheads development site, approximately 60 homes located off the eastern side of Mendalgief Road which are currently within the Maesglas Primary School catchment area, will fall into the Pillgwenlly Primary School catchment Of 18 primary school age children currently residing in this area, 11 (61%) already attend Pillgwenlly Primary School None of them currently attend Maesglas Primary School As such the Council does not consider Maesglas Primary School to be affected by this proposal 18 Nursery Provision The proposal will see an increase in the total Nursery provision across Newport through the creation of 48 additional part-time places at the new Welsh-medium primary school This will have a positive impact on Welsh-medium education through stimulated demand Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision There is an on-going demand for primary LRB placements across Newport The proposal will see a 100% increase in the capacity of the LRB at Pillgwenlly Primary School where the provision will increase from 10 places to 20 places The proposal also supports the creation of a 10-place LRB at the new Welsh-medium Primary School, a provision that currently does not otherwise exist across the Welsh-medium primary sector This LRB will be generic in nature in order to meet a range of additional learning needs This will enhance the quality of education support provided across Newport to children with additional learning needs, for those learning in both English and Welsh The LRB in the new Welshmedium school will be available once the school is located at its permanent site The council’s Special Educational Needs (SEN) panel following a rigorous assessment of specific need determines entry and exit into a Learning Resource Base There are currently 12 Learning Resource Bases across the primary sector, providing 180 placements List of facilities provided under the proposal Seedling Welsh-medium Primary School:        standard Foundation Phase classrooms Group/withdrawal rooms Dining/assembly hall and kitchen/servery Headteacher and admin offices Staffroom Covered play/learning areas Playground and soft social (grass) area New-build Pillgwenlly Primary School:          21 standard classrooms Nursery provision LRB classrooms Library/flexible use study area Offices Assembly/dining hall and catering kitchen Group/meeting rooms Hard outdoor play areas 3G junior sports pitch 19 Permanent site for new Welsh-medium Primary School:         14 Standard classrooms Nursery classroom LRB classroom Library Offices Assembly/dining hall and catering kitchen Group/meeting rooms Hard and soft outdoor play areas When Will This Be Effective?    The Welsh-medium seedling primary school will be established on the vacant site of the former Caerleon Lodge Hill Infant School from September 2020; Pillgwenlly Primary School will be relocated from its existing site to a new facility on the Whiteheads development from January 2022, and; The Welsh-medium Primary School will move to its permanent location on the site of the current Pillgwenlly Primary school from September 2022 Cost of the Proposal This project will be implemented in three phases The total budget for the project is £16.8m Phase – Establishment of the seedling school This is budgeted at £1.2m, funded via Welsh Government’s Welsh-medium Capital Grant Phase – Design and build of the new school at Whiteheads This is budgeted at £12.3m, funded from the Council’s 21st Century Schools Band B programme Phase – Refurbishment of the Pillgwenlly Primary School building This is budgeted at £3.3m, funded via Welsh Government’s Welsh-medium Capital Grant Revenue Costs The project will provide additional employment opportunities across the city, leading to an increase in Local Authority staff costs The expansion of Pillgwenlly Primary will see the need for new teachers and teaching assistants By opening a new Welsh-medium primary there will be a growing need for more teachers and support staff over the years as the school grows providing additional employment opportunities in the city Revenue Funding Implications The establishment of a new school and the expansion of an existing schools will, of course, mean additional cost pressures for the Local Authority The council has considered these additional pressures and has factored them into our financial planning as necessary The expected revenue costs of the proposal are outlined below: Table 18 2020-21 Welsh Medium £247k Pill Total £247k 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 £464k £639k £816k £916k £1.13M £59k £238k £240k £233k £233k £523k £877k £1.056m £1.149m £1.363m 20 Alternative Options Considered Seedling Provision A number of alternative options were considered for the location of the seedling school before identifying the Caerleon Lodge Hill Infant building as the most suitable location These are described below: Caerleon Lodge Hill Infants Benefits  Available Education Service asset;  Building designed for Foundation Phase pupils;  Low refurbishment costs;  Site could be used for an extended period if there were any delays to the permanent site;  Could stimulate demand for Welsh-medium education in the Caerleon area Risks   Located some distance from the from permanent site; Outside the proposed catchment area for the new school Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed Benefits  Within the proposed catchment area for the new school;  Good transport links and generous car park;  Welsh-medium setting and could benefit in shared use of temporary facilities;  Facilities could be expanded to accommodate additional classes if any delays;  Sharing facilities (dining halls, admin offices) could reduce costs Risks       Limited external play facilities and offsite sports provision; Existing free space is in buildings designed for secondary age pupils; Would be costly due to a full temporary provision being required; Nursery and secondary age children in close proximity; Health and safety implications during proposed redevelopment of the secondary school site; The Duffryn site is within a flood risk area which may present planning difficulties Bassaleg School Benefits  Within the proposed catchment area for the new school;  Good transport links;  Large expansive site Risks     Heavy traffic during rush hour; Will require full provision of temporary accommodation; Wil involve hosting Foundation Phase children on a secondary school site; Located in an air quality management area; 21  Potential environmental issues due to construction traffic accessing site entrance Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon Benefits  Annexe building has classrooms, offices, outside play areas and dedicated parking;  The site has had previous infrastructure work which will reduce costs;  Has previously accommodated a seedling school;  A fully immersed Welsh-medium environment Risks      Outside the proposed catchment area for the new school; Could be perceived as an expansion of the existing school, and therefore the new school may have difficulty creating its own identity; Additional buildings would need to be provided to accommodate school in second year; Would be over a split site, which could be difficult to manage and impact host school; Alternative provision would likely need to be sought for Mudiad Meithrin Permanent Location An alternative option was for the new Welsh-medium Primary School to be established on the Whiteheads site Benefits:  No disruption to pupils at Pillgwenlly Primary School;  Additional Welsh-medium spaces available to meet future demand;  New school and facilities for the Welsh-medium primary school Risks:  Would not enable expansion of Pillgwenlly Primary School;  Large proportion of new school would remain vacant for some years What will the preferred proposal achieve? The preferred proposal will provide additional Welsh-medium school places in the South-west of the city once the school is located at the permanent site The temporary location could also support an increased demand for Welsh-medium education in the Caerleon area This will enable the Council to support Welsh Government’s charter of achieving million Welsh speakers across Wales by 2050 Relocating Pillgwenlly Primary School to the new build on the Whiteheads development will enable the school to grow to form entry, creating additional capacity to meet demand in the area as there is insufficient space to expand the school on its current site 22 School Organisation Arrangements Catchment Areas Pillgwenlly Primary School It is proposed that the existing catchment area for Pillgwenlly Primary School will be expanded to include the Whiteheads development The existing and proposed catchment areas are outlined in the following maps: Fig.2 Existing catchment area: Fig.3 Proposed catchment area: 23 Welsh-medium Primary Schools Currently, as there are three Welsh-medium Primary Schools in Newport, the city is split into three Welsh-medium catchment areas as outlined on the map below: Fig.4 Current Welsh-medium primary school catchment areas Fig.5 Proposed New Welsh-medium primary school catchment areas 24 The proposed establishment of a fourth Welsh-medium primary school naturally means that Welshmedium catchment areas will need to be re-defined In proposing these new catchment areas, consideration has been given to the location and size of each of the four schools in terms of home to school distance and population size The proposed catchment areas have also been aligned with catchment areas for English-medium primary schools, therefore making it easier for parents to easily understand their Welsh-medium and English-medium choices The proposed new catchment areas are outlined in the map above Admissions Newport City Council is the admission authority for all community-maintained schools across the city This will include the new Welsh-medium Primary School Applications for admission to all community-maintained schools will be assessed in accordance with the Council’s School Admissions Policy In accordance with this policy, parents can express a preference for any school, but there is no guarantee of admission to the chosen school, even if it is the catchment school Admission to the school will be made in accordance with parental preference, subject to availability Where a school is oversubscribed, preference requests will still be considered, but the Council’s over-subscription criteria will be applied to determine priority Admission to Nursery – September 2020 Applications can be made using the Council’s on-line admissions service between 10th July 2019 and 18th September 2019 Decision notifications for on-time applications will be issued on 4th December 2019 Admission to Reception – September 2020 Applications can be made using the Council’s on-line admissions service between 6th November 2019 and 15th January 2020 Decision notifications for on-time applications will be issued on 16th April 2020 Further information on the School Admissions policy and process can be found on the Newport City Council website at www.newport.gov.uk/schooladmissions Home to School Transport Safe walking routes to the existing school sites are already established Safe routes to the new school on the Whiteheads site will be determined during the design and planning process for the new school Under the Council’s policy, free home to school transport is provided to all primary aged pupils of statutory school age who live miles or more from their catchment school, or nearest available school Free home to school transport is not provided for pupils attending nursery classes This proposal will not affect this arrangement Under this proposal, pupils living within the catchment area for the new school are likely to live more than miles of the seedling school and therefore will qualify for free home to school transport whilst attending the seedling school Continuation of this benefit from September 2022 will be dependent on the distance between the home address and the permanent location of the new school 25 Whilst the catchment area for the new school is not proposed to extend into Caerleon, the seedling school is likely to be attractive to families in the Caerleon area In order to support the establishment of the new school, any pupils from Caerleon who elect to attend the seedling school will be entitled to free home to school transport to Pillgwenlly from September 2022 when the school moves to its permanent location This discretionary assistance will be awarded to this specific group of pupils only, and unfortunately cannot be extended to include siblings Any Caerleon resident families applying for a place at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon, which will be the catchment Welsh-medium school under this proposal, are likely to qualify for free home to school transport under the Council’s policy, due to the distance criterion Pupils who currently qualify for free home to school transport will not lose this provision due to the proposed establishment of the new school and the associated revision of catchment areas The new catchment areas and home to school distances will be applied to applications made after the proposal is implemented More information with regards to the local authority’s school transport policy can be found here: http://www.newport.gov.uk/en/Schools-Education/Schools/School-transport/School-transport.aspx The proposal is expected to have a positive impact on learner travel, as it will provide a new Welshmedium education facility in the heart of the city This will ultimately reduce the distance that pupils are required to travel to access welsh-medium primary education Governance There will be no changes to school governance arrangements at Pillgwenlly Primary as a result of this proposal The governing body will continue in its current form If this proposal is agreed, a temporary Governing Body will be established for the new Welshmedium Primary School This temporary Governing Body will be responsible for appointing a Headteacher, agreeing a staffing structure and deciding on other aspects such as the school name, uniform and logo The temporary Governing Body and the Headteacher elect will also need to consider Human Resources policies and procedures that would need to be adopted in relation to recruitment and, once the school is established, in relation to the management of staff The Council would advocate the adoption of Newport City Council’s Human Resource policies as these have been subject to consultation with trade union representatives Staffing Additional staff will need to be appointed at Pillgwenlly Primary to accommodate the additional pupil numbers The Headteacher and the Governing Body will manage this in line with agreed recruitment processes The temporary Governing Body of the new Welsh-medium school would need to consider the timescales for the appointment of a Headteacher in order that an appropriate staffing structure can be established and recruitment can take place in readiness for the seedling school to open in September 2020 As a seedling school, the staff compliment will increase incrementally until the school is fully subscribed There will be only a relatively small staff group in the first year 26 Advantages and Disadvantages The advantages of the proposal to relocate Pillgwenlly Primary School are:     Increased number of places at the school; Increased opportunities for staff development; Brand new school building and facilities Opportunities for improved community engagement through use of new facilities The disadvantages of the proposal to relocate Pillgwenlly Primary School are:  Some members of the wider community who are familiar with the current school may resist the move;  The relocation may cause some disruption to staff and pupils  Increase in distance to school for some pupils in the catchment; The advantages of the proposal to establish a new Welsh-medium Primary School are:           The number of Welsh-medium primary school places will increase by 50%; Increased opportunities for pupils to access Welsh-medium provision; Increased opportunity to have Welsh-medium provision as a local school; A Welsh-medium LRB facility will be created; A permanent Welsh language immersion unit will be created; Reduced pupil journey times to school; Increased opportunities for staff development; Opportunities and facilities for local community engagement; Fully refurbished permanent location to 21st Century Schools standards; Effective use of an unused Education asset within a purpose built Foundation Phase facility; The disadvantages of the proposal to establish a new Welsh-medium Primary School are:  The seedling school is not located in the catchment area for the new school;  Additional future pressure on secondary school places at Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed from September 2027 Overall, the proposal will have a positive impact on Welsh language provision It will create an additional 430 Welsh-medium primary school places plus 48 part-time nursery places An immersion unit will further support families who wish to transfer to Welsh-medium provision having previously attended Englishmedium schools 27 Risks The risks associated with this proposal, and mitigating factors are listed below: Table 19 Risk The demand for Welsh-medium places is not as high as expected The demand for places in Pillgwenlly Primary school decreases Demand for all provision increases Low pupil numbers applying to the seedling school Delays in constructing the new school could impact move to permanent location for new Welsh-medium school Mitigating factor This is unlikely due to the increase in demand in recent years Additional evidence from the recent Parental Demand Survey shows a potential increase in demand This is unlikely due to pupil projection figures and taking into account the new housing development in the Pillgwenlly area The Planning of School Places group will continue to monitor projections and act accordingly It is unable to predict with any certainty the number of applications that will be received for the new school By utilising the vacant former Caerleon Hill Lodge Infants building, the LA has chosen to invest in an existing asset rather than spending on temporary facilities This represents better value for money, especially when pupil numbers are unknown The Caerleon Lodge Hill Infants building has sufficient capacity to accommodate pupils for an additional year if necessary Impact Assessments A fairness and equalities impact assessment has been conducted for this proposal and is available on the council website 28 29 Consultation Response Pro-forma This response relates to:  The establishment of a Welsh-medium seedling primary school from September 2020  The relocation and subsequent expansion of Pillgwenlly Primary School for January 2022 and  The transfer of the seedling school to a permanent location on the site of the current Pillgwenlly Primary School from September 2022 Your views matter Please tell us what you think about the proposal by completing this questionnaire and returning it to the Education Information and Development Officer, Newport City Council, Room 425W, Civic Centre, Newport NP20 4UR Alternatively, you can complete this form online at www.newport.gov.uk/schoolreorganisation or email your response to school.reorg@newport.gov.uk The closing date for the submission of responses to this consultation is midnight on Friday 13th September 2019 Please note that negative responses made to this consultation will not be counted as objections to the proposal, they will be recorded as adverse comments Objections can only be registered following the publication of a statutory notice 1) Do you support the proposal to: To establish a 2FE community maintained Welsh-medium primary school (ages 3-11) with LRB facility and to relocate Pillgwenlly Primary School from its existing site to the new build on the Whiteheads development, and in doing so to increase the capacity of the school for mainstream pupils from 546 to 630; and LRB provision from 10 to 20 pupils Yes ☐ No ☐ In part ☐ Please use the box below to provide comments or explain which element of the proposal you not support 2) Do you believe that the proposal will have a positive or negative effect on opportunities to use the Welsh language? Positive ☐ Negative ☐ No effect ☐ 3) If you think it will have a negative effect, what steps could we take to lessen or remove this and improve positive effects? 30 4) Do you believe that the proposal will treat the Welsh language less favourably than the English language? Yes ☐ No ☐ Please indicate who you are (e.g parent/carer of a child attending a local nursery) Please select your Ethnic group White British White Irish Any other White background (please state): Gypsy or Irish Traveller White and Asian White and Black African White and Black Caribbean Any other Mixed background (please state): Asian-Bangladeshi Asian-Indian Asian-Pakistani Welsh language Do you consider yourself a Welsh speaker? Yes No Asian-Bangladeshi Asian-Indian Asian-Pakistani Any other Asian background Black Caribbean Black African Any other Black background Arab Chinese Any other ethnic group (please state): _ Prefer not to say Prefer not to say Caring Responsibilities Do you care for children of school age? Yes No Prefer not to say Do you care for children of pre-school age? Yes No Prefer not to say Do you care for a dependent adult or child above school age? Yes No Prefer not to say If you wish to be notified of the publication of the consultation report, please supply your contact details: E-mail: Postal address: _ 31