Friday, 18 March 2011

Ysgol y graig


YSGOL Y GRAIG SCHOOL
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Cilck here to see options plan

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and its representatives welcome interested parties to express their views on which site the new Ysgol-y-Graig Primary School should be built, at a public consultation meeting which is taking place at Ysgol-y-Graig Primary School on Wednesday 23rd March 2011 at 4.00pm – 7.00pm.
The decision to rebuild Ysgol-y-Graig is a result of the Welsh Assembly Government identifying the need for educational investment under the 21st Century Schools programme. The Council has assessed their school surplus places, determined the asset management requirements based upon projected backlog maintenance, surveyed conditions of their educational establishments and developed strategies to improve educational outcomes.
On analysis of the assessments, the existing Ysgol-y-Graig Primary School has been identified as a school which is to be included in the first band of investment, with the earliest funding for construction being released by the Welsh Assembly Government in April 2012.
Various sites have been considered and they have been narrowed down to two possible locations. The aim of the public consultation is to capture and understand the views of all interested parties to aid the decision making process as to which of the two sites the new school will be built on. Representatives from the Council, Project Manager Mott MacDonald and Architectural Designer Austin-Smith:Lord will be on hand during the meeting to answer any questions that arise.

The Cefn Playing fields option is displayed below with the fine red lined rectangle depicting the school footprint:


How many rugby pitches do we need in Cefn given that we have a new and pristine pitch with floodlights?

How many green spaces do we need dogs to defecate on and endanger the health of young people?
The playing fields are the best and safest option for a new primary/nursery school aside from access issue and the caveat to the access issue is the School Bus. This has to be sorted out by our community representatives.
There is a desperate need for a new, excellent school within our community for the future generations of Vaynor. We should not jeopardise this for the sake of those resistant to change and the idea that keeping the land will not prevent future housing projects. We can be sure that if this decision is financially or demographically justified then our youngsters will be going to school somewhere outside of this ward.
If we have the school in Cefn Coed then at least we will have a “green” playing area where our young people will be taught in a new, modern, clean and vibrant school close to home.
We should be empathetic to the fact that we live in an environmentally endowed area; prevaricating the need for a large village green space – soon to be filled with houses if we stop the school from occupying the area.
We are not situated in central London. In Cefn, the residents are a stone’s throw from Cyfartha Park (£2 Million funded recently) and the Rugby fraternity (Flood lights, Renovations – roof showers & pitch).
We live next to a national park, rivers, woods, and mountains, all second to none. When we consider deficiencies in our environment it should be those of our young peoples’ educational environment and development.
Let us focus our attention to the investment in the education of the young people in Vaynor.
It is amazing to realise how effectively our Ysgol y Graig Head Teachers and Mrs Avril Diplock, MBE (Trefechan Nursery) have managed to keep such high educational standards given their remit.

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