Further strong support for campaign against school’s church status

The Roman Catholic Church in Wales has joined the voices calling on Pembrokeshire County Council to drop its threat to remove the church status of Ysgol Cilgerran.

On May 14th, Pembrokeshire County Council voted to remove Voluntary Controlled (VC) status from this thriving Welsh-medium Church in Wales school despite 97% of the responses to a consultation having opposed a change which the church describes as ‘entirely unnecessary’.

The Church in Wales has objected formally to the proposal, making it clear that if the council presses ahead, 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, with parents, teachers, and students protesting at a full meeting of the council.

In the formal letter to Pembrokeshire Council, objecting to the council’s proposal, Angela Keller, the Wales Adviser of the Catholic Education Service says: “…we support the position of the Church in Wales that the proposal has not demonstrated that the statutory tests set out in the School Organisation Code have been met. There is no evidence to suggest that the removal of the school’s religious designation will be of any educational benefit as the school is already performing well and has a stable leadership profile. The local authority has also acknowledged that the proposal, whilst incurring the cost and disruption associated with school reorganisation, will deliver no identifiable educational or financial benefit.

“Inadequate consideration has been given by Pembrokeshire County Council to its obligations under the Equality Act 2010. The proposal accepts that religion and belief is the only protected characteristic experiencing a negative impact and that the impact is disproportionate. The proposal removes the only Church in Wales school serving this part of north Pembrokeshire with the nearest alternative Church school over twenty miles away. Parental choice in respect of faith-based education will be substantially diminished, particularly for rural families without realistic transport options. We agree with the Church in Wales, that the Local Authority’s actions amount to indirect discrimination under Section 19 of the Equality Act 2010, disproportionately placing families who hold a protected characteristic (religion and belief) at a severe disadvantage.

“The actions of Pembrokeshire County Council in proposing to remove the religious designation of Ysgol Cilgerran sets a worrying precedent for all Church schools in the area. The proposal is making a negative statement about the long-term strategic value placed by the Local Authority on retaining diversity within local educational provision.

“The Church in Wales and the Catholic Church as providers of schools, have worked in partnership with the Welsh government and local authorities for many years. This proposal undermines the positive relationship the Churches have had with Pembrokeshire County Council. We join the Church in Wales in urging Pembrokeshire County Council to withdraw this proposal.”

A spokesperson for the Church in Wales said: “We welcome this latest powerful expression of support for the campaign to save Ysgol Cilgerran’s church status. The threat to Cilgerran is a threat to faith schools, to diversity, to the community, and to the

children and families who have been impacted by Pembrokeshire Council’s entirely unnecessary actions.”

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.