Full-Formal-Consultation-Document-WM4-English

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 L

Formal Consultation to establish a

Welsh-medium primary school and

to relocate Pillgwenlly Primary School

4th July 2019 –

13th September 2019

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Contents

Introduction 3

Background 3

The Consultation Process 4

The Proposal 7

The Seedling Model 8

What are the benefits of a seedling school? 9

What are the disadvantages of a seedling school? 9

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 4 th July 2019

 Ends at midnight on Friday 13 th September 2019

Background

Newport currently has three Welsh-medium primary schools, each providing education for pupils between 3 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 1 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 5 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

available

Pillgwenlly Primary School,

th July 2019 15.00-17.00 Drop-in event Bengali Welsh

Punjabi Arabic Urdu Kurdish Somali Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed,

Dyffryn Way, Dyffryn, NP10 8BX 11

th July 2019 15.30-17.30 Drop-in event Welsh Pillgwenlly Primary School

th July 2019 09.00-11.00 Drop-in event Romanian Welsh

Slovakian Czech Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School

Roman Way, Caerleon, NP18 3BY 5

th September 2019 15.45-17.30 Drop-in event Welsh Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed,

Dyffryn Way, Dyffryn, NP10 8BX 12

th September 2019 08.30-10.00 Drop-in event 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

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

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

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;

 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 do 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 1 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 medium 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

Welsh-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 6

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 1 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 1 class with a maximum of 30 places;

 A Year 2 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

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;

Affected Schools

The three current community maintained Welsh-medium Primary schools in Newport may be

affected by the establishment of the new Welsh-medium school These schools are Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd (located in the Ringland ward), Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon (located in the Shaftsbury ward), and Ysgol Gymraeg Ifor Hael (located in the Bettws ward) These three schools could be

affected as parents may choose to send or transfer their child to the new primary school for

convenience of location, and therefore there could be a risk that their pupil numbers could

decrease The seedling model of growth will minimise the likelihood and impact of this risk by

limiting the availability of additional pupil places in older year groups

Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed, Newport’s Welsh-medium secondary school (located in the Tredegar

Park ward) will also be affected by the proposal The number of pupils expected to progress to Year

7 admission for this school will be greater from September 2027 than the current admission number The Council will therefore need to consider appropriate measures to support further growth

Pillgwenlly Primary School (located in the Pillgwenlly ward) is an English-medium community

maintained school for children aged between 3 and 11 years and will be affected by this proposal due

to the change of location and the increase in school capacity This is considered as a positive effect

as a brand new school building will be delivered The school will also grow in size, providing more opportunities for both pupils and staff Currently, many families in the area find that their children are unable to attend the same school The creation of additional places will therefore enable more siblings to be accommodated at the same school, supporting attendance, punctuality and parental engagement The proposed new school site is less than 1 mile away from the current school

Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School (located in the Caerleon ward) could be affected by the

proposal, as the seedling school will be located within close proximity There is therefore a

possibility that the number of applications for nursery and reception places at Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School is reduced while the seedling Welsh-medium school is located there There may also be a small impact on transport routes in the area due to additional pupils attending school in the vicinity It may be necessary for the seedling school to have occasional use of the Lodge Hill playing field

Provision and Demand for Welsh Medium Education

Newport currently has three Welsh-medium primary schools, and one Welsh-medium secondary school, which opened in September 2016 The continued growth of Welsh-medium education and the opening of new schools supports Welsh Government’s charter of achieving 1 million Welsh speakers across Wales by 2050 Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon, Newport’s newest Welsh-medium primary school opened in September 2011 as a seedling school with just a Nursery and Reception class in the first year, and the pupil numbers are continuing to rise as the school grows This is demonstrated in the following graph:

The 2018/19 Welsh Medium Demand Survey ran regionally with other Local Authorities across the South East Wales Consortium region A common survey and information booklet was produced and issued by post to families with children born between 1st September 2016 and 31st August 2018 In Newport, the survey was sent to the families of 3886 children 669 eligible responses were

received; a response rate of 17.22% Analysis of the responses revealed that:

 256 parents (38.27%) have considered Welsh-medium childcare and/or education for their children, and

 109 (16.29% of respondents) wished for their child to attend a Welsh-medium primary school

The current pupil population across the Welsh-medium primary schools represents only 5% of the primary pupil population across Newport

Past and Projected Numbers – Welsh-medium Primary Schools

Currently, the three Welsh-medium primary schools in Newport provide education for 682 children

of statutory school age as per the January 2019 Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC)

Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon

Capacity Pupil Numbers

Table 3

Welsh-medium Primary Schools

Pupil numbers 2015-2019 - Reception to Year 6 (excluding nursery)

(2019) 2014- 2015 2015- 2016 2016- 2017 2017- 2018 2018- 2019 Surplus places

2019

Pupil numbers are January PLASC submission for Reception to Year 6

Table 4

Welsh-medium Primary Schools

Pupil numbers 2015-2019 - Nursery

(2019) 2014- 2015 2015- 2016 2016- 2017 2017- 2018 2018- 2019 Surplus places

2019

Pupil numbers are January PLASC submission for Reception to Year 6

Table 5

Welsh-medium Primary Schools

Pupil projections 2020-2024 – Reception - Year 6 (excluding Nursery)

(2020) 2019- 2020 2020- 2021 2021- 2022 2022- 2023 2023- 2024 Surplus places

2024

Forecasts do not include impact of future housing developments

Reception Admission Numbers 2018/19 for Welsh-medium Primary

Schools

Table 6

School Academic Year Places Available Uptake of Places

Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd

Past and Projected Numbers – Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed

Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed currently provides education for 248 children of statutory school age as per the January 2019 Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) submission The following tables detail the past and projected mainstream pupil numbers for the school:

Pupil numbers are January PLASC submission

Forecasts do not include impact of future housing developments

Past and Projected Numbers – Pillgwenlly Primary

Pillgwenlly Primary School currently provides education for 558 children of statutory school age as per the January 2019 Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) submission The following tables detail the past and projected mainstream pupil numbers for the school:

Table 9

Pillgwenlly Primary School

Pupil numbers 2015-2019 - Reception to Year 6 (excluding nursery)

2019

Pupil numbers are January PLASC submission for Reception to Year 6

Table 10

Pillgwenlly Primary School

Pupil numbers 2015-2019 - Nursery

Table 11

Pillgwenlly Primary School

Pupil projection 2019-2024 – Reception – Year 6 (excluding Nursery)

(2020) 2019- 2020 2020- 2021 2021- 2022 2022- 2023 2023- 2024 Surplus places

2024

Forecasts do not include impact of future housing developments

Past and Projected Numbers – Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School

Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School currently provides education for 303 children of statutory school age as per the January 2019 Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) submission The following tables detail the past and projected mainstream pupil numbers for the school:

Table 12

Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School

Pupil numbers 2015-2019 – Reception to Year 6 (excluding nursery)

Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School

Pupil numbers 2015-2019 - Nursery

Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School

Pupil projection 2019-2024 – Reception – Year 6 (excluding Nursery)

Building Condition

The new school on the Whiteheads development will be built in accordance with the Department

for Education and Skills Building Bulletin 99: Briefing Framework for Primary School Projects

All existing Newport schools have recently been subject to a Building Condition survey The

Caerleon Lodge Hill Infant building and Pillgwenlly Primary School were both judged to be in

condition C+ on a scale of A (excellent) to D (poor)

The Caerleon Lodge Hill Infant building will receive considerable investment to the value of £1.2m This investment will provide new lighting, ceilings, floor coverings and decoration to create a

modern and stimulating learning environment for Foundation Phase pupils Post implementation, it is expected that the school will be judged as a condition B building

Pillgwenlly Primary School was constructed in 1988 to replace 3 former primary schools and a nursery As such, it is one of Newport’s more modern schools Under this proposal, the building will benefit from an extensive modernisation and refurbishment programme before it becomes the permanent home of the new Welsh-medium Primary School The budget for this element of the project is £3.3m Following this work, the school is expected to also be judged as a condition B building

The schools affected by the proposal have been judged to be in the following condition on a scale of

A (excellent) to D (poor):

Table 15 – School condition

implementation)