Rural Schools

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education — Postponed from 8 November – in the Senedd at 1:39 pm on 15 November 2017.

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Photo of Mark Isherwood Mark Isherwood Conservative 1:39, 15 November 2017

Thank you for that. As you're aware, concerns are regularly raised that Welsh Government criteria for twenty-first century schools funding is driving council decisions on which schools to close. When I attended the call-in on the rural school closures in Flintshire last year, evidence-based presentations were made in accordance with the Welsh Government's own school organisation code.Despite that, the schools were closed after an entirely party political speech, which ignored the code completely, by the council leader. I recently wrote to you regarding proposals by Anglesey council to close Ysgol Talwrn under their review of primary education provision in the Llangefni area. You concluded that letter by explaining that the strengthening, as you put it, of the statutory school organisation code, following consultation, will follow, but any changes to the current version of the code would not be retrospective. What action can you and the Welsh Government take if and when communities have evidence to show that the school organisation code and the data being used by the council are an apparent breach of the Welsh Government's requirements?