‘Momentous development’ in campaign for a Welsh-medium school in south Cardiff

Stephen Price

Parents and community members are celebrating a ‘momentous development’ in the campaign for an all-age Welsh-medium school in south Cardiff, with a former council leader naming the potential site for the capital’s fourth Welsh-medium secondary school.

A new Welsh-medium school to serve the south of Cardiff had previously been ruled out after Cardiff Council argued a drop in the birth rate in Wales’ capital means there would not be enough pupils.

But members of the Ysgol De Caerdydd group say some parents having to drive halfway across Cardiff to take their children to school.

In a new development, it emerged during a plenary session at the Senedd on Tuesday that the then Leader of Cardiff Council, Huw Thomas MS, made a request to the Government earlier this year asking for the use of Government-owned land in Callaghan Square as the site for the new school.

While asking the new Minister for Education, Anna Brychan, a question in the Senedd, Huw Thomas, who is now a Senedd Member, stated that his request had received a “positive response” from the then Finance Minister, Mark Drakeford.

The campaign for a Welsh-medium School in south Cardiff, Ysgol De Caerdydd, has warmly welcomed the news, calling it a “momentous development” for the campaign.

There are currently three Welsh-medium secondary schools in the capital – Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf in Llandaff, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr in Fairwater and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern in Penylan.

But some parents whose children were able to secure a place at Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf – one of city’s most oversubscribed schools – say they face a 30 minute journey.

Campaigners say that because Cardiff Council’s school admissions criteria include distance – parental school preferences exceed places available leading to discrimination against families in areas such as Butetown and Grangetown.

On behalf of the Ysgol De Caerdydd campaign, Catrin Dafydd said: “It’s clear from the communication that took place between Huw Thomas and Mark Drakeford that there is agreement over the need for a fourth Welsh-medium secondary school, and for locating it right at the heart of the most multicultural communities in Cardiff and Wales: Butetown, Grangetown and the surrounding area.

“The Callaghan Square site looks like a very promising choice to build this all-age Welsh-medium school.

“To establish Ysgol De Caerdydd right at the heart of the community will be a clear symbol of the new Wales, ensuring that the Welsh language is accessible at community level for all of us.”

Catrin added: “Provided there is ample space for every type of necessary resource, the development offers an exciting vision for the accessibility of Welsh that completely overturns the fact that Butetown, one of the most economically disadvantaged areas in our city, is also at the moment the area with the worst accessibility to Welsh-medium education.

“We thank Huw Thomas for his leadership on this matter while Council leader, and it’s encouraging to hear that Mark Drakeford responded positively to the request on behalf of the previous Government.

“We look forward to continuing the discussion with the new leader of Cardiff Council, Chris Weaver, and we call on him to implement the school organisation code at once so that an application to build Ysgol De Caerdydd can go to the Welsh Government without further delay.

“The families of Butetown, Grangetown and the surrounding areas have already waited too long. Now is the time to act and build the school, as a matter of social justice.

On behalf of the Ysgol De Caerdydd campaign, Eshmael Palmer added: “The location of Callaghan Square offers clear potential for active travel with children and young people in the area being able to cycle and walk to school.

“It’s vital that Welsh-medium nursery and primary provision is part of this development so that Welsh-medium primary education is available to Butetown families on their doorstep.

“It’s also crucial that the development forms part of a community campus that will provide not only the school but also first-class facilities for the wider community.

“The campaign has been clear from the start that Ysgol Bro Edern should be protected and given investment as the Welsh-medium secondary school for children in east Cardiff, and that our new school will be the fourth Welsh-medium high school in Cardiff, so we were glad to hear the former Council Leader Huw Thomas echoing that in the Senedd yesterday. We need a city-wide vision for Welsh-medium education at a community level right across Cardiff.”