Help Save Pontrhydyfen Primary School From Closure

A final update
It is with a heavy heart that I communicate with you all for the last time. Knowing that you have been willing to support our cause has been a great comfort and morale boost and for that I would like to thank you.
Earlier this week we had our judgement handed down and it was not good news, the judge found in favour of Neath Port Talbot Council and so Pontrhydyfen Primary School is no more. I guess the final blow was the way that we found out the outcome of the judicial review. It was published in the local paper even before the claimant had been informed. This came as no surprise following the way in which we have been treated throughout the whole process. http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Parents-lose-battle-Afan-Valley-primary-schools/story-27522650-detail/story.html

I feel that we all (Children, Parents and Staff) put 100 % into this fight, against overwhelming odds and we took it as far as we could. We should all feel very proud of our achievements. Short of declaring independence for Pontrhydyfen we must look to the future for our children and what is best for them within the resources that remain in this area.
Viva la Pontrhydyfen!
Malcolm Bell

The last assembly (this term?) and a judge lends an ear!

On Friday the school had its last assembly. One of the parents posted this afterwards on Facebook
“What an emotional last day at Pontrhydyfen Primary School, the children singing their hearts out in assembly, the words spoken by our Headteacher and Chair of Governors, the commemorative plaques presented to all the children and seeing so many parents and staff in tears. We do not live in Pontrhydyfen and did not know anyone there when our son started in the school 2 years ago, but we were made welcome and felt a part of the community. The school and everything and everyone linked to it will always hold a place in our hearts and we will cherish these memories always.”

I was unable to attend as I was in Cardiff attending the judicial review.
Our judicial review got off to a grand start when the judge immediately exerted his authority by “demanding” that a noisy tannoy at the rear of the court be switched off. What followed was, I thought, highly entertaining. Without building up anyone's hopes,

I was very surprised by the judge’s attitude, he made it clear that he was sympathetic to our cause and that his grandchild’s school had just been closed, our barrister had a number of points highlighted and it was made clear to the opposition that they would have to make a very robust counter argument to persuade him. Our governors 'formal response to the proposal' was noted to be a “well-constructed document” (with, I assume, the opposite implication on the council's documents). The council’s barrister, by contrast, fared badly and had a number of submissions rejected as 'post di facto'. A number of points brought by the council were 'what was meant' not ‘what was’ these too were rejected by the judge. Luckily, unlike the cabinet meetings, the man who makes the decisions this time was wide awake and I feel, had the measure of the council. For those in the know Tesco versus Dundee played an important part in the proceedings, this deals with how guidance documents are interpreted.

The second day saw the arrival of the Director of Education (the man with the plan), I would assume this was down to the way the case was heading at the end of the first day and that the councils brief felt his presence was needed to add some gravitas to the defence’s case! Our legal team felt positive at the end of the proceedings. The judgement is expected to be handed down before the end of July.

Just a line to keep you all up to date with the latest events.
As the children prepare for the summer holidays our judicial review is scheduled to be heard over Thursday and Friday of this week in Cardiff.
Whilst we wait for the outcome I would like to take a moment to thank you all for taking the time to sign this petition and support the school through these difficult times. I would also like to thank the governors for the tremendous amount of work put into challenging the council every step of the way, the staff for continuing to maintain a stable environment for our children to be taught in and finally the children for, well, being children!
Thank you one and all.

Thanks to you all for signing the petition. We made the front page of The South Wales Evening Post!
https://plus.google.com/111168317282236615457/posts/1fkS1twWKwo
Our next date is 10th June for the councils final decision.

With the last few days left don't miss your chance to email the council and let them know your feelings.
https://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/help-save-pontrhydyfen-primary-school-from-closure

https://youtu.be/a7z7akRCOx0

Can I ask you to cast your minds back to when you were at primary school? Can you remember back to that first day? If you, like me, you went to a village school those first days were daunting with all those great big children rushing about, but within a few days with the help and care of the teachers, other members of staff and your peers you settled in and hopefully flourished. At the end of your primary school education you were ready to move on to bigger and more challenging times, out grown the nurturing environment that had brought you to the next stage. Indeed, just you reading this proves that you care about others, the plight of children and their education. That primary school you went to did a pretty good job of setting you on a path to develop your compassion of your fellow beings.

Now, here we are sitting in one of the top ten richest countries in the world and we cannot, or should that be, choose not to, afford to start our children’s education in a similar environment that you started yours in. Obviously some of those children of yester-year did not emerge as caring compassionate people and are happy to reap all the benefits and then to deny others due to cost or greed.

I feel that here in Neath Port Talbot we have a few of those children who are now happy to industrialize the education of our children to save - to save what? Will this generation of children emerge as well rounded people, with hundreds of children crammed into large establishments with over-crowded classes? I doubt it. Did you know that Eton has a pupil to teacher ratio of just 8 to 1, (thanks Wikipedia) and I don’t believe that they are renowned for their under-achievers!

So here we are in this predicament again asking for your help to save my daughters, along with the rest of the pupils school. The film was made to give you a flavour of this primary school (please watch it to the end). I am sure that this is repeated up and down the country and that loosing these schools will have much more dire consequences in the future. Please share on Facebook and Twitter and if you have the time, an email to [email protected] with Pontrhydyfen Primary School in the subject line before 18th May would be very much appreciated.
Thank you

A lost petition, a justification to our cause.

Yesterday I spent 4 hours in Neath Port Talbot Council Chamber listening to the cabinet members pass the proposal concerning Pontrhydyfen Primary School and two other schools, Bryn and Tonmawr, on to the next stage. The councillors made it very clear that the decision has NOT yet been made and so our fight intensifies and goes on.