Community protests against council proposal to change Cilgerran School status
Supporters of Ysgol Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled Primary School have protested at a Pembrokeshire County Council meeting against council plans to remove church status from the school.
On May 14th, Pembrokeshire County Council voted to remove Voluntary Controlled (VC) status from this thriving Welsh-medium rural school despite 97% of the responses to a consultation having opposed a change which the church describes as ‘entirely unnecessary’.
The Church has objected formally to the proposal. A letter has also been sent to council officers on behalf of the Diocese of St Davids and the Church in Wales making it clear that if the council persists with this course, the Church will take legal action on the grounds of: public misrepresentation and unqualified legal assertions made by Pembrokeshire County Council officers, and discrimination against faith schooling.
The stand against the council’s move has gathered widespread support. On Thursday, parents, teachers, and students travelled to Haverfordwest to protest at a meeting of the full council meeting. Their colourful protest signs, made by students, carried messages such as “You can’t fix what isn’t broken”, “Leave our VC status alone”, and “Don’t take away our identity for a few £££”.
One of the protesters, an ex-pupil and Governor, Sarah Moore, has said: “I'm here today because I'm horrified that the council are talking about taking the church status away from our school. The church gave that land for the school over 180 years ago. 97% have voted against this and yet they're still trying to do it. If we want our children to stay in a church school, the nearest one is Letterston. So where will these children have that good education that they are getting now?”
Ffion, a Year 6 pupil at the school, has said: “We have a strong connection from the school to the church and that's something to celebrate, not to take away. We are here protesting today just show them that we're still here. We're still fighting and we won't stop until a different decision is made.”
Kelly Davies, parent and Governor, said “We feel really strongly as parents, the pupils and the community that we're not happy about them taking VC status away. We have really strong links with the church and the school and the community. It just seems that they're taking this away from us permanently for no reason.”
The Church has expressed deep concern about the pattern of Pembrokeshire Council’s recent actions regarding Church Schools. On June 15th, councillors voted to close Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School, which was damaged by a fire in 2022, and which, despite repeated assurances from Cabinet Members and senior officers that it would be rebuilt, has been allowed to sit empty while the number of children, forced for years to learn in temporary accommodation, has declined. The Church is also taking formal action in this case.
And on July 16th, the council has also announced consultation on plans to close Tenby Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled school and replace it with a non-church school. Again, like Manorbier, Tenby VC School has suffered from structural problems, lack of investment, and a history of assurances that its VC status would be retained – assurances which have now proved to be groundless.
A spokesperson for the Church in Wales said: “The entirely unnecessary threat to the status of this much-loved community school has had an impact on children, families, and the wider community. We are not prepared to allow another thriving rural school to lose its treasured character. Ysgol Cilgerran has our full support, and we hope that Pembrokeshire County Council listens to the voices of the community it serves, and chooses not to remove VC status.”