Letter: Co-education in Barry

I have read with interest as an education professional and then with alarm at the proposals made by the Vale of Glamorgan in their document to transform Secondary Schools in Barry.

Over the years there have been several attempts to provide co-education secondary education in the English medium sector in Barry and all have failed. If it is the will of the people of Barry that the English speaking pupils of secondary age have co-education then that must be done in a way that enhances and improves the education of the pupils.

The consultation document in my opinion is flawed, inaccurate in places and biased. I would like to think that the proposal is not just an easy financial solution for the Vale of Glamorgan for Welsh medium secondary school pupils in the Vale of Glamorgan given that the secondary school will be soon too small at the expense of the educational provision for English speaking secondary school pupils of Barry.

I am amazed that only very recently a new Welsh Medium Primary School for Welsh Medium pupils was built on the Bro Morgannwg site - the Vale of Glamorgan must have known that Bro Morgannwg was reaching its capacity.

Bryn Hafren is an excellent school now, however I know that from 40 years at the school this was not always the case. Betty Smith ably presided over the amalgamation of secondary modern schools in Barry with a grammar school in the town. The school was large but no where near as large as what is now being proposed by the Vale of Glamorgan as their one mixed co-ed comprehensive in the town.

I have to say the school was too big, it was split site and all pupils from that time will be aware of all the difficulties of the merger. Pamela Roberts was then appointed, a superb headteacher and it took her time before the school was as she wanted for the pupils of Barry. I would say two generations of pupils from 1973.

It took time for her to get all pupils on one site. Split sites are an educational disaster. Any pupil caught up in the proposed reorganisation and merger will face disruption in their education with a fall in education attainment.

Funding is clearly not a certainty, throughout the document it states subject to Welsh Government Funding. I have to say the worst case scenario would be that Welsh medium education is resolved in the Vale of Glamorgan and the English medium education is destroyed by lack of funding leaving pupils in a huge split site non purpose built school. How can you move forward unless funding is secure?

I can see no reason why, if the people in Barry want co-ed for it to be a properly planned solution giving Barry pupils in the English medium the best education possible.

I look to Penarth, a smaller town than Barry and see two mixed Comprehensive Schools both doing well. One had huge investment in the days of opting out of local authority control the other has had a state of the art new build. I have to ask the question why is the plan for Barry not two fantastic co-ed schools?

I believe competition to be healthy. The two schools should start with a mixed Year 7 and let both schools grow in that way, Barry pupils in the English medium will have the very best.

I am looking at Option 3. Bro Morgannwg can expand on its present site, Bryn Hafren stay where it is and a new build school on the Waterfront. I cannot accept that one school would be perceived as better that the other due to catchment area and levels of deprivation in one area.

I know of ex-Bryn Hafren pupils who have achieved huge success in their professional lives irrespective of where they have lived in Barry. I would urge parents and residents in Barry to respond to the Vale Consultation Document. I know my preferred option is three or six but it is not my choice, it is the choice of parents and residents of the town I have been privileged to work for in 40 years.

I do know that Bryn Hafren is an excellent school. The education goal posts have changed and I know that under Phil Whicombe's leadership we achieved all that Estyn asked pupils leaving with five good GCSEs and now Estyn want pupils with English and Maths i.e. level 2 plus.

Bryn Hafren is well on its way to reach what Estyn want given all the hard work of the staff and Phil Whitcombe the recently retired head and now Tyrone Davies the present head of Bryn Hafren. It will take the August results of the present Year 11 to show this has been achieved making Bryn Hafren an excellent school.

I have no doubt this will be achieved as pupils and staff have worked extremely hard. It is to the credit of staff and pupils that Saturday lessons have been provided for English and Mathematics.

A recent Estyn inspector said very clearly in October that the green shoots were there for improved results in English and Mathematics with all those departments have in place and green shoots grow into trees. A consortium challenge advisor has said also that he sees no reason with what is in place that GCSE results for level 2 plus can rise to 68 per cent in the foreseeable - such is the capacity within the school.

I would therefore urge all parents and residents of Barry to respond realising that the way forward is not one mixed vast super school - the largest in Wales but either option three or six because English medium pupils in Barry deserve better than is being proposed by the Vale of Glamorgan.

I also find it very concerning that the Vale have taken it upon themselves to take down posters that parents and staff have put up around the town asking parents to chose option three because Barry pupils deserve better and have tried to shut down a website that parents have set up, I thought we lived in a democracy in 2015.

Lesley Olden

Former deputy head

Bryn Hafren Comprehensive School