Help Save Pontrhydyfen Primary School From Closure

However, the education department decided that all of your signatures on the petition submitted (1628) was accredited to one of the other school facing closure. Now this maybe a small point but after the meeting I approach the Councillor responsible for education and pointed this out to them, raising the question about the accuracy of the rest of the proposal document (The school, governors and campaigners have long argued the inaccuracies contained in the councils documents and all queries to the council have remained unanswered)

my query was brushed aside with the councillor saying that they would look into it and I quote “if there has been a typing error it will be corrected”. This was not a typing error but another flagrant demonstration of the council’s total incompetence to manage facts and figures and its single minded insistence that closure is the only option. A number of councillors have spent a long time compiling and costing a list of 10 alternative options including federation and amalgamation, all dismissed by the education department.

This has led our campaign to seek an independent and unbiased view on the proposal and with this in mind the solicitors have been asked to request a judicial review. This will expose the council to external scrutiny and compel them answer the questions that have been asked. In the cabinet meeting it was raised that they had received a letter from our solicitor but that the LEA had failed to respond within the time frame stated. Another demonstration of the council’s arrogance and their blind rush into an unnecessary legal case that will cost thousands.

Here we all are before heading into the meeting. http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Bryn-Tonmawr-Pontrhydyfen-Primaries-remain-risk/story-26338883-detail/story.html
We will now go on to put in an appeal against the proposal so I must once again ask you all to please share this on Facebook and twitter. Do your grandparents have an email address? Yahoo and Gmail offer free email accounts, then they too can sign. Have all of your friends on Facebook signed?
Our school has another chance to prove, with your help, that it has a successful future educating the children of Pontrhydyfen and the surrounding area.
Thank you.
Malcolm Bell

http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Bryn-Tonmawr-Pontrhydyfen-Primaries-remain-risk/story-26338883-detail/story.html

Dear Supporters,
As we wait for the council to make their decision on our children’s future at Pontrhydyfen Primary School, we hear of yet another delay in that process. We will now not know until the 15th April, in the meantime the children continue to prove that they and this school has the merit and tenacity to remain open.
Sustrans Big Pedal competition has just finished and you may remember that Pontrhydyfen has won 4 times in the past. Well, we have now won it FIVE times. Up against 1047 primary schools throughout the whole of the United Kingdom, Pontrhydyfen Primary School came first. What an achievement! As part of this year’s competition our year 6 pupils cycled to Port Talbot Civic Centre to deliver each Councillor, who sits on the Education Cabinet and will vote on our outcome, a DVD containing the two songs that the children have sung along with another video showing the values, friendship and community spirit contained within this school.

They even made it into the local paper twice.
http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/pictures/Pontrhydyfen-Primary-School-ride-Port-Talbot/pictures-26189192-detail/pictures.html
http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Kids-race-ahead-competition-fight-school-closure/story-26230067-detail/story.html
And finally here is a short film that has been made about how the children’s attempt to win The Big Pedal for a fifth time. http://youtu.be/MyjKA3xQ3L4
I hope you enjoy it and please spread the word and encourage as many people to sign the petition as possible as we may need your support again.

A delay in the decision.

Dear Supporters,

Just as the children were starting half term we had some news from the council. I quote:

“Consultation on a proposal to close Pontrhydyfen Primary school ended on the 16th January 2015. It was intended to bring a report on this proposal to the Council’s Cabinet on the 25th February 2015. However, the consultation process has generated a significant number of comments, including alternatives to the proposal, such that it will not be possible to give due consideration to these within the initial timeframe. In light of this, the timetable has been revised and it is now intended to bring a report to a Cabinet meeting scheduled for the 8th April 2015”

I am glad that the council are responding consciously to the 1000+ letters that were submitted but I feel that I and the children would preferred not to have to wait another six weeks.

Maybe we will have an Easter present? But if not could I please ask you to once again spread the word with Facebook and Twitter so that if the worst happens we will be prepared with an even larger number of signatories for the petition.

Thank you
Malcolm

SHARE ON FACEBOOK
SHARE ON TWITTER

I would like to personally thank you all for everything you have done since I started this petition until now.
The petition, with 1628 signatures, was handed in to the council on Friday afternoon.https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/111168317282236615457/albums/6106397201209159153/6106397207174019746
I hope that we have reached a turning point and that the council will see sense and drop their plans to close our school or maybe we will have to fight on - who knows? The decision will be made on the 25th February.

We then have the opportunity to appeal the decision. Then all the letters and objections will have to be re-submitted so it is vitally important that we all continue to use this time to maximize the number of signatures on the petition. So please share it again on Facebook and Twitter.
You can all be proud of what you have done so far.
You have helped our children and that is the most admirable thing any person can do.
Thank you once again for your efforts so far.
Malcolm Bell

The children of Pontrhydyfen sing for the last time before the council closes the consultation:
http://youtu.be/nCc8426HO8Y
After Friday the council will start compiling the objections that have been sent to them regarding the closure of Pontrhydyfen Primary School. Were you one? If so thank you and please send another. If not please take 2 minutes to email the council at [email protected] and tell them how wrong they are to industrialize education into larger and more impersonal schools.

The stars of our song were the nursery and reception children, the very ones that have the most to lose if our school is closed. They will have to face the next 5 years in a school of over 500 children. I hope you have happy memories of your time at primary school, did you benefit from a small school where all of the teachers knew your name, where they knew you and your personality was allowed to develop? Let our children have the same opportunity as they take their first tentative steps in this world.
Don’t let them hide the brilliance of the future!
Children for what’s right!

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/help-save-pontrhydyfen-primary-school-from-closure

Thank you very much for your time.

Malcolm Bell

If any of you would like to email the council a comment or two regarding the gate or any other aspect of this thriving, vibrant, successful primary school and why it should remain open, then please send an email to [email protected] and put Pontrhydyfen Primary School in the subject line. Please could you copy me in at [email protected] (just to make sure none go missing!) that would be fantastic. The children might even sing for you again! You can make this happen.
Thank you
Malcolm Bell

https://picasaweb.google.com/111168317282236615457/PontrhydyfenGate#6102318424853183746