RDC(3) RRSWA9

Rural Development Sub-Committee

Inquiry into Reorganisation of Schools in Rural Wales

Response from Powys Radnor Federation of Women’s Institute

The majority of rural schools are for primary education (4-11 years old) and are therefore a most important contact with the world outside home, a time when lots of shy young boys & girls have to learn to be separated from the security and stability of parents.  Some children at this young age cannot cope with the stress of large, strange schools and the change which has suddenly been thrust upon them. Some infant schools have parent/toddlers groups run alongside the school which enables the child to adjust in time for school life, when they spend hours away from the parents, in a familiar unit.

Taking away these local facilities and moving them several miles away, out of the familiar area, can be most distressing for the child and difficult for the parent.  Children and parents lose ties with local amenities and such places as churches/chapels.   Some parents make the decision to use different schools for their children and often children who live near and were best friends are separated and lonely because of this,

Some parents do not have transport available and are not on a convenient bus route or the school is not served by a bus service, this prevents parents attending special school events such as the Christmas concert/assembly, meeting to discuss pupil’s progress.  Also children on their first weeks/months at school can be distressed by being sent away on a bus to an unknown place and to comparative strangers.  It prevents younger siblings attending the school and seeing for themselves what a nice place it is for them to attend when their time comes.

The new larger schools are being built on land already used for a small school with no thought for extra sports fields/playgrounds etc., needed for all the extra pupils or extra parking for cars/coaches picking up pupils - quite a health and safety problem for parents/teachers at the end of each day.

Estyn or equivalent party need to report on schools/LEA or things could become slipshod, however, some schools that have wonderful reports still get closed.  It is hoped that the report on the school can be accredited to the teacher and used on any future job applications as it would be criminal for those excellent teachers to be lost in a big black hole.  Also it could be used as a means of freeing the authority of any poor quality teachers.

June 2008 - PRFWI