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Cardiff County Council is planning to drop the plan to build a new welsh-medium school in Grangetown. In 2011 the Welsh Government agreed to fund this new school under the 21st Century Schools Programme.
The labour-run council is now planning to build an english-medium primary school in Grangetown instead, despite there being a surplus of places in English medium primaries in the Fitzalan catchment area.
A public meeting has been called to discuss this broken promise. It will take place at 7 pm in the Cornwall pub in Grangetown, tonight the 18th June 2013.
Please come along if you care about this issue, I know that a number of posters on this board do care. Below is a link to the location of the Cornwall.
I suspect the Council is responding to both its shrinking budget and the wishes of the electorate. For example, there may be a surplus of places as you suggest, but what if those pupils are housed in buildings which are no longer fit for purpose and therefore cost a lot in terms of maintenance and may well be inefficient to keep warm or cool. Personally I prefer to think of the well being of pupils first so that they get the best opportunity for a stimulating education in exciting and comfortable surroundings.
I suspect the Council is responding to both its shrinking budget and the wishes of the electorate. For example, there may be a surplus of places as you suggest, but what if those pupils are housed in buildings which are no longer fit for purpose and therefore cost a lot in terms of maintenance and may well be inefficient to keep warm or cool. Personally I prefer to think of the well being of pupils first so that they get the best opportunity for a stimulating education in exciting and comfortable surroundings.
This "wishes of the electorate" business bugs me. Don't the 25% of Cardiff parents who choose WM education for their children count as part of the electorate?
The truth is there is an element within the Labour party in Cardiff that has always been opposed to WM education. Packing more and more children into overcrowded sites rather than opening new schools where there is a proven need is simply an attempt to suppress demand.
A situation is being created where all the WM kids from Grangetown, Butetown, Riverside and Canton wards will be educated in two overcrowded schools located within a stone's throw of each other while money is wasted on provided un-needed places in the EM sector.
I suspect the Council is responding to both its shrinking budget and the wishes of the electorate. For example, there may be a surplus of places as you suggest, but what if those pupils are housed in buildings which are no longer fit for purpose and therefore cost a lot in terms of maintenance and may well be inefficient to keep warm or cool. Personally I prefer to think of the well being of pupils first so that they get the best opportunity for a stimulating education in exciting and comfortable surroundings.
The wishes of the electorate, as expressed via the council's formal consultation process, were overwhelmingly in favour of a new Welsh Medium school in Grangetown. Finance has already been agreed with the Welsh Government through 21st Century Schools, this is likely to be lost if Cardiff substantially revise the project.
The council's projections of excess demand for English Medium places in Grangetown depends substantially on new housing developments that aren't even on the drawing board yet, like the old gasworks.
The wishes of the electorate, as expressed via the council's formal consultation process, were overwhelmingly in favour of a new Welsh Medium school in Grangetown. Finance has already been agreed with the Welsh Government through 21st Century Schools, this is likely to be lost if Cardiff substantially revise the project.
The council's projections of excess demand for English Medium places in Grangetown depends substantially on new housing developments that aren't even on the drawing board yet, like the old gasworks.
A great point, Lyndon. The already agreed funding for the new WM school is certain to be withdrawn if the proposals are changed to EM. The council will have to jump through hoops to get funding for an EM school and the pupil numbers and the "fit for purpose" state of current EM schools mean they're highly unlikely to get it.
If I was a cynic I'd suggest they just want to sell off the land while doing a bit of Welsh-bashing on the side. I am a cynic.
