CAMPAIGNERS battling to stop the Vale council combining Cadoxton Nursery and Cadoxton Primary schools into one school, have urged parents to submit their objections before the deadline next month.

Ahead of the deadline, on Monday, May 9, a letter on behalf of the campaigners and the nursery school's governing body has been written to education minister Huw Lewis asking for his help in keeping Cadoxton Nursery school as a stand alone nursery.

The plans, which have been in the works since last October, are to combine the two schools - a move which Vale cabinet member for children's services called a "logical step" given how closely the two schools already work together.

However, parents and staff at the nursery have spoken out in opposition to the plans, with school governor Tommy O'Neill saying that an amalgamation would be "detrimental to the nursery pupils, to the overall school provision and quality of education in Cadoxton and to the wider community".

"All the evidence shows that Cadoxton Nursery School is very high performing with exceptional leadership from Susan Roberts," he said. "We do not want to lose our head teacher."

In a letter written to minister Huw Lewis this week, a spokesman for the campaigners said: "The Vale of Glamorgan Council are moving to close our

school and wish to create a nursery class within Cadoxton Primary School.

"The very idea of closing an establishment which is successful in achieving all you hoped for in terms of early years education in your ‘Ten Year Plan' must surely make you want to act to question and indeed prevent the Vale of Glamorgan from acting upon it. Especially as the only reason which they have for doing so is

financial."

Earlier this year Councillor Elmore had assured concerned parents and staff that "it must be stressed that we are not proposing to make any changes to the level of support that either school provides to pupils or parents" and that the council is "simply proposing to rationalise the management structure across the two schools".

He added that "almost all primary schools in the Vale have a nursery class" and the proposal would merely bring Cadoxton Primary School "into line with a model that has been proven to work effectively across the county".

"More importantly," he said "It will be one that allows us to direct more of our funding towards supporting teaching and learning rather than continuing to see an unnecessarily high proportion being used to pay for management and administration costs."