Latest news with #Luckock
Rhyl Journal
21-07-2025
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Four primary schools set to be amalgamated into two
At a meeting of the council's education and skills overview and scrutiny committee this week, members voted 15-0 in favour of amalgamating both Ysgol y Foryd with Ysgol Maes Owen in Towyn and Kinmel Bay, and Ysgol Glan Gele with Ysgol Sant Elfod in Abergele. Both proposals followed public consultations, during which residents were invited to submit objections. Just two objections were received in the Towyn and Kinmel Bay proposal, and ten in the Abergele consultation. Under the plans, all four school sites would remain but each pair managed under one structure. Job losses In response to the Ysgol Glan Gele and Ysgol Sant Elfod amalgamation, some consultees raised fears about job losses. The council responded: 'The governing body will draft a new staffing structure, and any changes will be consulted on with staff and unions. 'It is anticipated that current staff from both schools will be slotted into relevant and appropriate positions within the new structure. However, leadership roles could be restructured, and the headteacher position will be advertised once a decision to amalgamate is made.' MORE NEWS: Casualty taken to hospital via air ambulance after crash in Kinmel Bay Prestatyn Carnival enjoys successful return to town for 2025 Queen's Market hits full occupancy as £12m Rhyl development welcomes new vendors If approved by cabinet next month, each pair of schools will be merged under a single leadership and governance structure, with one budget for each newly formed school. The changes are expected to make more efficient use of resources, with both new schools operating on slightly reduced budgets compared to the current arrangements. The projected budget for the amalgamated Glan Gele and Sant Elfod school is £2.2m. Report The report stated: 'Long term the amalgamation will result in more efficient and effective use of resources with the school funding calculations changing from two to one school budget. 'If the schools were to be merged to become a single school, the formula would calculate a single budget of £2,199,934, which is smaller than the budget of operating as two separate schools by £22,636.' Cllr Paul Luckock explained Sant Elfod had a significant loan from the council and asked what might happen with that if the merger went ahead. Cllr Luckock then said: 'I'd like the cabinet to at least consider the writing off of that loan because if it's not written off, it puts the new school in a more problematic position.' He added: 'Both schools' budgets are very tight going forward.' Conwy's head of finance Ms Amanda Hughes responded: 'If cabinet wish to consider it, I'm sure they can; however, I will be advising that will (would) be setting a precedent, and therefore, in that context, it would need very careful consideration.' The committee later heard the Ysgol Y Foryd and Ysgol Maes Owen merger would receive a single budget of £1.77m — around 3% less than the current combined funding – a saving of £57,179. The matter will be debated at next month's cabinet meeting. Both mergers would be supported by transitional funding over three years and a 12-month period of staff consultation.
North Wales Live
27-06-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Live
Controversial school closures suggestion sparks 'mega school' call
North Wales Live readers have been voicing their opinions on a contentious suggestion by Cllr Paul Luckock to consider the closure of small schools in Conwy, with a focus on those with fewer than 120 pupils. The debate has intensified following data showing that 22 Conwy schools are operating below capacity, prompting Cllr Luckock to renew calls for the council to focus on closing small rural primary schools. The Pupil Level Annual School Census figures indicate that Conwy is home to five schools at 35% capacity or less, all of which have available spaces. The figures showed Ysgol Betws y Coed having just 10% capacity and 10 pupils; followed by Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan at 35% with 14 pupils; Ysgol Llanddoged at 34% with 33 pupils; Ysgol Dolwyddelan at 31% with 18 pupils; and Ysgol Capel Garmon at 35% with 16 pupils, according to the 2025 projections. The situation is exacerbated by the high number of Airbnb properties in the region, claims reader Peterbees, who writes: "There are NINETY airbnb's listed in Betws y Coed. No wonder the school numbers are down." While Robredz says: "Perhaps the councillor would like to empty the villages of people and relocate them to a town? The logistics of getting those children to schools maybe 15 or more miles away are OTT." Outofhere comments: "So these small children have to travel further are too young to be bussed need Mums and Dads to take and collect. More traffic more risk with greater distances travelled and more cost for parents oh and not every parent has a car. Luckock is totally out of touch. Ask people in his own town." Masonred4 offers this solution: "Put out an advert to populate the villages." Cymro53 questions: "10 pupils at Betws Y Coed doesn't sound correct." Joebloggs999 believes: "10 pupils, 14 pupils, etc. It's a no brainer, close them!" PedroD writes: "He's right (and I can hardly believe I'm agreeing with him), a mega school in Llanrwst would be an ideal place to consolidate them. Alternatively do we return to the school teacher in front of a mixed age class in one large room, youngsters at the front and seniors at the back, format of olden days." Puffinisland12 replies: "Was that the time when we didn't have a poor NHS? A time when we had fewer MPs and no AMs? Was it the time when we had fewer councillors, but all were local? Was that the time when we had a police house in every village?"
Wales Online
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
Public calls for closure of small rural schools 'not how we conduct ourselves'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Abergele councillor has been slammed for proposing to shut rural schools with small numbers of pupils. This week, Cllr Paul Luckock double down on his view that rural schools with less than 120 pupils should close, arguing children should attend centralised schools instead. The Abergele member pointed to the fact that some rural schools were receiving nearly £14,000 per pupil compared to those on the coast receiving less than £4,000 a head. And Cllr Luckock even named Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan as a school where it was 'not rational' to keep it open, due to the fact it only has 14 pupils. Sign up for the North Wales Live newslettersent twice daily to your inbox. But his comments have already prompted criticism from a fellow Conwy councillor who has suggested he lacks understanding for the area he is representing. Cllr Gwennol Ellis, councillor for Uwchaled and leader of the Plaid Cymru group in Conwy, said: "I condemn and strongly criticise the comments made by Cllr Luckock in the press demanding the closure of rural schools to save money. "He has not considered the impact his comments have in the community, with parents and teachers. "Almost all rural schools in the county of Conwy are Welsh-medium and are located in the strongholds of the Welsh language. A school provides more than just education - it is the heart of the community, promotes local culture and heritage, and is essential to the prosperity of the language. 'Cllr Luckock clearly does not understand that he is now a councillor in Conwy, which is a rural county and presents unique challenges. Providing council services in the rural area is always more costly, but taxpayers still deserve a service. Recycling, for example, is still collected in the rural areas despite there being fewer bins to collect. This is the reality of providing services in Conwy. 'Some rural residents may argue that the only services they receive is a local school and bin collections. Many local services have long been centralised in the larger coastal towns.' She added: 'I urge Cllr Luckock to debate this matter in the council chamber, and not in the press, to allow for a proper debate with the full range of views and opinions. Professional officers with up-to-date evidence should be with us to support our decision-making. This is not how we conduct ourselves in Conwy.' Speaking today, Cllr Luckock said it was important the public had the facts. 'I've raised these issues in the council chamber and have debated them for three years,' he said. 'It is important that the facts are in the public domain and that they are further discussed and debated in the public domain.' He added: 'The implications for children and parents of the lack of decision is profound.' Public notices in your area
North Wales Live
26-06-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Live
Public calls for closure of small rural schools 'not how we conduct ourselves'
An Abergele councillor has been slammed for proposing to shut rural schools with small numbers of pupils. This week, Cllr Paul Luckock double down on his view that rural schools with less than 120 pupils should close, arguing children should attend centralised schools instead. The Abergele member pointed to the fact that some rural schools were receiving nearly £14,000 per pupil compared to those on the coast receiving less than £4,000 a head. And Cllr Luckock even named Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan as a school where it was 'not rational' to keep it open, due to the fact it only has 14 pupils. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox. But his comments have already prompted criticism from a fellow Conwy councillor who has suggested he lacks understanding for the area he is representing. Cllr Gwennol Ellis, councillor for Uwchaled and leader of the Plaid Cymru group in Conwy, said: "I condemn and strongly criticise the comments made by Cllr Luckock in the press demanding the closure of rural schools to save money. "He has not considered the impact his comments have in the community, with parents and teachers. "Almost all rural schools in the county of Conwy are Welsh-medium and are located in the strongholds of the Welsh language. A school provides more than just education - it is the heart of the community, promotes local culture and heritage, and is essential to the prosperity of the language. 'Cllr Luckock clearly does not understand that he is now a councillor in Conwy, which is a rural county and presents unique challenges. Providing council services in the rural area is always more costly, but taxpayers still deserve a service. Recycling, for example, is still collected in the rural areas despite there being fewer bins to collect. This is the reality of providing services in Conwy. 'Some rural residents may argue that the only services they receive is a local school and bin collections. Many local services have long been centralised in the larger coastal towns.' She added: 'I urge Cllr Luckock to debate this matter in the council chamber, and not in the press, to allow for a proper debate with the full range of views and opinions. Professional officers with up-to-date evidence should be with us to support our decision-making. This is not how we conduct ourselves in Conwy.' Speaking today, Cllr Luckock said it was important the public had the facts. 'I've raised these issues in the council chamber and have debated them for three years,' he said. 'It is important that the facts are in the public domain and that they are further discussed and debated in the public domain.' He added: 'The implications for children and parents of the lack of decision is profound.'
Wales Online
25-06-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Councillor who wants to shut smallest schools names first he thinks should go
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Figures which show 22 Conwy schools are below capacity has led to an outspoken councillor again questioning why the council isn't prioritising shutting small rural primary schools. The figures released by the Pupil Level Annual School Census reveal that Conwy has five schools with 35% or less capacity – with all schools in the county having unfilled places. Cllr Paul Luckock has now named a rural school he believes should close. According to the 2025 figures, the schools with the lowest capacity are: Ysgol Betws y Coed at 10% with 10 pupils; Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan at 35% with 14 pupils; Ysgol Llanddoged at 34% with 33 pupils; Ysgol Dolwyddelan at 31% with 18 pupils; and Ysgol Capel Garmon at 35% with 16 pupils. Other figures presented in a Conwy school budget working group spreadsheet for 2025 reveal that Ysgol Betws y Coed receives £13,672 per pupil whilst Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan receives £13,193, Ysgol Llanddoged £7,425, Ysgol Dolwyddelan £10,056, and Ysgol Capel Garmon £13,844. Sign up for the North Wales Live newslettersent twice daily to your inbox. Meanwhile Ysgol Deganwy receives just £3,712 per head, Ysgol Glanwydden £3,703, and Ysgol Pen y Bryn £3,741, with many more coastal schools in a similar situation. Cllr Luckock says all Welsh schools should have at least 120 pupils in line with Welsh Government learning methodology for the funding formula to work. The Abergele councillor has again proposed all schools with less than 120 pupils should be considered for closure, with rural schools centralised, perhaps using one existing, modernised school building. 'My clear assertion is that we should look at all schools with less than 120 pupils,' he said. 'We should prioritise those schools with the largest number of surplus places, and the reason I say that is if we are going to build and create area schools in rural areas, we do need to join up the dots in relation to those buildings that are most underused and look at them for being the base for potential area schools.' According to the figures, every school in Conwy has unfilled places; Ysgol Betws y Coed with 90% has the most and Ysgol Llandudlas the least at 2%. But Conwy has 16 schools that are at least 30% unfilled, and five of those are 60% unfilled or more (Ysgol Betws y Coed 90%; Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan 65%; Ysgol Llandogged 66%; Ysgol Dolwyddelan 69%; and Ysgol Capel Garmon 65%). This means rural schools are much more expensive to run per pupil. Cllr Luckock pointed to a recent Estyn report for Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan and proposed shutting the school, along with others in rural communities. He said: 'If you take a school like (Ysgol) Betws y Coed, on the class figures which they had to send in last year, they've got 10 children. I think they've actually got 12 children at the moment. But my argument is there is a school building that could cope with 100 children for example. "So I'm not saying Betws y Coed could not be the centre of an area school. I'm (proposing, for instance) extending that school so that it could have 120 places - it may need an extension - that could then become the area school. 'Other schools in that wider area could be closed. Ysbyty Ifan, to be honest, that Estyn report... The school failed on every ground. So why are we keeping open a school with 14 pupils that has failed on every ground? "It is irrational that we are not prioritising the closure of that school.' He added: 'I cannot believe even the most strident Plaid colleague in their heart of hearts saying we've got to sustain that school. It is not rational.' Cllr Luckock blamed the current Conwy leadership for the problem and claimed the council's director of education generally agreed with him, despite schools being viewed by many as vital in sustaining rural communities. 'I think sustaining these small schools for Conwy has been an absolute priority,' he said. 'That's why we put so much money into doing it, but I think in 2025, it's not just the financial pressures; it's the concerns for children, particularly the attainment of children from low-income families. I just think in the three years that I've been councillor, the avoidance of dealing with this controversial issue, it's just so unwise. 'We have got to tackle it. Of course, there will be a lot of political flack, but we've avoided this problem for too long so, therefore, we've got to grip it now. So even the most determined defender of small primary schools must doubt about whether they should be sustained.' He added: 'The key issue is the lack of political leadership. That is the most crucial thing. If you spoke to the director of education (Dr Lowri Brown), she would not disagree with me on some of these issues, but because of the position of the political leadership, she would have great difficulty saying that publicly. The conversations I have with Dr Lowri Brown, she acknowledges we should be doing more and doing things more quickly in terms of these small schools.' Cllr Luckock's claims were put to Conwy County Council, including his comments about the director of education. A Conwy County Council spokeswoman commented: "We're committed to ensuring that all learners have a good quality learning experience, whilst making sure that our educational settings operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. School modernisation continues to be a priority, and we work with our communities to deliver effective education. "We'll continue to monitor the capacity of our schools in line with the Welsh Government School Organisation Code." The Local Democracy Reporting Service attempted to contact Betws-y-Coed and Trefriw councillor Liz Roberts about closing Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan. Public notices in your area
