Vaynor and Penderyn High School - The End of Vaynor and Penderyn

The End of Vaynor and Penderyn

There had been a continuous downward trend in its pupils numbers in its latter years and the school had around 256 pupils on roll by mid-2004, only 30 of whom were sixth formers.

In October 2001 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council undertook preliminary consultation on its 'Review of Secondary School Provision in Merthyr Tydfil'. This outlined a range of possible proposals in relation to secondary schools and sixth form provision. Two of the options presented included the closure of Vaynor and Penderyn.

Following the end of this preliminary consultation, the Local Authority gether with the National Council for Education and Training and other partner bodies decided to establish, with funding from the Learning Challenge Fund, a Project Management Team to further develop and move forward the options outlined in the review. However, pupils numbers at Vaynor and Penderyn continued to decline rapidly, falling from 363 in January 2003 to 284 in January 2004. This prompted the Local Authority to consider bringing forward a proposal to discontinue Vaynor and Penderyn in advance of any more general proposals identified by the Project Management Team.

On 15 January 2004 the Authority issued a consultation document outlining its case for closing the school and, subject to parental preference, transferring its pupils to Pen-Y-Dre High School. The document was sent to a comprehensive list of interested parties and invited comments by 5 March 2004. A notice outlining the proposal was also placed in various newspapers.

Certain consultees were also invited to attend meetings. In the case of staff, governors and parents at Vaynor and Penderyn, meetings were held at the school for each group in turn on 27 January 2004. A meeting with the School Council was held on 28 January. Meetings were also held on 29 January with the staff, governors, parents and the School Council at Pen-y-Dre High School, on 3 February with the parents of Vaynor's three feeder primary schools (Ysgol y Graig, Hirwaun and Penderyn) and on 9 February with the Governing Body of Bishop Hedley High School.

Votes were held at each of the meetings. The thirty-three Vaynor and Penderyn and feeder school parents who attended voted unanimously against the proposal. Six of Vaynor's Governing Body voted in favour of the proposal with two against and three abstentions. Sixteen of the school's staff voted for the proposal, none voted against, and four abstained. The School Council voted three in favour, twenty-two against with one abstention. With the exception of one member of staff all those who were present at the meetings held at Pen y Dre and Bishop Hedley voted in favour of the proposal.

Following the end of consultation on 5 March 2004 and after consideration of responses from consultees, the Authority decided on 7 April to proceed with the proposal to close Vaynor and Penderyn and a notice was published on 16 April 2004.