An infants school in Pontypridd has been saved from closure after decision makers decided not to go ahead with proposals. The proposal was to close Trallwng Infants’ School and transfer pupils to the nearby Coedpenmaen Primary School, by September, 2025.
But at a cabinet meeting of Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council on Monday, December 16, the decision was made not to go ahead with closure. Education cabinet member, Councillor Rhys Lewis, said Pontypridd in recent years had undergone something of a transformation and was a town that was extremely vibrant and an attractive place to live and work.
He said with the metro on the horizon it would become even more attractive. Cllr Lewis mentioned potential population growth and the impact that might have upon schools in the area.
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He said he was concerned that closing the school at this point “might not be the right decision at this time” and that the benefits and the value in the proposals were “minimal for the impact this could potentially have upon the school and the pupils.” He said there were opportunities to explore greater collaboration between Trallwng Infants School and Coedpenmaen Primary.
Councillor Mike Powell, the local councillor for Trallwng, said many residents were vehemently opposed to it. He said it was very difficult to argue with the statistics and figures. To get all the latest Pontypridd news straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Cllr Powell said a decision to overturn this had to be done with facts not with opinions. He raised the idea that if the school was closed the site could still be used for nursery, foundation, year one and maybe year two provision which would alleviate transition problems and any spare capacity could be used for 0-3 wrap around care.
He also said he’d make himself available to be a signatory on a call-in of the decision should the council go ahead with the closure. Of the 160 responses received during the consultation, 16 (10%) agreed with the proposal, 136 disagreed (85%) and eight (5%) were not sure.
The council had said that Trallwng Infants’ had a 105-pupil capacity from reception to year two and pupil numbers had significantly decreased to just 50 in 2023/24, down from 75 in 2019/20. Only 30 of the current pupils live in the school’s catchment area and projections for 2028/29 suggested a further drop to just 48 pupils (54.3% surplus places).
As part of the proposal, the council said it would invest in improving the existing Coedpenmaen Primary School facilities, including its school buildings and its external play areas. Coedpenmaen Primary already provides the catchment area for the year 3-6 education of pupils attending Trallwng Infants’, following year two.