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21st Century Schools

Consultation Document 2021

 

Primary school places to serve cathays and parts of gabalfa, heath, llandaff north and plasnewydd

 

29 January – 19 March 2021

This document can be made available in Braille.

A summary version of this document is available at www.cardiff.gov.uk

Information can also be made available in other community languages if needed.

Please contact us on 029 2087 2720 to arrange this

 

Table of Contents

 

Introduction

What is this booklet about?

What are we proposing to do?
Consultation

Views of children on the proposed changes

How can you find out more and let us know your views?

Your views are important to us

Explanation of terms used in this document

Why are we proposing these changes?

Cymraeg 2050

Welsh Medium Capital Grant scheme

City-wide population changes

Schools serving the area at present
Welsh-medium
English-medium
How many primary school places are needed?
Welsh-medium

The number of places in local Welsh-medium primary schools
The total number of children attending Welsh-medium primary schools in the area
Where do these children live?

Future demand for Welsh-medium community primary school places

Summary forecasts of demand for Welsh-medium places at entry to Reception

English-medium

The number of places in local English-medium primary schools
The total number of children attending English-medium primary schools in the area
Where do these children live?

Future demand for English-medium community primary school places

Summary forecasts of demand for English-medium places at entry to Reception

Meeting future demand for places in Welsh-medium and English-medium primary schools from September 2022

 

How could Welsh-medium places to serve the Ysgol Mynydd Bychan catchment area be increased from September 2022?

 

Area map

Proposed changes from September 2022

Long term changes to primary school provision

School Sites

Ysgol Mynydd Bychan

Albany Primary School

Allensbank Primary School

Gladstone Primary School/ St Monica’s CiW Primary School site
How would other schools be affected?

Quality and standards

Estyn
Welsh Government categorisation of schools
How would standards in schools be affected?
Standards

Teaching and learning experiences

Care, support and guidance

Leadership and Management

How would nursery provision be affected?

How would secondary school provision be affected?

Additional support for pupils

How would pupils with Additional Learning Needs be affected?

How would pupils receiving Free School Meals be affected?
How would pupils with English as an Additional Language be affected?
How would Minority Ethnic pupils be affected?
What are the benefits of the proposal?
Potential disadvantages of the proposal
Risks associated with the proposal

Admission Arrangements
Financial Matters

Human Resources Matters

Traffic and Transport Matters

Learner Travel Arrangements

Impact of the proposal on the Welsh Language

Equalities

Community Impact

Potential Disruption to Pupils
Next steps, how to make your views known and feed

back form
What happens next?

Key Dates

Consultation period
Statutory Notice

Determination of the proposal
Decision Notification

Have Your Say

Introduction

What is this booklet about?

This booklet is for parents/carers, school staff, school governors and anyone who has an interest in education in Cardiff.

It sets out details of proposed changes to primary school provision serving Cathays and parts of Gabalfa, Heath, Llandaff North and Plasnewydd.

It will be of particular interest to parents/ carers of children attending, or expecting to attend, Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, Allensbank Primary School, Albany Primary School, Gladstone Primary School and St Monica’s Church in Wales (CiW) Primary School.

We want everyone to understand what is being proposed, so you can tell us what you think about the changes.

What are we proposing to do?

The Council is seeking to:

• increase the number of Welsh-medium primary school places serving the existing catchment area of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan
• Reduce the number of English-medium surplus places serving the combined catchment areas of Allensbank, Albany and Gladstone Primary Schools

 

We would like to hear your views on proposals to:

• increase the capacity of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan from approximately 0.9 Forms of Entry (FE) (192 places) to 1.5 FE (315 places), from September 2022
• reduce Allensbank Primary School to 1FE (210 places) from 1.5FE (315 places), retaining nursery and ALN provision, from September 2022.

 

Following consultation on these changes, the Council will consider whether these proposals should be implemented.

 

We are also seeking your views on how to ensure an appropriate balance of Welsh-medium and English-medium primary school places to serve the area in the long term. Your views will help to shape how schools serving the area are organised in the future.

During this consultation we are seeking your views on:

 

• the proposed statutory changes to Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and Allensbank Primary School from September 2022
• the make up of primary school provision to serve the area, and any changes you feel would help to shape future proposals for the area.

Consultation

The aim of the consultation is:

 

• to give people an understanding of the issues around the number of places in the area and the demand for these school places;
• to identify people’s needs and aspirations regarding primary education provision in their area;
• to provide details of the primary school sites identified as potentially suitable for future school provision;
• to give people an opportunity to suggest any other sites which should be considered.

 

The consultation process must follow the Welsh Government guidelines as set out in the School Organisation Code 2018

As part of this, we are asking people what they think about the changes we are proposing. There are a number of ways for people to tell us their views.

Table 1 below sets out who the Council is consulting:

 

Children and young people

Parents/carers

School staff

School Governing Bodies

Local residents

Local Members/Assembly Members (AMs)/ Regional Assembly Members/Member of Parliament (MPs) Diocesan Directors of Education

Neighbouring Authorities

All Cardiff schools

Estyn

Communities First Partnership

Community Council’s

Children’s Commissioner

Voluntary Sector organisations

St David’s College

Welsh Ministers

 

Police & Crime Commissioner

Central South Consortium Joint Education Service (CSCJES)

Welsh Language Commissioner

Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg (RhAG)

Trade Unions

Childcare providers

Mudiad Meithrin

Wales Pre-School Providers Association

Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids Club

National Day Nurseries Association

Future Generations Commissioner

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Cardiff and Vale College

Welsh Education Forum (WEF)

 

 

Views of children on the proposed changes

Cardiff is committed to being a Child friendly city where children are able to inform decisions made that affect their lives and the services they access. It is important that when bringing forward proposals, suitable arrangements are made to consult with pupils. The Council will consult with pupils in local schools and the information gathered in these sessions will be included in the final consultation report.

How can you find out more and let us know your views?
This consultation document is available on the Cardiff Council website at Cardiff Council website.

• If you are unable to access the document on-line, printed copies of this consultation document will be available by post on request. You may request a copy by telephoning 029 2087 2720.

 

• We will also advise families with children at Albany, Allensbank, Gladstone and St Monica’s CiW primary schools and Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, and those with children of pre-school age in the local area, how they can access a copy of the document.

 

• There are online meetings that you can attend where the changes we are proposing will be explained. You will have an opportunity to ask questions as part of these sessions. If you would like to attend an online meeting please contact us via e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. confirming which meeting you would like to attend and we will provide a link and instructions on how you can access the meeting.

 

• Council officers will meet with the Governing Bodies and staff of the schools directly affected. Given the ongoing pandemic and the public health restrictions arising out of this this, these meetings will also take place online.

 

• You can also write to the Council to tell us what you think.

 

The dates of the consultation meetings are set out below:

 

Table 2: Consultation Meeting Dates

Nature of Consultation	Date/Time
Allensbank Primary School Governing Body	08 February 5:30pm
Allensbank Primary School Staff	11 February 5pm
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan Staff	23 February 4pm
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan Governing Body	25 February 6pm
Gladstone Primary School Governing Body	02 March 6pm
Online public meeting (through the medium of Welsh)	03 March 5:30pm – 7pm
St Monica’s CiW Primary School Governing Body	04 March 4pm
Online public meeting (through the medium of English)	08 March 5:30pm – 7pm
Albany Primary School Governing Body	10 March 6pm

 

 

 

Your views are important to us

Your views matter and we want you to tell us what you think about the changes we have suggested in this document.

You can do this by:

• attending an online public meeting
• completing the consultation response form, which you can find on page 37.
• completing the electronic response form which you can find at the Council website.
• contacting the School Organisation Planning team by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by post to Room 401, County Hall, Cardiff, CF10 4UW. This can include requesting an officer call back if you have a specific question that you feel you would like further information about.

Please note that all comments sent in writing or by e-mail must contain the full name and postal address of the person making the comments.

The closing date for responses to this consultation is 19 March 2021.

Unfortunately we will not be able consider any consultation responses received after this date.

 

Explanation of terms used in this document

 

Admission Number - all maintained schools admit pupils up to at least their Published Admission Number (PAN). The admission number is the number of pupil places available in each year group.

ALN - Additional Learning Needs. This may be due to learning difficulties, physical disabilities or behavioural problems. (ALN is sometimes referred to as Special Educational Needs).

Capital funding for schools - money used to build new school buildings or improve existing facilities.

Classroom – a room within a school of sufficient size for teaching.

Classbase – a classroom within a school that is used for teaching and is where a group of children are usually based.

Community School - a primary or secondary school where the Council arranges school admissions.

Catchment area - an area that a community school would normally serve. In Cardiff, children living within this area have higher priority for admission to the school than children outside of this area.

FE - a Form of Entry refers to a class of 30 children in each year group. A 2FE school is therefore two classes of 30 children in each year group. Schools with Forms of entry that are not whole numbers ordinarily operate mixed-age classes.

Local Authority - an organisation that is officially responsible for all the public services and facilities in a particular area.

Number on Roll data - the number of pupils at a school (not including nursery pupils).

PLASC - Pupil Level Annual School Census. In January of every year, the Welsh Government collects information from schools. This includes the number of pupils at each school, their age groups, home addresses, ethnicity, and data on Welsh language, Special Educational Needs, first language and pupils who have Free School Meals.

Surplus places - empty/unfilled places in a school.

Statutory Notice - a statutory notice is the formal publication of a finalised proposal. This will only be undertaken if a decision is made by the Council Cabinet to proceed with a proposal following consideration of all responses from the consultation process. This is a legal requirement as outlined in the School Organisation Code (2018).

Voluntary Aided School - a primary or secondary school that normally has a religious character with church majority governance and where the Governing Body of the school is the admissions authority.

 

Why are we proposing these changes?

Cymraeg 2050

The Welsh Government published its Cymraeg 2050 strategy in 2017 which sets out a vision of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

By 2050, the aim is for 40 per cent of children (in each year group) to be in Welsh-medium education. The strategy assumes that, nationally, 70 per cent of 15 year olds will be able to speak Welsh by 2050, made up of 40 per cent in Welsh-medium schools and 30 per cent in English-medium schools.

The Council recognises that the education system is a key element in ensuring that children are able to develop their Welsh skills, and for creating new speakers.

At September 2020, approximately 18% of the Reception age primary school places available city-wide were in Welsh-medium classes.

In order to make further progress towards the Welsh Government national target of 25-29% of pupils in Welsh-medium education by 2031, the number of pupils accessing Welsh-medium education at Reception age would need to increase.

Welsh Medium Capital Grant scheme

The Welsh Government invited all Local Authorities in Wales to submit bids for grant funding to support capital investments that facilitate growth in Welsh-medium education and use of the Welsh language.

Cardiff Council was successful in securing funds from this scheme.

The purpose of the grant is to support capital investments that facilitate growth in Welsh-medium education and use of the Welsh language.

The grant funding is aimed specifically at capital projects that will demonstrably contribute to meeting the Welsh Government’s aim of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050. This funding is only available to support expansion in Welsh-medium education provision.

The successful bid included proposals to reorganise primary provision in the central area of Cardiff and to expand Welsh-medium primary places by an additional 1 Form of Entry (210 places).

City-wide population changes

Overall, intakes to primary schools in Cardiff grew consistently in the period 2005 to 2016, peaking at around 4,300 children enrolling in Reception year in 2015 and 2016. Since then, intakes have remained at high levels of approximately 4100 pupils in the past four intakes. The intakes closely matched the Council’s projections, based on information supplied by the NHS.

Intakes of children from existing housing in coming years are projected to reduce significantly, to around 3,700 in September 2021. They are then expected to reduce further to approximately 3,500 in September 2023. This would mean that there are increased levels of surplus places citywide.

Schools serving the area at present

 

The Cathays, Gabalfa, Heath, Llandaff North and Plasnewydd areas are served by a number of Welsh-medium and English-medium primary schools.

Welsh-medium

Ysgol Mynydd Bychan serves a catchment area that includes the community of Cathays and parts of the communities of Gabalfa, Heath and Plasnewydd.

The catchment areas of Ysgol Y Wern, Ysgol Glan Ceubal and Ysgol Melin Gruffydd lie adjacent to the catchment area of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan.

English-medium

When taken together, the combined catchment areas of Allensbank Primary School, Albany Primary School and Gladstone Primary School, form the secondary school catchment of Cathays High School. This catchment serves Cathays and parts of Gabalfa, Heath, Llandaff North and Plasnewydd.

St Monica’s Church in Wales (CiW) Primary School and St Joseph’s Roman Catholic (RC) Primary School also serve these communities.

How many primary school places are needed?

 

When considering how many school places are needed, the following factors are important:

 

• The number of places in each school
• The total number of children in the area
• Where do these children live?
• How many children will need places in future?

Welsh-medium

The number of places in local Welsh-medium primary schools

 

The capacity of a primary school is the number of places available in all age groups from Reception to Year 6, for children aged four to eleven.

 

The Admission Number of a school is the number of pupils that can be admitted in each year in a school. The capacity and admission number of a school are based on how classrooms and other spaces in the school are used for teaching and learning.

 

 

 

 

 

Table 3 below shows details of places available at schools serving the local area.

 

School	Current published capacity (age 4-11)	Places per year group (age 4-11)	Nursery places	Language medium	Category	Age range
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	192	30	64	Welsh-medium	Community primary school	3-11
Ysgol Glan Ceubal	210	30	N/A	Welsh-medium	Community primary school	3-11
Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd	420	60	64	Welsh-medium	Community primary school	3-11
Ysgol Y Wern	630	90	80	Welsh-medium	Community primary school	3-11
Total	1452	210	208

Table 3: Places available at Welsh-medium primary schools serving the area

The total number of children attending Welsh-medium primary schools in the area

 

The most recent verified school census data available at the time of publication is from January2020.

 

Table 4 below shows:

 

• the number of pupils on roll in the Welsh-medium primary schools serving the area
• which schools those pupils attend
• the number of surplus (empty) places at each school at January 2020

 

Table 4: Number on Roll and total surplus capacity in Welsh-medium primary schools – Reception to Year 6 (January 2020)

School	Published Admission Number	Reception	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6	Total children on roll	School Capacity	Surplus places	% surplus
Ysgol Glan Ceubal	30	13	30	19	23	20	20	10	135	210	75	35.7%
Ysgol Melin Gruffydd	60	45	60	60	60	59	55	57	396	420	24	5.7%
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	30	31	31	30	26	28	28	28	202	192	-10	-5.2%
Ysgol Y Wern	90	89	90	89	84	77	69	72	570	630	60	9.5%
Total	210	178	211	198	193	184	172	167	1303	1452	149	10.3

 

The data indicates an overall surplus of 149 Welsh-medium places (c10%) across the wider area in January 2020.

 

Ysgol Mynydd Bychan is however operating over capacity. Whilst the school admits up to 30 pupils per year group allowing for efficient class organisation, the calculated capacity of the school within its existing accommodation is 192 places (18 places fewer than the 210 places for a 1 Form Entry school).

 

Where do these children live?

 

Table 5 below sets out the number of pupils resident in January 2020 within the catchment areas serving Welsh-medium primary schools in Central Cardiff, enrolled in Welsh-medium primary schools

 

Table 5: Take up of places at Central Cardiff Welsh-medium primary schools, Reception to Year 6 (January 2020)

The left-hand column lists the school attended, the rest of the columns list the catchment areas.

School attended / Catchment area	Ysgol Glan Ceubal	Ysgol Hamadryad	Ysgol Melin Gruffydd	Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	Ysgol Y Wern	Other areas	Total
Ysgol Glan Ceubal	87	1	1	8	10	28	135
Ysgol Hamadryad	0	94	0	0	1	13	108
Ysgol Melin Gruffydd	34	0	319	6	25	113	396
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	8	2	0	180	3	9	202
Ysgol y Wern	1	0	5	22	508	34	570
Other WM schools	10	96	12	10	6	0	134
Total	140	193	337	226	553	197	1545

 

Following consultation in early 2019, Council has agreed to reduce the Ysgol Mynydd Bychan catchment area and to transfer the southern part of its catchment to that of Ysgol Hamadryad from September 2021. The above table represents the new arrangements, including the reduced Ysgol Mynydd Bychan catchment area.

Future demand for Welsh-medium primary school places

 

Table 6 below sets out the recent demand for Reception places in Welsh-Medium primary schools serving Cathays, Gabalfa, Heath, Llandaff North and Plasnewydd, and projected demand reflecting recent take up and future populations in each area.

Table 6: Recent and projected take up of places in Welsh-medium community primary schools of pupils resident in the catchment areas of Ysgol Glan Ceubal, Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd, Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and Ysgol Y Wern.

2015/2016 to 2020/21 are PLASC data on the number of pupils enrolled. 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 are forecast number of pupils enrolled

Catchment area	Places	2015/ 2016	2016/ 2017	2017/ 2018	2018/ 2019	2019/ 2020	2020/ 2021	2021/ 2022	2022/ 2023	2023/ 2024
Ysgol Glan Ceubal	30	19	24	16	25	12	17	16	14	15
Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd	60	46	55	61	55	37	47	39	43	33
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	30	41	31	38	38	35	38	32	34	36
Ysgol Y Wern	90	73	73	81	90	87	94	87	83	85
Total	210	179	183	196	208	171	196	174	175	169
Surplus places		31	27	14	2	39	14	36	35	41
Surplus %		14.8%	12.9%	6.7%	1.0%	18.6%	6.5%	17.4%	16.8%	19.4%

 

Whilst intakes to Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and Ysgol Y Wern have overall remained at high levels, intakes to Ysgol Glan Ceubal and Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd fell in 2019/20 but increased in September 2020.

 

The above projections are based on the most recent PLASC data (January 2020) and do not take account of the uplift in demand for Reception places in September 2020. Census data for the 2020/21 school year is not yet available. When the new census data is available, updated projections for the catchment areas of Ysgol Glan Ceubal and Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd are likely to be c8-12 pupils greater. The level of surplus places across the wider area would also be reduced by approximately 4-5%.

 

Summary of forecasts of demand for Welsh-medium places at entry to Reception

 

In summary, when taking into account the expected uplift, it is expected that there will befew surplus places at entry to Reception Year in 2020/21 and an overall projected surplus of between 12% and 14% in in the years that follow, in Welsh-medium community primary schools across the combined catchment areas of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, Ysgol Glan Ceubal, Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd and Ysgol Y Wern.

English-medium

The number of places in local English-medium primary schools

 

Table 7 below shows details of places available at the English-medium community primary schools which, when taken together, form the Cathays High School catchment area. St Joseph’s RC Primary School and St Monica’s CiW Primary School are also located in this area, and provide places for children within the area.

 

Table 7: Places available at English-medium primary schools serving the area

School	Current published capacity (age 4-11)	Places per year group (age 4-11)	Nursery places	Language medium	Category	Age range
Allensbank Primary School	315*	45	64	English-medium	Community primary school	3-11
Gladstone Primary School	210**	30	64	English-medium	Community primary school	3-11
Albany Primary School	420	60	64	English-medium	Community primary school	3-11
St Monica’s CiW Primary School	146	20	N/A	English-medium	Voluntary aided primary school	4-11
St Joseph’s RC Primary School	210	30	32	English-medium	Voluntary aided primary school	3-11
Total	1301	185	224

 

*Capacity capped at 315 places but sufficient accommodation for up to 360 places plus two specialist classrooms, or 420 places without specialist classrooms, by assigning rooms for other purposes

*Capacity capped at 210 places but sufficient accommodation for up to 270 places, if resource rooms assigned as classrooms.

 

The total number of children attending English-medium primary schools in the area

 

The most recent verified school census data available at the time of publication is from January2020.

 

Table 8 below shows:

 

• the number of pupils on roll in the English-medium community schools serving the area
• which schools those pupils attend
• the number of surplus (empty) places at each school at January 2020

 

Table 8: Number on Roll and total surplus capacity in English-medium schools – Reception to Year 6 (January 2020)

School	Published Admission Number	Reception	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6	Total children on roll	School Capacity	Surplus places	% surplus
Allensbank Primary School	45	19	27	25	26	30	27	31	185	315	130	41.3%
Albany Primary School	60	60	60	58	52	50	56	57	393	420	27	6.4%
Gladstone Primary School	30	28	25	23	26	29	23	24	178	210	32	15.2%
Subtotal Community schools	135	107	112	106	104	109	106	112	756	945	189	20%
St Monica’s CiW Primary School	20	18	24	21	17	28	13	20	141	146	5	3.4%
St Josephs RC Primary School	30	21	29	22	29	30	26	30	187	210	23	11%
Subtotal Faith schools	50	39	53	43	46	58	39	50	328	356	28	7.9%
Total (Community and faith schools)	185	146	165	149	150	167	145	162	1084	1301	217	16.7%

 

Based on published capacities, the data indicates an overall surplus of 189 English-medium community places (20%) within the area. The majority of this surplus (130 places) is at Allensbank Primary School with the school operating with 41.3% surplus places. However, additional capacity of at least 105 places is available within these schools, if resource rooms were assigned as classrooms. This would increase current surplus to 28% overall.

 

There is little surplus overall (28 places) in the two faith-based primary schools serving the area, amounting to 7.9% of their combined capacity.

 

Where do these children live?

 

Table 9 below sets out the number of pupils resident within the catchment areas serving English-medium primary schools in Central Cardiff, enrolled at English-medium primary schools in January 2020.

 

Table 9: Take up of places at English-medium primary schools, Reception to Year 6 (January 2020)

The left-hand column lists the school attended, the rest of the columns list the catchment areas.

School attended / Catchment area	Albany Primary School	Allensbank Primary School	Gladstone Primary School	Other areas	School NOR
Albany Primary School	177	3	21	192	393
Allensbank Primary School	9	124	8	44	185
Gladstone Primary School	10	22	102	44	178
St Joseph's R.C Primary School	0	103	8	76	187
St Monica's C.W Primary School	7	16	54	64	141
Subtotal	203	268	193	-
Other EM Community schools	96	139	41	-
Other EM faith schools	52	17	5	-
Total	351	424	239

Future demand for English-medium community primary school places

 

The take up of English-medium Reception places in the catchment areas of Albany, Allensbank and Gladstone Primary School has varied in recent years.

 

Table 10 below sets out the recent demand for Reception places in the English-medium community primary schools within the Cathays High School catchment area, and the projected demand for places reflecting recent take up and future populations in each area.

Table 10: Recent and projected take up of places in English-medium community primary schools of pupils resident in the catchment areas of Albany Primary School, Allensbank Primary School and Gladstone Primary School

2015/2016 to 2020/21 are PLASC data on the number of pupils enrolled. 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 are forecast number of pupils enrolled

 

Catchment area	Places	2015/ 2016	2016/ 2017	2017/ 2018	2018/ 2019	2019/ 2020	2020/ 2021	2021/ 2022	2022/ 2023	2023/ 2024
Albany Primary School	60	52	45	49	46	46	44	38	35	35
Allensbank Primary School	45	41	31	40	42	37	33	34	36	39
Gladstone Primary School	30	34	27	36	25	30	33	24	26	22
Total	135	127	103	125	113	113	110	96	97	96
Surplus places		8	32	10	22	22	25	39	38	39
Surplus %		5.9%	23.7%	7.4%	16.3%	16.3%	18.5%	28.9%	28.1%	28.8%

 

The above projections are based on the most recent PLASC data (January 2020) and do not take account of the demand for Reception places in September 2020 as census data for the 2020/21 school year is not yet available.

When the new census data is available, updated projections for the catchment areas may be reduced as a consequence of the uplift in demand for Welsh-medium places within the area.

Summary of forecasts of demand for English-medium places at entry to Reception

 

In summary, it is expected that there will be an overall projected surplus at entry to Reception Year of approximately 18.5% surplus in 2020/21 rising to between 28% and 29% in the years that follow, in English-medium community primary schools across the combined catchment areas of Albany Primary School, Allensbank Primary School and Gladstone Primary School. These figures are based on existing published capacities of 420, 315 and 210 places respectively.

 

If admission numbers and surplus places were calculated on the basis of capacities of 420, 360 and 270 places respectively as outlined on page 18, surplus places in the three English-medium community schools would increase to approximately 35% of capacity.

Meeting future demand for places from September 2022

 

Local authorities must ensure that there are sufficient schools providing primary and secondary education for their area.

 

The Council is also committed to the development and expansion of Welsh-medium education, and to meeting the targets set by the Welsh Government in its Cymraeg 2050 strategy.

Within the catchment area of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, projections indicate that 32-36 pupils would require places at entry to Reception year in the next three intakes (2021-2023), This assumes that the percentage of children within its catchment area remains at 15.6%, based on the recent take up of places in census years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20.

However, the more recent demand for places in 2019-20 indicates an increased proportion of children in the catchment area taking up places in Welsh-medium schools of 17.9%.

 

Demand within the Ysgol Mynydd Bychan catchment area for places at entry into Reception Year in the most recent intake in September 2020 was also greater than the 30 places available at entry to Reception Year in the school. The Council received 39 first choice preferences for the school from children resident within the school’s catchment area. The total demand for places within the catchment area, including lower preferences, amounted to 45 pupils.

 

However, intakes to primary schools city-wide are expected to reduce overall in coming years as the number of children in each pre-school age is lower than in recent intakes. This is expected to be the case in the catchment area of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan.

 

Whilst there is sufficient capacity across the wider area to accommodate growth in Welsh-medium in the short term, the expected level of surplus places would not be sufficient to greatly increase Welsh-medium take up in the longer term to meet the Cymraeg 2050 targets.

 

In some areas of the city, such as the area served by Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, any further increase in demand could only be balanced by changes to school catchment areas or by increasing the number of places available. Whilst changes to catchment areas could help to improve the balance between the number of places available and children requiring a place in the short term, such changes would not support long term growth.

 

Table 11 (below) sets out alternative forecasts for this catchment area which take account of three scenarios:

 

• demand for Welsh medium places continuing at 15.6% of the population in the Ysgol Mynydd Bychan catchment area
• acontinued demand at the percentage of the most recent census year intake (17.9%), and
• an annual growth in demand by one percentage point from 17.9% to 20.9%.

 

	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
Total population	243	203	216	229
Projected demand: 15.6%	38	32	34	36
Forecast demand: 17.9%	43	36	39	41
Forecast demand: 17.9% increasing to 20.9%	43 (17.9%)	38 (18.9%)	43 (19.9%)	48 (20.9%)

Table 11: Projected and forecast demand for places in Welsh-medium Reception classes, of children resident in the Ysgol Mynydd Bychan catchment area, 2020 to 2024.

 

 

The scenarios in table 9 each take account of the known pre-school population in each age group in the area. Any increase to the percentage, and number, of children admitted to Welsh-medium education would result in a reduced number of children requiring places in English-medium schools.

 

Whilst Ysgol Mynydd Bychan admits up to 30 pupils per year group allowing for efficient class organisation, the calculated capacity of the school within its existing accommodation is 192 places (18 places fewer than the 210 places for a 1FE school).

The expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan to 1.5FE in the first instance is proposed as this would provide an appropriate number of places to meet the expected demand for places, whilst minimising the impact on neighbouring Welsh-medium schools, and would enable an efficient class structure to operate whilst the school grows.

 

This proposal seeks to implement changes in such a way that the potential for negative impact on any schools is limited.

 

An immediate expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan to 2FE is not proposed at this time as this could represent a significant risk to sustaining the growth of other local Welsh-medium primary schools whilst local primary pupil populations are reducing.

 

Should Ysgol Mynydd Bychan admit more than 45 pupils, but not close to 60 pupils, this would limit the opportunities to create an efficient class structure and may have a negative impact on the school’s ability to balance its budget.

 

Increasing the number of Welsh-medium primary school places at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, from 30 to 45 places at entry to Reception Year, would:

 

• meet demand for places from the local community
• support the sustainable growth of Welsh-medium education in line with the aspirations of Cymraeg 2050
• allow for a greater number of children to benefit from the education on offer at the school
• provide greater opportunities for pupils and staff
• support the school to maintain and continue to build on its excellent standards as the new curriculum in Wales is introduced

Increasing Welsh-medium places to serve the Ysgol Mynydd Bychan catchment area from September 2022

The expansion of provision on the existing Ysgol Mynydd Bychan site is not possible due to site constraints.

 

The Council has investigated alternative site options that may be available and centrally located within the Ysgol Mynydd Bychan catchment area.

There is no suitable vacant site available that could accommodate an enlarged Ysgol Mynydd Bychan.

Reorganising primary school provision within the local area would result in creating additional Welsh-medium primary provision whilst retaining an appropriate number of English-medium places to meet demand within the locality based on population projections and historic take up patterns.

 

In 2020, there were 189 surplus places within English-medium primary schools in the area, with the number of surplus places projected to increase. Additional capacity could also be created within these schools by changing the use of some rooms to classrooms.

 

There are a number of primary schools within close proximity of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan.

Area Map

 

Map indicating location of:

 

• Albany Primary School
• Allensbank Primary School
• Gladstone Primary School
• St Monica’s Primary School
• Ysgol Mynydd Bychan

 

All of these sites could in future be used for Welsh-medium or English-medium Community schools.

 

Table 12 below sets out details of these schools and the distances between the school sites based on safe walking routes (miles).

 

Table 12: Distances between school sites based on safe walking routes (miles)

Primary Schools	Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	Allensbank Primary School	Gladstone Primary School	Albany Primary School	St Monica’s CW Primary School
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	N/A	0.22	0.41	1.16	0.48
Allensbank Primary School	0.22	N/A	0.44	1.19	0.5
Gladstone Primary School	0.41	0.44	N/A	0.82	0
Albany Primary School	1.16	1.19	0.82	N/A	0.76
St Monica’s CW Primary	0.48	0.5	0	0.76	N/A

Proposed changes from September 2022

 

The Council is proposing to implement a shared site arrangement for Ysgol Mynydd Bychan in the first instance. Ysgol Mynydd Bychan would retain its existing site and share part of the Allensbank Primary School site.

 

Such an arrangement could:

 

• enable the proposed expansion from 192 places (0.9FE) to 315 places (1.5FE) from September 2022
• provide an appropriate local solution, and
• limit the impact on all schools

 

Consideration has been given to how each of the school sites in the local area could support the expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan.

 

Albany Primary School is 1.16 miles from Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and has few surplus places overall, and has therefore been discounted from being able to accommodate the additional Welsh-medium classes.

 

Allensbank Primary School is the closest school site to the site of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, at less than 0.3 miles from Ysgol Mynydd Bychan. Allensbank Primary School is also well located for families enrolled in or applying for admission to Ysgol Mynydd Bychan as many of those children reside in the northern part of its catchment area.

Allensbank Primary School also has the highest level of surplus places, and the greatest number of surplus classrooms, not used as classbases, in the local area.

Whilst the shared Gladstone and St Monica’s site also has some classrooms not used as classbases, the schools are located further from the Ysgol Mynydd Bychan site (0.5 miles away). Gladstone Primary School also has a separate ‘Boathouse’ building but this is not used for classroom teaching at present and would require investment to upgrade it for this purpose.

Table 13 below sets out details of the number of children on roll at Allensbank Primary School from 2016 – 2020. In January 2020, 185 pupils were enrolled, compared to a maximum capacity in the school buildings of up to 420 pupils.

 

Table 13: Number of Pupils on Roll at Allensbank Primary School 2015 - 2019

	Rec	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6	Total
Jan-16	40	32	45	35	38	27	29	246
Jan-17	24	48	30	43	37	29	22	233
Jan-18	25	25	36	26	39	29	22	202
Jan-19	30	26	25	34	30	33	26	204
Jan-20	19	27	25	26	30	27	31	185

 

The high level of unfilled places at Allensbank Primary School is projected to continue. There is no data available to suggest that the number of pupils enrolling at Allensbank Primary School would exceed 210 in future years.

 

Where there is a higher than necessary number of school places, resources are having to be utilised that could be better used to improve the quality of education for all learners.

 

Combined with this are the difficulties associated with operating a primary school with a high proportion of its places unfilled. The size of the school, and the relatively low number of children on roll, means that the school will face financial difficulties.

 

The location of Allensbank Primary School, the level of surplus accommodation, and the site layout would allow for Reception intakes to Ysgol Mynydd Bychan to increase with Ysgol Mynydd Bychan operating between its existing site and sharing the buildings on the Allensbank Primary School site.

 

Reducing Allensbank Primary School to 210 places (a Published Admission Number of 30 places at entry to Reception) would release sufficient classrooms to allow for the expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan to 315 places (Published Admission Number of 45 places at entry to Reception) from September 2022.

Long term changes to primary school provision

 

The Council submitted a capital grant application to the Welsh Government to reorganise primary provision in the central area of Cardiff and expand the number of Welsh-medium primary places by 1FE.

 

The Council is committed to implementing this increase. The expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan by 0.5FE in the first instance represents the initial phase of progress towards this.

 

The Council considers that any long term solution should seek to:

 

• Expand Welsh-medium provision serving the existing catchment area of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan by 1 Form of Entry
• Reduce English-medium surplus places to serve the combined catchment areas of Allensbank Primary School, Albany Primary School and Gladstone Primary School
• Provide greater certainty and stability of leadership, management, teaching and support staff, to support continued focus on teaching standards and improved outcomes for pupils
• Enable investment in school buildings to improve the learning environment

 

Based on the projected demand for places and the available school sites, we are seeking the views of schools, parents and the wider community on long term solutions that would achieve the above outcomes. This could involve changes to the location of schools and/ or changes to how schools are organised.

 

Details of potential sites that could be used to provide a balanced and sustainable distribution of Welsh-medium and English medium (community) primary school places to serve the area are set out below.

 

The pages that follow set out the school sites for which the Council is partly or wholly responsible.

 

Each of the sites being considered are existing school sites. The Council has investigated whether other suitable alternative sites are available. There are no suitable vacant sites at this time that would enable the expansion of Welsh-medium primary school provision serving the Ysgol Mynydd Bychan catchment area.

 

The school sites are currently used for Welsh-medium and English-medium community schools and a Voluntary Aided (Faith-based) school. In the future the sites these schools are located on could change.

This document provides information about how many children live in this area, how they take up places at schools, and where there may be more or fewer places than needed.

 

We would welcome views from all who have an interest in local schools provision, including those living and working in the community, on how the school sites listed in the area could best contribute toward the long term solution that is required.

We would like to understand your views on:

 

What works well, and why?

What doesn’t work well, and why?

What changes could be made to school places in the area that would support all children and families in the community to access a local school place?.

School Sites

Ysgol Mynydd Bychan site

Ysgol Mynydd Bychan is located on a 0.2 hectare site on New Zealand Road, Cardiff CF14 3BR.

The published capacity of the school, in Reception to Year 6 is 192 places (0.9FE) arranged over one block. The school also operates a 64 place nursery provision.

The school can currently admit up to 30 pupils per year group.

The site could accommodate a 0.9FE school with nursery.

There is not enough space on the site to allow for expansion of the school.

 

The school occupies a building which has been assessed as Condition category B (Satisfactory but with minor deterioration) and Suitability category B (Satisfactory). The school buildings are in good condition overall but minor maintenance and cyclical works are planned through the Council’s Capital Asset programme.

Albany Primary School site

Albany Primary School is located on a 0.4 hectare site on Albany Road, Cardiff CF24 3RQ. The school is approximately 1.1 miles from Ysgol Mynydd Bychan.

 

The published capacity, in Reception to Year 6 is 420 places (2FE) arranged over three blocks. The school also operates a 64 place nursery provision.

 

The school can currently admit up to 60 pupils per year group.

There has been a consistently high uptake of places with the school currently operating at close to its published capacity.

 

The site could accommodate a 2FE school with nursery.

The school occupies a building which has been assessed as Condition category C- (Poor with major defects) and Suitability category B (Satisfactory). The school buildings are in satisfactory condition overall but minor maintenance works are planned through the Council’s Capital Asset programme.

Allensbank Primary School site

Allensbank Primary School is located on a 0.5 hectare site on Llanishen Street, Cardiff CF14 3QE. The school is approximately 0.2 miles from Ysgol Mynydd Bychan.

 

The published capacity of the school, in Reception to Year 6, is 315 places (1.5FE), arranged over separate infant and junior buildings. The school also operates 64 place nursery and a Speech and Language early intervention class for up to 8 Foundation Phase pupils.

The school can currently admit up to 45 pupils per year group.

In recent years, the take up of places at the school has been lower than the number of places available with the school operating with c41% surplus capacity, compared to its published capacity of 315 places (January 2020).

 

The site could accommodate a 2FE primary school (up to 420 pupils) plus nursery, or up to 360 pupils plus nursery and Specialist Resource Base/ Early Intervention Class provision. As the intervention class is a city-wide provision for children from across the city, this could be relocated if necessary.

 

The school occupies two Grade 2 listed buildings which have been assessed as Condition category C+ (Poor with major defects) and Suitability category B (Satisfactory). The school buildings are in satisfactory condition overall although works to external walls and roofing are planned through the Council’s Capital Asset programme. The sanitary provision requires some refurbishment and the site has some drainage issues to be resolved.

Gladstone Primary School/St Monica’s CiW Primary School site

Gladstone Primary School is co-located with St Monica’s CiW Primary School on a 0.5 hectare site on Whitchurch Road, Cardiff CF14 3JL approximately 0.4 miles from Ysgol Mynydd Bychan.

Gladstone Primary School occupies the junior building on the shared site.

The published capacity of the school, in Reception to Year 6, is 210 places (1FE). The capacity could increase to 270 places if resource rooms were used as classbases.

 

The published capacity of the school, in Reception to Year 6, is 315 places (1.5FE),

 

Demand for places at Gladstone Primary School has fluctuated with the school currently operating with a surplus of 15%, compared to its published capacity.

 

St Monica’s CiW Primary School occupies the infant building on the shared site. The published capacity of the school, in Reception to Year 6, is 146 places (0.6FE). The school is currently operating with a surplus of 3.4%.

 

The combined school buildings could accommodate a 2 Form Entry primary school with nursery. The Boathouse building, currently used for storage, could provide an additional resource base but would require investment to do so.

 

The schools occupy two Grade 2 listed buildings which have been assessed as Condition category C+ (Poor with major defects) and Suitability category B (Satisfactory). The school buildings are in satisfactory condition overall although works to external walls and roofing are planned through the Council’s Capital Asset programme. Work to replace windows in poor condition has been undertaken but is not yet complete. Boundary walls are also showing signs of deterioration due to age. The Boat House building is in poor condition. Full refurbishment of the Boat House building would be required to enable use by staff and pupils. This building may only be used for storage at present.

How would other schools be affected?

Proposals brought forward must ensure that the growth of schools is sustainable, whilst the potential negative impact on other schools is minimised.

 

The expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan to 1.5FE in the first instance would provide an appropriate number of places to meet demand whilst minimising the impact on neighbouring Welsh-medium schools, and would enable an efficient class structure to operate whilst the school grows.

 

The expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan would be expected to enable an increase in the take up of places at the school.

 

As the overall pupil population in primary schools is expected to fall in coming years, an increase in the take up of places at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan would be expected to coincide with a reduced take up of places in English-medium schools.

 

Tables 14 and 15 below set out how the number of pupils enrolled at local schools may be affected by the proposed changes.

 

Table 14: Number of pupils enrolled at local schools if the proposals were implemented from September 2022

The figures for 2016/17 to 2020/21 are the recent number of pupils enrolled. The figures for 2021/21 to 2025/26 are the forecast number of pupils enrolled.

	2016/ 2017	2017/ 2018	2018/ 2019	2019/ 2020	2020/ 2021	2021/ 2022	2022/ 2023	2023/ 2024	2024/ 2025	2025/ 2026
Albany Primary School	404	399	371	365	393	367	392	396	404	407
Allensbank Primary School	246	233	202	204	185	185	147	134	125	116
Gladstone Primary School	184	193	178	167	178	175	186	185	186	186
St Monica’s CiW Primary School	139	133	129	138	141	120	124	116	119	115
Ysgol Glan Ceubal	83	95	108	136	135	156	161	162	157	157
Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd	411	412	413	415	396	401	389	385	379	374
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	201	207	204	198	202	206	209	220	235	248
Ysgol Y Wern	466	492	522	546	570	585	610	622	620	615

 

If the proposed changes were to be implemented it is expected that some of the additional pupils enrolled at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan would be from within its catchment area and some from other areas of the city. This takes account of recent school preference patterns, and the overall fall in the population entering primary education in next three intakes.

 

An increase in the take up of places at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan from within its catchment area would mean that the take up of places in local English-medium schools would reduce. An increase in the take up of places at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan from outside of it’s catchment area would mean that the take up of places in other Welsh-medium schools, in other parts of the city, would likely reduce.

 

Table 15: Number of pupils enrolled at local schools if the proposals were not implemented

The figures for 2016/17 to 2020/21 are the recent number of pupils enrolled. The figures for 2021/21 to 2025/26 are the forecast number of pupils enrolled.

 

	2016/ 2017	2017/ 2018	2018/ 2019	2019/ 2020	2020/ 2021	2021/ 2022	2022/ 2023	2023/ 2024	2024/ 2025	2025/ 2026
Albany Primary School	404	399	371	365	393	367	392	396	404	407
Allensbank Primary School	246	233	202	204	185	185	147	137	132	128
Gladstone Primary School	184	193	178	167	178	175	186	187	190	193
St Monica’s CiW Primary School	139	133	129	138	141	120	124	116	119	115
Ysgol Glan Ceubal	83	95	108	136	135	156	161	162	157	157
Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd	411	412	413	415	396	401	389	385	379	374
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	201	207	204	198	202	206	209	211	215	216
Ysgol Y Wern	466	492	522	546	570	585	610	622	620	615

Quality and standards

 

The Council works closely with two organisations in order to monitor the performance of schools and to support school improvement.

Estyn is the office of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales.

Estyn inspects quality and standards in schools and other education providers in Wales.

The Central South Consortium Joint Education Service (CSCJES) is the regional School Improvement Service for the five councils of Bridgend, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff and the Vale of Glamorgan. The Council works with the Consortium to support and challenge all schools in Cardiff.

Local Authorities, such as Cardiff Council, must consider Estyn reports and other evidence about school performance and effectiveness when suggesting changes to schools.

Local Authorities must also consider the likely impact of the proposed changes on:

• • standards, wellbeing and attitudes to learning
• • teaching and learning experiences
• • care, support and guidance
• • leadership and management

Estyn

Schools are inspected as part of a national programme of school inspection. The purpose of an inspection is to identify good features and shortcomings in schools in order that they may improve the quality of education offered and raise standards achieved by their pupils (Estyn).

The relevant Estyn Inspection reports provide grades against Key Questions and provide schools with recommendations for improvement.

Inspections carried out between 2010 and 2017 provided judgements against three key questions:

• Key Question 1: How good are the outcomes?
• Key Question 2: How good is provision?
• Key Question 3: How good are leadership and management?

 

Inspectors also provided an overall judgement on the school’s performance at that time and prospects for improvement.

In these evaluations, inspectors used a four-point scale as set out in Table 16 below:

Judgement	What the judgement means
Excellent	Many strengths, including examples of sector-leading practice
Good	Many strengths and no important areas requiring significant improvement
Adequate	Strengths outweigh areas for improvement
Unsatisfactory	Important areas for improvement outweigh strengths

 

If a school is judged as adequate or unsatisfactory, they will be subject to monitoring by Estyn or the Local Authority until such time as they are judged to have made sufficient progress to be removed from the list of schools requiring improvement.

 

You can find inspection reports on the Estyn website.

Welsh Government categorisation of schools

In 2014, the Welsh Government introduced a new categorisation system.

It looks at each school’s standards and how much a school is able to improve. This identifies the level of support schools require. Organisations such as the Central South Consortium (CSCJES) and the school improvement service then work with schools’ leaders to identify, provide and/or broker any support required for further improvement.

The categorisation system is described in Table 17 below:

Category of support	What the category means
Green	A highly effective school which is well run, has a strong leadership and is clear about its priorities for improvement
Yellow	An effective school which is already doing well and knows the areas it needs to improve.
Amber	A school in need of improvement which needs help to identify the steps to improve or to make change happen more quickly.
Red	A school in need of greatest improvement and will receive immediate, intensive support.

 

Schools will be in one of four groups, A to D. Schools where the judgement is an A show the greatest capacity to improve along with the ability to support other schools. Those where the judgement is D need the most support.

The final categorisation is a colour code that shows the level of support a school needs – green, yellow, amber or red (with the schools in the green category needing the least support and those in the red category needing the most intensive support).

Updated categorisations for each school are published every year in January.

More information about the categorisation scheme can be found in the Welsh Government’s parents’ guide to the National School Categorisation System here: http://gov.wales/docs/dcells/publications/150119-parents-guide-en.pdf Welsh Government categorisation of schools

Ysgol Mynydd Bychan

An Estyn inspection in November 2015 judged the school’s performance as good (many strengths and no important areas requiring significant improvement) with prospects for improvement also judged as good.

In the most recent Welsh Government School Categorisation in January 2020, the school was categorised as Green (a highly effective school which is well run, has a strong leadership and is clear about its priorities for improvement).

Albany Primary School

An Estyn inspection in November 2012 judged the school’s performance as good (many strengths and no important areas requiring significant improvement) with prospects for improvement also judged as good.

In the most recent Welsh Government School Categorisation in January 2020, the school was categorised as Yellow (an effective school which is already doing well and knows the area it needs to improve).

Allensbank Primary School

An Estyn inspection in January 2020, judged the school’s standards, wellbeing and attitudes to learning, teaching and learning experiences, care support and guidance and leadership and management as good (many strengths and no important areas requiring significant improvement).

In the most recent Welsh Government School Categorisation in January 2020, the school was categorised as Yellow (an effective school which is already doing well and knows the area it needs to improve).

Gladstone Primary School

An Estyn inspection in February 2014 judged Gladstone Primary School performance as adequate (strengths outweigh areas for improvement), with prospects for improvement judged as good. A follow up monitoring visit in April 2015, judged the school to have made good progress in respect of the issues for action and the school was removed from the list of schools requiring Estyn monitoring.

In the most recent Welsh Government School Categorisation in January 2020, Gladstone Primary School was categorised as Yellow (an effective school which is already doing well and knows the area it needs to improve).

St Monica’s CiW Primary School

An Estyn inspection in April 2019, judged the St Monica’s CW Primary School standards, wellbeing and attitudes to learning, teaching and learning experiences, care support and guidance and leadership and management as good (many strengths and no important areas requiring significant improvement).

In the most recent Welsh Government School Categorisation in January 2020, St Monica’s CW Primary School was categorised as Green (a highly effective school which is well run, has a strong leadership and is clear about its priorities for improvement).

How would standards in schools be affected by the changes?

Standards

The Council has made a clear commitment to continuing the investment in, and improvement of, Cardiff schools to make sure every child has the best possible start in life (The Cardiff Commitment).

The Council works closely with the governing bodies of schools to make sure that standards in schools are high, that teaching is good and that leadership and governance is strong.

The Council does not expect the proposal to have any negative impact on the quality of standards of education, the delivery of the Foundation Phase or each key stage of education at any of the schools or the ALN provision based at Allensbank Primary School.

Teaching and learning experiences

The Council works closely with the governing bodies of schools to ensure that standards in schools are high, that teaching is good and that leadership and governance is strong.

The Council does not expect this proposal to have any negative impact on the quality of standards of education or the delivery of the Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2.

Care, support and guidance

All schools have a suitable range of policies and provision in place to promote pupils’ health and wellbeing.

Schools are committed to fostering school communities in which learning is valued and pupils achieve their potential in a happy and safe environment in which they show respect and tolerance for others.

The Council would work with the leadership of each of the schools to make sure everyone at the school understands their responsibility for helping to improve and sustain care, support and guidance.

Leadership and Management

The Council would continue to work with the leadership of each of the schools to make sure everyone in the school understands their responsibility for helping to improve and sustain high performance. It would support the school to have good relationships with parents and other partners so that pupils receive a high quality education.

The proposed changes would be planned carefully so that the schools leadership and governance are not disrupted, which could have a negative impact on educational outcomes.

How would nursery provision be affected?

 

Children in Cardiff are entitled to a part-time nursery place from the start of the term following their third birthday and must attend for a minimum of five half days. Nursery places are not allocated on a catchment area basis. Wherever possible places are offered in a local community school or nursery class within two miles of a child’s place of residence. If places are unavailable in local community nursery schools or nursery classes, parents may apply for nursery education place funding with an approved provider that has to demonstrate it is able to meet the relevant quality.

The Governing Body of St Joseph’s RC Primary School established a nursery class in September 2019, and the take up of nursery class places in the nearby English-medium community schools has fallen since.

The number of places provided in each area of the city is kept under review and will be adjusted to reflect local demand. There are no proposals to remove nursery provision from any schools in the area.

How would secondary school provision be affected?

 

Combined demand across the three Welsh-medium high school catchment areas is at a high level and can be accommodated within the existing school capacity.

The Council will consult on its Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) for the period 2022 – 2030 in 2021. Proposals to respond to changes in demand will be brought forward in good time to ensure that there are sufficient places to meet the demand for Welsh-medium places.

A proposal to expand and redevelop Cathays High School to meet demand from within its catchment and the wider area is part of the Council’s 21st Century Schools Programme is being consulted on separately.

Full details on the proposed changes can be found on the Council website Council website.

Additional support for pupils

 

Table 18 below shows the percentage of:

• Pupils with Additional Learning Needs
• Pupils receiving Free School Meals
• Pupils with English as an Additional Language
• Minority Ethnic pupils at each school

at each school

Table 18: The percentage of pupils at each primary school in the area with Additional Learning Needs, receiving Free School Meals, with English as an Additional Language and identified as Minority Ethnic pupils in 2020

School	% of Pupils on School Action	% of Pupils on School Action Plus	% of Pupils with a statement of ALN	% of Free School Meal Pupils - 3 year average	% of Pupils with English as an Additional Language	% of Minority Ethnic Pupils
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan	6.4%	4.1%	NA	6.4%	NA	13.5%
Allensbank Primary School	6%	7.2%	3%	24.2%	39.2%	76.7%
Gladstone Primary School	8.7%	NA	NA	24.1%	44%	81.9%
Albany Primary School	2.7%	5.1%	2.1%	25.5%	33.6%	83.8%
St Monica’s CW Primary School	NA	8.9%	NA	30.1%	51.2%	72.1%

*further information can be found on the website: www.mylocalschool.gov.wales

How would support for pupils with Additional Learning Needs be affected?

There is a Speech and Language early intervention class at Allensbank Primary School. The class admits up to 8 Foundation Phase children who were not making sufficient progress, but who have good prospects for returning to their local mainstream school.

 

Placements last 1 –3 years, depending on progress. Pupils are dual registered at their local school and supported to return at the end of the placement. Pupils continue to attend their local school for at least one day a week, to maintain links with local friends and to prepare for a successful early reintegration to their local school.

 

There are no plans to make any changes to this provision.

 

There is no information available that suggests that the proposals would have a negative effect on pupils with Additional Learning Needs.

How would pupils receiving Free School Meals be affected?

Some of the funding that a school receives is based on the number of pupils in the school who receive Free School Meals. All schools in Cardiff would receive funding for these pupils.

 

There is no information available that suggests that the proposals would have a negative effect on pupils who receive Free School Meals.

How would pupils with English as an Additional Language be affected?

Each of the English-medium schools has a greater proportion of pupils for whom English is not their home language, that the city-wide average. Pupils that receive support because they have English as an additional language can be supported in any school in Cardiff.

 

There is no information available that suggests that the proposals would have a negative effect on how children with English as an additional language are supported. All schools in Cardiff would continue to provide support that is appropriate to the individual needs of each pupil.

How would Minority Ethnic pupils be affected?

There is also no information available that suggests that the proposals would have a negative effect on provision for any ethnic group.

What are the benefits of the proposal?

 

The proposed changes would:

 

• meet demand for places from the local community
• support the sustainable growth of Welsh-medium education in line with the aspirations of Cymraeg 2050 support Ysgol Mynydd Bychan to maintain and continue to build on its excellent standards as the new curriculum in Wales is introduced
• allow for a greater number of children to benefit from the education on offer at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan
• at least maintain the current standards of education and in the longer term would be to the benefit of all pupils in the area

Potential disadvantages of the proposal

 

• there is potential for difficulties managing Ysgol Mynydd Bychan over a dual site
• there is potential for increased traffic congestion around the Allensbank Primary School site at the start and end of the school day. However, the Council would work with the Governing Bodies of the schools to develop a Travel Plan to minimise any potential disruption
• English-medium places will be reduced due to the consolidation of Allensbank Primary School, however the Council will monitor demand over the coming years to ensure that there are sufficient places for those requiring English-medium education

Risks associated with the proposal

 

• there is a risk that an increase in the number of pupils requiring Welsh-medium places does not happen. The Council will keep its projections under review and would respond to any such changes in demand if required
• there is a risk that there will be a rise in demand for English-medium places,. However, the Council will monitor demand over the coming years to ensure that there are sufficient places for those requiring English-medium education. As the proposals retain all existing sites and do not reduce accommodation available, they would retain flexibility for future changes that may be identified as appropriate

 

Admission arrangements

 

The relevant changes to the Council’s policy on the admission of children to schools as a result of these proposals relate to the proposed changes in the Published Admission Number of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, from 30 to 45, and of Allensbank Primary School from 45 to 30.

 

Consultation on the 2022/23 admission arrangements for community schools took place from 18 December 2020 – 5 February 2021 in accordance with the requirements of the Admissions Code. The consultation included the proposed changes to Published Admission Numbers.

 

Detailed information regarding admission arrangements is contained in the Council’s Admission to Schools booklet, and this information can also be viewed on the Council’s website.

Financial Matters

 

The proposed scheme is to be funded through Welsh Medium grant funding made available by Welsh Government. Any additional capital funding required will be found within existing schools capital budgets.

 

The additional revenue costs of increased pupil numbers in both schools will be met through the school funding formula on the basis of pupil numbers. The impact on the overall existing delegated schools budgets should be offset by the projected decrease in Primary phase pupil numbers across Cardiff.

 

The financial impact on other schools within the locality will be considered, in full, for all options to ensure schools remain financially viable based on projected pupil intake.

Human Resources Matters

 

The proposals within this consultation document would increase the size of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan. The Governing Body and senior leadership team would need to plan for this expansion, ensuring their staffing structure is sufficient to address this. The Council’s HR People Services would provide support with this and any vacancies which arise would present potential redeployment opportunities in line with the School Redeployment and Redundancy Policy.

 

Similarly, the proposal to reduce the Published Admission Number of Allensbank Primary School at 30 places (1FE) from 45 places (1.5FE) would also require the Governing Body and Senior Leadership Team to evaluate the impact of the proposed reduction on their staffing requirements moving forward. This may include undertaking appropriate workforce planning to review posts where they become vacant, or evaluating training options. In the event that the Governing Body does require there to be a reduction in the overall number of staff, then it is hoped that this could be achieved through voluntary means wherever possible.

 

Where any reduction could not be managed by voluntary means or by workforce planning, this would need to be managed in line with the School Redeployment and Redundancy Policy, which has been adopted by the school governing body. HR People Services would work with the Headteacher and Governing Body to provide support during this period, including through the facilitation of the redeployment process.

 

It would also need to be assessed whether there are any specific staffing requirements in relation to the operation of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan across two school sites and any associated impact on Allensbank Primary School.

 

The consultation is also seeking views on how to ensure an appropriate balance of Welsh-medium and English-medium primary school places to serve the area in the long term. Any proposals considered as part of 34 this would need to be assessed separately for the HR implications.

Traffic and Transport Matters

 

Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and Allensbank Primary School operate on constrained sites. Each site experiences issues with traffic and parking during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times.

 

Recently, the Council introduced CCTV enforcement cameras in Llanishen Street outside Allensbank Primary School to enforce against parking on Keep Clear ‘Zig Zag’ markings.

 

A temporary, staffed road closure was introduced outside Ysgol Mynydd Bychan on Canada Road when schools re-opened in summer 2020 following lockdown. This was to restrict vehicular access near the school in order to provide safe space for social distancing.

 

Since schools re-opened in September 2020, concerns have been raised by parents and ward members regarding traffic and parking outside Ysgol Mynydd Bychan on New Zealand Road. The Council plans to seek Welsh Government funding to create a School Street on New Zealand Road which would restrict vehicular access along the street to residents, blue badge holders and authorised permit holders during drop off and pick up times. This would make the environment outside the school safer and more conducive to walking and cycling.

 

The expansion of capacity at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and the issues of traffic and parking at both Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and Allensbank Primary underline the need to introduce measures which discourage car travel and promote active travel to both school sites. One such measure is the introduction of a School Street. Plans are already being progressed for a School Street on New Zealand Road. There is also potential to do this on part of Llanishen Street. However, both proposals will require consultation with residents and local businesses.

 

Another instrument is the development and implementation of a School Active Travel Plan. The Council is committed to ensuring that every school in Cardiff has an Active Travel Plan by 2022. Such a plan identifies actions by the school to support and encourage active travel to school and will also identify any improvements to on-site and off-site infrastructure required to facilitate active journeys.

 

All new (including reorganised) schools need to have a plan in place from the outset of their operation. The Council’s Active Travel Plans officers can support the development of the Active Travel Plans and can support with engagement on the Active Travel Plans as part of the implementation of the proposed expansion of places.

 

The Council’s Road Safety Team already provides a programme of cycle and pedestrian training to further encourage take up of active travel to school. This support will continue as part of the ongoing engagement and support that will be provided by the Council’s Schools Active Travel Team on Active Travel Plan development and delivery.

 

The Council has developed proposals for a segregated cycleway along Allensbank Road. This will provide a safe cycling connection to Llanishen Street which could be used by pupils travelling to Allensbank Primary School.

Learner Travel Arrangements

 

There are no plans to change the Council’s policy on the transport of children to and from school. Any pupils affected by this proposal would be offered the same support with transport as is provided throughout Cardiff and in line with the same criteria that apply across Cardiff.

 

The Council’s transport policy for school children can be viewed on the Council's website.

In the event of the proposal being progressed to implementation, all pupils entitlement to free home to school transport would be re-assessed from the new location.

 

The Council provides free home to school transport for pupils with statements for ALN dependent on the shortest available walking distance that they live from their home address to the school/base location nearest appropriate gate.

 

The distance criteria used are that pupils of primary school age need to live two or more miles, and secondary aged pupils three or more miles, from the school via the shortest available walking distance to the nearest appropriate gate.

 

For pupils with ALN the Council also takes into consideration their:

 

• cognitive age, and then applies the relevant distance criteria for the cognitive age
• any disabilities that will impact their ability to walk these distances

 

All pupils distance assessments for entitlement to free home to school transport are undertaken on the basis that the child is accompanied on the route to school as appropriate. It is the responsibility of parents or guardians of a child to arrange for their child to be accompanied along the walking route to school.

Impact of the proposal on the Welsh Language

 

It is anticipated that there would be a positive impact on the Welsh Language as a result of these proposals.

 

The proposals seek to align with the Bilingual Cardiff Strategy and strongly support the Welsh Government’s strategy for the Welsh language by contributing to meeting the targets set out in the Cymraeg 2050 strategy.

 

The Council works closely and constructively with partners on its Welsh Education Forum, which includes representatives of nursery, primary, secondary and further education, childcare, RhAG and the Welsh Government. The Forum actively informs the planning of Welsh-medium places, to continue to drive the Council’s plan to sustainably increase the number of learners within Welsh-medium schools and those learning Welsh in English-medium schools.

 

The Council, and its partners on the Welsh Education Forum, are committed to driving the increase in number of pupils educated through the medium of Welsh, to meet the targets within Cardiff’s WESP, and to meet the targets set out in the Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 strategy.

 

The Council monitors birth rates, the yield from proposed housing and the patterns of take-up in Welshmedium provision at primary and secondary age, with a view to bringing forward appropriate plans to meet any increased demand.

 

The Council must ensure that the expansion of school provision is brought forward in a strategic and timely manner, which does not compromise existing provision. Significantly or rapidly expanding Welsh-medium primary school provision would, inevitably, have an impact on the take-up of places in other schools, and in turn on the ability of schools to balance budgets and to attract or retain staff.

The Council’s aspirations for increasing the number of Welsh speakers, and the Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050, propose a significant change. Cymraeg 2050 sets national targets of educating 40% of learners in Welsh-medium schools, and a further 30% of learners being educated in English-medium schools being fluent in Welsh. At present, c17% of Cardiff children entering primary education are educated in Welsh-medium schools or classes.

 

This proposal seeks to increase the number of Welsh-medium primary school places available in the area, and seeks to implement the change in such a way that the potential for negative impact on existing schools is limited.

 

There is a risk that provision of additional Welsh-medium primary school places may inhibit the growth at other local schools. It is intended that this impact is mitigated by implementing a phased increase in provision.

 

The provision of 105 additional Welsh-medium places at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan would mean that the overall proportion of Welsh-medium places city-wide is increased in an incremental and sustainable manner.

Equalities

 

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process that looks at a policy, project or scheme to make sure it does not discriminate against anyone based on the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010 (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion/belief, sex, sexual orientation).

 

An initial Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out. It concluded that the proposed changes would not negatively affect a particular group in society. Where particular groups are identified as being impacted, mitigating actions have been identified.

 

This assessment will be reviewed after the consultation and at key points if the proposals were to proceed.

Community Impact

 

When considering the potential for impact on the wider community as a result of a proposal, the following are taken into account: Public Open Space, parkland, the current use of school facilities by the community, noise and traffic congestion. Officers will work with schools and any community group to make sure that the proposal avoids negative impacts if possible.

 

The schools that might be affected by the proposals are existing schools. They offer a range of afterschool activities and some have community organisations offering services from the school. It is not thought that there would be a negative impact on any of these activities as a result of these proposals.

Potential Disruption to Pupils

 

The Council has significant experience in the successful delivery of building projects on the sites of occupied schools as a result of progressing a large and growing school organisation programme.

 

Any building work carried out on the Allensbank Primary School site would be managed effectively in consultation with the school to ensure the full curriculum continues to be delivered and that high education standards and safety standards are maintained.

 

Next steps, how to make your views known and feedback form

What happens next?

Key Dates

 

The Council will collect and summarise the feedback from this consultation. Council officers will then report this to the Council’s Cabinet. This consultation report will be available for anyone to view/download on the Council website. You can also get a copy by using the contact details in this document.

 

If the proposals to increase the number of Welsh-medium places at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and to reduce the number of English-medium places at Allensbank Primary School are agreed to proceed following consultation there are a number of further stages that the Council would have to go through before a final decision is made.

 

Any proposed changes brought forward to ensure an appropriate lance of Welsh-medium and English-medium primary school places to serve the area in the long term would be subject to separate consultation and statutory processes.

These stages are set out in Table 19 below:

 

Table 19: Further stages

(This timetable may be subject to change)

 

Statutory Process	Timescale
Consultation Period	29 January – 19 March 2021
Consultation report considered by the Council Cabinet and published on the Council website	June 2021
Expected date for start of Objection Period, when statutory notice has been issued (when formal objections can be made)	June 2021
Expected date for end of Objection Period	July 2021
Final decision (determination) by the Council’s Cabinet	October 2021
Objection report published on the Council website and notification of Cabinet’s decision	October 2021

 

Consultation period

 

The consultation period for these proposals starts on 29 January 2021 and ends on 19 March 2021.

 

See page 37 for further details of how to respond and make your views known.

 

The Council will publish a consultation report on its website. The report must be published at least two weeks prior to the publication of a statutory notice.

You can also ask for a hard copy of the report.

 

The report will go over the issues raised during the consultation period and give the Council’s response to these issues. The report will also contain Estyn’s view of the proposals.

 

The Council’s Cabinet will consider the consultation report and decide whether or not to go ahead with the proposed changes.

 

If the Cabinet decides to continue with the changes the Council must publish a document called a ‘statutory notice’. This is an official statement saying that the changes will go ahead.

 

Statutory Notice

 

A statutory notice is the formal publication of a finalised proposal. The approval to publish a statutory notice must be given by the Council’s Cabinet. This would only be considered after the Cabinet have received a report on all the consultation responses. This is a legal requirement as outlined in the School Organisation Code 2018.

The Council would publish the statutory notice on its website. It would also put copies of the notice at or near the main entrance to the school(s)/site(s) affected by the notice. Schools that are affected would also be given copies of the notice to give out to pupils, parents, guardians, and staff members (the school may also distribute the notice by email). The notice sets out the details of the proposals and asks anyone who wants to object to do so. Objections must be written. They must be sent to the Council within the dates given on the notice.

Determination of the proposals

 

Cardiff Council Cabinet would determine the proposal. This means they will make a final decision on whether the changes go ahead. The Cabinet may decide to approve or reject the proposal, or they may approve the proposal with some changes (modifications). The Cabinet will take any objections received in the Objection Period into account when making this decision.

 

Decision Notification

 

After determination, Cardiff Council would let everyone affected by the proposal know what the decision was. It will also be published on the Council’s website.

 

Have your say

 

You can complete this response form online at the Council website.

We are proposing, from September 2022, to:

• Increase the capacity of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan from c0.9FE (192 places) to 1.5 FE (315 places) from September 2022 and locate the additional school places in Allensbank Primary School in the first instance;
• Reduce Allensbank Primary School to 1FE (210 places), retaining nursery and Specialist Resource Base provision from September 2022.

 

Please tell us whether you are responding as (tick all that apply):
Parent or Guardian* ____ Grandparent*____ Pupil*____

Member of Staff*____ Govenor*____ Local Resident____

Other (please specify)____________________________________

 

*Please confirm which school/s you are affiliated with:________________________

 

1. Do you support the proposal to increase the number of places at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan from 192 places to 315, from September 2022?

Yes_____ No_____ No opinion either way_____

 

Please explain why:

 

1. Do you support the proposal to locate the additional school places, for Ysgol Mynydd Bychan in Allensbank Primary School?

Yes_____ No_____ No opinion either way_____

 

Please explain why:

 

1. Do you agree with the proposal to reduce Allensbank Primary School from 315 places to 210?

Yes_____ No_____ No opinion either way_____

 

Please explain why:

We are also seeking your views on longer term changes that would:

• Expand Welsh-medium provision by 1 Form of Entry
• Reduce English-medium surplus places to serve the area
• Provide greater certainty and stability of leadership, management, teaching and support staff
• Enable investment in school buildings to improve the learning environment

 

1. Please consider the aims above and tell us which site(s) you are in favour of being used for each type of primary education in the longer term?

	English-medium places	Welsh-medium places	Church in Wales places
Albany site (up to 420 places, plus nursery)
Allensbank site (up to 420 places, plus nursery)
Shared Gladstone / St Monica’s site (up to 420 places, plus nursery)
Ysgol Mynydd Bychan site (192 places, plus nursery)

 

1. Why do you think locating these schools on these sites would work well?

 

1. Are there any alternative sites or changes to the provision of primary school places you would like to suggest?

Please give us the details below including the site location

 

1. Please explain why this site(s) would be suitable for the provision of primary education places

 

1. Any other comments?

Name ____________________________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________________
Post Code_________________________________________________________________

The closing date for responses to this consultation is 19 March 2021.

Consultation responses will not be counted as objections to the proposal. Objections can only be registered following publication of a statutory notice. If you wish to be notified of publication of the Consultation report please provide an email address. If you do not provide an email address we cannot keep you up to date.

 

Thank you for your comments
Please return this form to School Organisation Planning, Room 401 County Hall, CF10 4UW by no later than 19 March 2021

The information you have provided above with be processed by Cardiff Council in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation. The information provided to us in relation to this consultation will be treated as confidential but it may be used by the Council or disclosed to others when required by law. The purpose of processing the personal data is required to perform a specific task in the public interest. Any responses received can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act and may have to be made public, however any information that would identify an individual such as name and address would be removed.

For further information on how Cardiff Council manages personal information, see our full Privacy Policy on the Council’s website https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/Home/New_Disclaimer/Pages/default.aspx