Cymdeithas response to Ceredigion County Council's School Reorganisation Plan

Ceredigion County Council's Cabinet will be discussing tomorrow their 'School reorganisation policy.

Below you will find Cymdeithas yr Iaith's response to this report:

Cymdeithas yr Iaith welcomes Ceredigion's willingness to discuss with
all concerned a county-wide strategy for rural schools. This is in stark
contrast with the bureaucratic attitude of Carmarthenshire County
Council which drew up a hit-list of schools for closure and only enters
into consultation when required to do so by statutory processes.

We
welcome also Ceredigion's assertion in in its policy document "Investing
in our young people" that "The Authority is committed to retaining small
schools within their communities whenever possible". In order to
positively involve local communities in creative discussions about the
future of education for their area, it is important that it is not
viewed as a negative school-closure exercise. The consultation must be
positive and explore all the exciting new potential for using schools
and their assets as resources to regenerate local communities in a
process of positive rationalisation. We point out that two major reports
(*)are expected later this year from the National Assembly which could
map out new paths for Village schools and these must be taken into
consideration.

* The Assembly Government's Education Dept will be publishing later this
month draft guidelines (for consultation) on how small schools can
co-operate to form viable educational units and the new system will
come into effect early 2009. The Assembly's Rural Development
Sub-committee will be publishing in the Autumn a Report into the future
of Village Schools, and the Minister will respond to this also by the
end of the year.

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