School not facing closure despite planned admission cuts, governors say

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

The Chair of Governors at a primary school where admission numbers are to be reduced has reassured the public it is not facing closure.

Cllr Anthony Wedlake is the chair of Governors at Penygelli Primary School in Wrexham which – along with Ysgol Maes y Mynydd- Wrexham County Borough Council’s Executive Board agreed to issue statutory notices for to reduce pupil admission numbers from September 2027.

If they secure final sign-off, Penygelli’s Published Admission Number (PAN) for reception year admissions will fall from 45 to 30 while Ysgol Maes y Mynydd will go from 51 to 45.

This has sparked some concerns that the schools are being prepared for closure but Cllr Wedlake said that was not the case.

“It is difficult to look at the reduction in PAN and see that in fact it is helping the school,” he said. “But when we are dealing with a situation that is out of our control – as falling birth rates are – it genuinely does make a difference.

“It is definitely not an indication that a school is closing – that is simply not true. In fact it allows us the room to make better use of the school buildings in the short-term, save money and ensure that should the birthrate situation change, our community still has a high-quality school here for its children.”

Restrictive 

Cllr Wedlake explained that the school’s PAN is not just an expectation of admission numbers – it is a legally enforceable limit that can be restrictive for undersubscribed schools.

“It means we legally have to ensure we have space set aside for that number of pupils at any point,” he said. “Even if we only have 30 pupils in reception, we have to maintain space for 45 – although we are only funded based on the number of pupils we actually have, not the PAN.

“Financially that costs the school in terms of maintaining unused space but it also means that, should a parent come to the school and request a place for their child, we cannot say no, whatever the reason.

“At the same time if we have vacancies and then receive an influx of pupils for whatever reason, we have to recruit a new teacher whether the funding for those pupils covers the cost or not. It potentially puts the school is in a difficult position at a time when education budgets are already under pressure.

“We work closely with our local nurseries and pre-schools to understand the potential demand or places and we are confident that 30 is right for us. Reducing the PAN frees us up to use our resources more flexibly.”

Additional needs provision

Cllr Wedlake illustrated his point using a scenario around an area of need in Wrexham – Additional Learning Needs provision.

“This is just an example but if we keep our PAN at 45 we have to keep a whole classroom free in case we have an influx of pupils to fill those vacancies,” he said.

“By reducing our PAN, the legislation allows to use that space for something else that has a community benefit – that could be allowing Wrexham Council to utilise the space for extra ALN provision.

“That’s a really simple way to show how reducing the PAN is untying our hands as a school, allowing us to make better use of the buildings we have and protecting our budgets.”

As birthrates are projected to continue falling until at least 2029 however, Cllr Wedlake admitted that ensuring Penygelli has a sustainable future was high on his agenda.

“We’re not complacent. We can see the issue coming,” he said. “We will continue to explore ways that we can use our resources and use what is a fantastic facility that we’re very proud of for the wider benefit of the community.

“Although we have no concrete plans yet, we believe we can find ways that we can deliver on that aspiration.”