Parent Speaks Out Against Proposal to Close “Wonderful” Trallwng Infants School

It would be a “huge mistake” to close a school which provides children with a wonderful education, fantastic experiences and a sense of belonging, a parent has said.
That’s the view of Laurie Dodd who is a parent at Trallwng Infants School in Pontypridd which Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council is considering closing with pupils transferring to the nearby Coedpenmaen Primary School by no later than September, 2025, if approved.
An online petition has been signed by more than 1,000 people opposing the potential closure which the council is consulting on.
Speaking on behalf of parents at the school, Laurie said this proposal had come as a shock to them all.
She said: “Trallwng Infants school is thriving, all the children love going to school and have outstanding interaction and experiences with the teachers.
“Trallwng Infants school really believe in learning and growing together. Every member of staff knows each child on a personal level and really cares for their wellbeing and education as evidenced in their Estyn report 2022.”
“The proposal to close the school has been written by someone who has not spent much time there engaging with our children and really learning about how beneficial this school is for our children’s development.
Laurie said she could only assume that this proposal had been in the pipeline for years but hadn’t been able to be implemented following Trallwng’s excellent Estyn inspection and Coedpenmaen’s Estyn inspection in 2022 which placed it in special measures.
She said she wanted to know how parents could be confident that there was a thorough investigation done to ensure that Coedpenmaen was fit for their children to move to?
Laurie said that when deciding where to send her child, she was welcomed to Trallwng Infants by the headteacher who she said was more than happy to give her time to prospective parents adding “it is clear she invests time in getting to know the children and families who attend the school.”
She asked how the council would monitor excellence and ensure the quality of education children were currently receiving was sustained.
Laurie said: “Coedpenmaen is no more a 21st century school than Trallwng Infants school. ,In fact, Trallwng Infants has just had a considerable amount of money spent on it to modernise and improve the provision for the children.
“The children now have access to a purpose-built sensory room and a kitchen built at their level, allowing them to take part in cooking activities.
“Coedpenmaen doesn’t have these facilities, why prevent children from having access to such facilities? And why invest lots of money in a school knowing it is going to close and claim in the proposal that RCTCBC makes best use of public money?
“This proposal comes down to money rather than what is right for our children’s wellbeing and education.”
She said that in the 2022 Estyn report for Coedpenmaen, it was stated that ‘overcrowded teaching areas in the classroom for younger pupils made it difficult for teachers to deliver learning experiences that matched the needs and abilities of these pupils.”
And Laurie said: “Yet this proposal states that all children will be accommodated.  Where will they go?”
She added: “This proposal has been written in a manner to justify closing the school, using language to mislead anyone who doesn’t know Trallwng Infants.
“As a parent of a child, let me assure you all that Trallwng Infants provides the children of this community with a wonderful education, fantastic experiences and a sense of belonging. It would be a huge mistake to close the school.”
A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: “The development and implementation of any school reorganisation proposal is a thorough but emotive process, and we understand that the community are likely to have strong feelings about potential changes to their local community school.
“Many factors need to be considered before proposals are brought forward and potential changes implemented, and it is important to reiterate that we are currently seeking stakeholder views on the proposal and a final decision has not been made on this matter. It is very important that the community participates in the consultation, up to November 15.
“Trallwng Infants School has recently seen a significant decrease in pupil numbers – with just 50 statutory-aged pupils in attendance in 2023/24 compared with the school’s overall capacity of 105. Furthermore, 20 of these 50 pupils live outside of the school’s catchment area. Overall pupil numbers are projected to further decrease to 48 in 2028/29 – which would result in a surplus capacity of 54.3%, which is clearly unsustainable.
“The school building was graded ‘C’ for condition and suitability (where ‘A’ is the highest rating and ‘D’ is the lowest) in the most-recent survey in 2022. The school also has a total backlog maintenance of £227,760, which does not include extra funding that is required for the school to reach 21st Century school standards.
“While the school has received some investment in recent years, this was planned before the recent and significant drop in pupil numbers. It is important to note that part of the major investment into the school was a grant allocated by Welsh Government to support the delivery of their free ‘Universal Primary School Meals’ offer for pupils, which entailed remodelling and installing a new commercial kitchen. In addition, essential works were necessary to support current pupils with Additional Learning Needs which is a statutory responsibility.
“Coedpenmaen Primary School, based on live data, has sufficient capacity to accommodate all current Trallwng Infants School pupils at the start of the 2025/26 academic year.
“Estyn reports highlighted in April 2024 that ‘across the school, class sizes and pupil-staff ratios are appropriate and leaders monitor pupil admission numbers closely’.
“The school has made strong progress in recent years, and Estyn has identified that the headteacher provides effective and determined leadership and that teachers plan and deliver engaging learning experiences for all pupils that support most to make strong progress.
“Following robust monitoring and revisits from Estyn colleagues, the school was removed from a statutory category in April, 2024 and continues on its improvement journey. The school already provides the associated year 3-6 education provision for Trallwng Infants School’s catchment area. Further investment is planned to further enhance the school buildings and external play areas.
“It is important to reiterate the importance of residents taking part in the consultation. Formally taking part will enable their views to be recorded and considered by cabinet when making their final decision on the proposals in the future.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​