Agenda, decisions and minutes

Councillors J.B. Attridge, H. Brown, C.M. Jones, R.K. Jones, R.P. Macfarlane, W. Mullin and A.P. Shotton declared a personal interest in minute number 49 as they were School Governors. 

As per the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Education introduced the report on the preferred options for further consultations in each of the three designated areas of Holywell, Connah’s Quay/Queensferry and Buckley/Mynydd Isa/Mold.

                        He reminded Members that following the decision of the Council in August 2011 to suspend the consultation process, workshops were held for Members and a series of options put forward.  Options for each area review were accepted by the Council to go out for further consultation in February and March 2012.  A report had been submitted to Cabinet on 12 June 2012 with details of the responses (these were also available in the Members’ Library, and for the public to view on the Council’s website and at County Hall reception).  Members agreed to take into account the responses made as a result of the consultation process together with any further options proposed by consultees in deciding the most appropriate option (preferred option) to progress to a further and final stage of consultations. 

The number of responses submitted via consultation response forms were detailed in the report.  Additional responses had been received from Schools and Governing Bodies and other consultees and these had been included.  A summary of the responses received from the consultations was included with analysis to support preferred options.  Each of the preferred options had to be affordable with funding either from grants available from Welsh Government (WG) or from resources from within the Council, achievable in being realistic in terms of progression and must have prospects of improving outcomes for learners in establishing school provision for the 21^st Century.    

The preferred options were as follows:-

• Holywell – option 3 - to build a new high school for pupils aged 11 to 16, together with a new primary school to replace Ysgol Perth y Terfyn and Ysgol y Fron
• Queensferry, Shotton & Connah’s Quay – option 3 - Develop 3-16 facility at John SummersHigh School with a Post-16 hub at Connah’s Quay High School
• Buckley, Mynydd Isa & Mold – option 1 - To retain 11-16 provision at Elfed High School and to rationalise to 600 places, to include additional learning needs and other education, leisure and cultural uses.

The Cabinet Member for Education proposed that the preferred options be approved by Cabinet and that the next phase of specific and local consultation take place in the early part of the new school term. 

            The Director of Lifelong Learning commented on the extensive consultation process and explained that as the meetings and discussions had progressed, it had been identified that some options were likely to be more affordable and achievable than others and that some were more likely to be beneficial in achieving educational and community objectives and meet Council and WG policy than others.  The Director explained that if the preferred options were approved at this meeting, consultation would not be undertaken during the summer holidays but work would commence with schools in the autumn term on how to progress the consultation, with a report coming back to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

The meeting commenced at 4.35 p.m. and ended at 5.18 p.m.

There were 2 members of the press in attendance.