Pupils facing double disruption with Llanrumney closure plan, warns NUT Cymru
NUT Cymru has called on the Welsh Government to ensure that pupils at Llanrumney and Rumney schools in Cardiff do not have to suffer double disruption as a result of closing the Llanrumney site a year early. NUT Cymru’s response to the consultation process on behalf of its members who are teachers at the schools, concluded that whilst early closures would certainly create problems for staff, parents and pupils, there was no significant benefit to be had.
Mal Davies, who represents NUT Cymru teachers in Cardiff said:
“There appears to be no real advantage to the early move to closure, but plenty of concern about the negative impact of the decision. The last thing staff, parents and pupils want to have to go through is the disruption of moving schools twice over the next few years as a result of this early closure plan.
“There are deep-rooted, generational tensions between the two schools and communities affected by this proposal, Llanrumney and Rumney. To create educational and social disruption by hurriedly and unnecessarily forcing the two schools into one prior to the establishment of a new Eastern School site is failing to recognise the serious nature of these rivalries, and has the potential to impact massively on the educational provision at Rumney in a most detrimental way.
“The current cohort of GCSE pupils could not possibly have imagined the disruption which they would have to face as a result of this decision. Suddenly forcing it upon them will no doubt have a significant impact on their success in pursuit of those qualifications. For those pupils who were focused on the amalgamation of the two schools, it was previously approached with a well-planned transition period. Withdrawing that planned timescale risks the integration of the two schools being even more difficult to manage than expected.
“There are also questions regarding whether Rumney High School will be able to amend its staffing structure, GCSE provision, general timetable and physical working space in order to accommodate potentially over 400 additional students in time for September 2013. This begs the question, what provision is there to meet the immediate education needs within the community?”
Contact: Owen Hathway, NUT Cymru, Ty Sinnott, 18 Neptune Court, Vanguard Way, Cardiff CF24 5PJ. Tel: 029 20491818. Mob: 07921 146 442 e-mail: cymru.wales@nut.org.uk
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