Religious group opposes council’s plan to redesignate faith primary school

Bruce Sinclair Local Democracy Reporter

A further religious group has opposed a council’s plan to redesignate a faith primary school as a nonreligious community school.

Back in May, Pembrokeshire County Council voted to remove Voluntary Controlled (VC) status from Welsh-medium Ysgol Cilgerran’s Church in Wales school despite 97 per cent of the responses to a consultation having opposed a change which the church describes as ‘entirely unnecessary’.

That consultation followed a review which “considered the extent of surplus school places in the area, set against a significant decline in the pupil population,” the council has previously said.

Hundreds opposed the proposed changes, with a petition on the council’s own website gaining 391 signatures.

The Church in Wales has objected formally to the proposal and has warned it will take legal action on the grounds of “public misrepresentation and unqualified legal assertions made by Pembrokeshire County Council officers,” and “discrimination against faith schooling”.

At the council’s July meeting, Cilgerran parents, teachers, and students travelled to County Hall, Haverfordwest to protest.

Their colourful protest signs, made by students, carried messages such as “You can’t fix what isn’t broken”, “Leave our VC status alone”, and “Don’t take away our identity for a few £££”.

The Church has said it has deep concern about what it sees as a pattern of the council’s recent actions regarding Church Schools, with the recent closure of Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School, and a potential for VC status being lost for Tenby Church in Wales VC school.

Wales Humanists recently supported the council plans, and another secular group, The National Secular Society (NSS), has also expressed its support.

The Roman Catholic Church in Wales has now joined the voices calling on Pembrokeshire County Council to drop its threat to remove the church status of Ysgol Cilgerran.

In a formal letter to Pembrokeshire Council, objecting to the council’s proposal, Angela Keller, the Wales Adviser of the Catholic Education Service says: “There is no evidence to suggest that the removal of the school’s religious designation will be of any educational benefit as the school is already performing well and has a stable leadership profile.

“The local authority has also acknowledged that the proposal, whilst incurring the cost and disruption associated with school reorganisation, will deliver no identifiable educational or financial benefit.

“Inadequate consideration has been given by Pembrokeshire County Council to its obligations under the Equality Act 2010. The proposal accepts that religion and belief is the only protected characteristic experiencing a negative impact and that the impact is disproportionate.”

It said it agreed with the Church in Wales view, adding: “The actions of Pembrokeshire County Council in proposing to remove the religious designation of Ysgol Cilgerran sets a worrying precedent for all Church schools in the area.

“The proposal is making a negative statement about the long-term strategic value placed by the Local Authority on retaining diversity within local educational provision.”

A spokesperson for the Church in Wales welcomed the support, saying: “The threat to Cilgerran is a threat to faith schools, to diversity, to the community, and to the children and families who have been impacted by Pembrokeshire council’s entirely unnecessary actions.”

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