Plans to close a village primary school in Wales and use the buildings for a Welsh-speaking school have angered parents.
“The Welsh language lobby is so powerful that what they ask for, they get. Nobody seems to care about the English speakers and the fact that this is our local school,” said Janina Lee, spokeswoman for the parents at Hengwrt primary school, Briton Ferry.
West Glamorgan County Council proposes that the bulk of the 73 children at the school - some may elect to stay and be taught in Welsh - will be bussed to three other primary schools.
Hengwrt would become a Welsh-medium school eventually catering for up to 150 children over a 12-mile radius stretching from Port Talbot in the east to Neath in the west. The council plans to open the new school in August next year.
Helen Butler, county council spokeswoman, said: “We appreciate there are concerns among the parents of pupils at Hengwrt. However, there is an established requirement for Welsh-medium education in West Glamorgan, and this school has been identified as helping to fulfil the requirement.”
Staff at Hengwrt are unsure of their future. Head Gaynor Poor said no one knew what was going to happen, but beyond that she did not wish to comment.
Parents have launched a campaign to save the school. It is argued the roads outside the school are unsuitable for the increased traffic that bussing children to it would bring. There are also fears temporary classrooms may be required at nearby schools that will accommodate the Hengwrt children.
Mrs Lee says the present school could accommodate both the Hengwrt children and the new Welsh- medium school. When a nearby school, Melyn primary, was being rebuilt, its teachers and staff operated easily from the Hengwrt site.
She said: “Our children are to be turned out and farmed out to three other schools. Our children are used to their surroundings in Hengwrt and the parents are very happy with the standard of education provided, and the fact that the pupils can walk safely to the school.
“This is not an area where a lot of Welsh is spoken, and while we do not oppose anyone who wants to have their child educated in Welsh, we do not see why we should have it imposed on our local schools.”
Because more than 10 parents have lodged statutory objections with the Welsh Office it seems certain a public inquiry will be held, with the final decision being taken by the Welsh Secretary, William Hague.
