Parents vow to fight Flintshire Council over Catholic super-school

Worried parents have warned council and religious leaders they have a ‘fight on their hands’ over plans to close four schools to create a Catholic super-school in Flint.

Governors of the 153-year-old St David’s Catholic Primary School in Mold held a public meeting on Thursday evening to raise concerns about the proposals.

More than 50 parents, grandparents and parishioners attended to share their views with Flintshire Council Cabinet member and Mold East Councillor Chris Bithell.

They want to stop the closure of St David’s – which has around 80 pupils – as part of a scheme that will also see the closure of St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School in Saltney, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Flint and St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School in Flint.

If approved, the proposals will replace those four schools with a single Catholic super-school in Flint for children aged 3-18 – known as an All Through School.

On Tuesday, March 18  Flintshire Council’s Cabinet will decide whether to begin consulting on the plans, with a target decision date of December.

“Who in the Diocese has made this decision on our behalf,” one angry parent asked during the meeting. “Was it Bishop Peter (Brignall)?

“We make a financial contribution to the school through the Diocese yet it has not had any discussion with us before moving forward with these plans.”

Parents criticised the impact the proposals would have on children’s quality of life – having to get up earlier to get to Flint and getting home too late for other extra-curricular activities.

Among their issues were the environmental impact of driving pupils a greater distance to school and the risks of potentially having to place children as young as five on school buses to Flint.

They also argued St David’s is financially viable despite its small size, having not gone into a budget deficit.

And they suggested future housing developments in Gwernaffield and potentially on the site of Shire Hall in Mold would counter declining pupil numbers.

But their primary concerns were around safeguarding, quality of education and Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision.

“This school delivers a fantastic education for our children,” said one angry parent. “It is a supportive community and one in which children thrive. It offers high quality teaching and a sense of community. That simply can’t be replicated at a super-school.”

The chair of the meeting, Sarah Cunningham, asked Cllr Bithell at one stage: “Do you have grandchildren? Would you let your grandchildren, aged five, get on a bus on their own from Mold to Flint?”

Cllr Bithell agreed he would not.

Another parent highlighted that SEN provision at St David’s was outstanding and warned the same level of support would not be possible at a larger school.

“When my child goes to school at St David’s he is ‘normal’,” said the mum. “He needs additional support but the teachers understand him, the other pupils understand him and he doesn’t feel left out. He can participate in school and be an active part of the community.

“In a large school he would never get that attention or support.”

One grandparent summed up the feelings of everyone present when he told Cllr Bithell: “You’ve got a fight on your hands.

“We do not believe this is the right decision for our children or the school.”

Cllr Bithell thanked those in attendance for sharing their views as he was presented with a petition in support of keeping the school open.

“I appreciate you inviting me here to listen to your views,” he said. “As the ward member for this area I understand how important the school is and what a vital part it is of the fabric of the community.

“You have all raised a number of very powerful points for me to consider.”

When asked if he would support parents in their opposition, Cllr Bithell reserved judgement.

“This has not yet been opened up for consultation by Cabinet,” he said. “I can’t make a decision until I have seen all the details and proposals.”

Following the meeting the Diocese of Wrexham was approached for a response.

“We are awaiting a Cabinet decision to move to a statutory consultation process,” it said.

It added that St David’s was currently was only 49% full. Projections estimate the surplus of places to increase to almost 65% due to falling pupil numbers by 2029/30.

The Diocese also disputed the financial viability of the school.

“St David’s currently has a £148,000 backlog of repairs and maintenance,” it said.

“The initial plans were drawn up after a full process of discussions with the chairs of governors and headteachers at the six Catholic schools in Flintshire in liaison with the Diocese and local authority. There was no disagreement from any of these parties regarding the proposed plans.”

The Diocese did not deny that a land swap was part of the arrangement, but said final details were yet to be agreed.

“To ensure that precisely the same information was given at each of the 12 meetings on Tuesday, February 11 , an information film was sent to schools to be introduced by the headteacher or chair of governors,” it said.

“They were asked to collate any questions and comments from each of the meetings and send them to the Diocese for a response. These questions have all been responded to on the FAQ page of the Diocesan education website.”