CWMCARN ASBESTOS: School to move to Ebbw Vale for a year (From South Wales Argus)

lisann says...
1:11pm Tue 23 Oct 12

Thank you Argus for reporting this, nothing on CCBC website, anyone would think they don't want the public there!!

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sam tyler says...
1:54pm Tue 23 Oct 12

The report which will be considered by the council today is on the CCBC website. The choice facing the council is to transfer the pupils (i.e. integrate them) into other schools (Risca, Pontllanfraith, Newbridge and Oakdale) or relocate the whole school to Ebbw Vale.

The Ebbw Vale option is supported by the governors and management team but would involve substantial travel for pupils and much higher costs for the council (£1.4 million versus approx £0.6 million)

It's a difficult decision!

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lisann says...
2:17pm Tue 23 Oct 12

The question is, would Ebbw Vale be a temporary solution, are they going to re-instate Cwmcarn, as that would be more money again. I for one want the school to stay as one unit but transporting the pupils to Ebbw Vale is just too far! If they are going to re-instate Cwmcarn in the long term why not keep the pupils on site in temporary accommodation ..

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sam tyler says...
2:24pm Tue 23 Oct 12

You need to read the report. Temporary accomodation on site was one of the options considered but rejected.

"The need for further site investigations, the health and safety of pupils, together with
insurance issues effectively rendered this option untenable. The education of CHS pupils for
the next half term would not have been possible either"

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Bailey2012 says...
2:36pm Tue 23 Oct 12

I would lilke to read the report before attending the meeting tonight but I am unable to find it, could someone help. My 3 children all attend the school and I'm not at all happy that the council are looking at intergration into other schools within the area!

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lisann says...
2:38pm Tue 23 Oct 12

Hi Sam, where would I find this report? thanks for the info..

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sam tyler says...
2:42pm Tue 23 Oct 12

It's here:

http://212.219.240.8
2/stellent/groups/pu
blic/documents/repor
ts/045741.pdf

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lisann says...
2:48pm Tue 23 Oct 12

sam tyler wrote:
It's here:

http://212.219.240.8

2/stellent/groups/pu

blic/documents/repor

ts/045741.pdf

Hi, no luck googling it, have you a link, cheers

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sam tyler says...
2:55pm Tue 23 Oct 12

Go to the CCBC website, do a search for "Council Meetings Timetable", when you find it click on "View future council meetings", then click on "Council 23 October 2012" where you will see the agenda for the meeting and the report

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bobmech1 says...
2:56pm Tue 23 Oct 12

If your going to the meeting tonight ask the council about the time Mr Beales took them to the assembly and they were instructed to sort the school buildings out
I was on the governing body when this was going on when my daughter was there 10 years ago
Yet nothing has been done as CBC has had an agenda to close the school and move the children to Risca(with plans to spend money on creating a second storey) or to Newbridge there by negating the need to close those schools

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lisann says...
2:58pm Tue 23 Oct 12

Thanks Sam! much appreciated :)

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alexman1 says...
4:56pm Tue 23 Oct 12

Well my views on what ive heard if Mrs Plepinski (Head Teacher) wants to relocate the school to a different site which most people are saying is the old Ebbw Vale college and provide free transport. I would much rather this than my son go to a complete new school and have to meet new teachers etc. Think of it; if they send these fab kids to a different location they may of already studied half of the work the cwmcarn kids Havant and is really going to impact on their education and future life's and hence why i completely agree with Mrs Plepinskis proposition. This school is by far the best school around and the learners make the learners and staff make the school. The teachers here are not trying to win teacher of the year award there fighting for these kids. There message is the building may close but the school isn't. It would be a real shame for this to happen. Cwmcarn has made history!! Look what they have achieved the school closes down and within 4 school day Mrs Plepinski has the sixth form back onsite, Nearly 45 of the staff are on twitter using it as a resource to get work out their for the students, They are generally thinking of the kids and i think it would sadden them if they lost them because of Caerphilly Council! I hope this is read out in this meeting after (only parts as i've dragged it on abit!!!) but thanks for reading!!!

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TanyaW says...
7:16pm Tue 23 Oct 12

Link to report; http://www.caerphill
y.gov.uk/application
.aspx?s=lKaXE5OFZEqJ
2rzSPcsC+LLo1FhTCct3
CxbAOyr/3BjxhZOV57Ki
1qpD/09TyH8dte3S1NkF
JLIISGohMO18JeWFQK3i
dQ9nLMsdEChXx8EHFJRx
OwwQ15ewoUSLNsmDTKvy
S/+/3jvZqw0upWemf9QJ
RR+38tITz4FNhaR50aM=

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hannah27 says...
7:16pm Tue 23 Oct 12

i think the people saying "more time is going to be spent traveling to and from school than actually learning" should look into a few more perspectives. There are pupils that have traveled to cwmcarn from out of catchment area for years, with the total time of the journeys taking an hour or even more, to get from home to the school. I think the fact that people were willing to put in that travel time shows how good a school cwmcarn really is. the fact that they are keeping all the pupils together is a bonus not just for the pupils but also for the teaching staff that get to keep their jobs. their continued support of your childrens education throughout this has gone above expectations but people seem to dismiss all of this due to the fact that they may have to set alarm clocks a little earlier.

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rlewis says...
8:28pm Tue 23 Oct 12

I am so pleased that they are keeping all the children together. I think it's a great idea to relocate to Ebbw Vale college. I certainly wouldn't want either of my two children going to Risca Comprehensive, which is our catchment area school. I sent my children to Cwmcarn to get a good education, which is exactly what they have been receiving.

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archiethecat says...
8:52pm Tue 23 Oct 12

What is wrong with risca comp then?

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JWG1967 says...
8:55pm Tue 23 Oct 12

Those worried about the travelling need to think of the following
1 the travel will be against the main flow of traffic which will be down the valley
2 many children travel this far to go to faith schools or welsh school. The distance from Rhymney to Fleur de lys is much the same.
3 what assurances will you have that any new school won't have asbestos in its construction ?
4 the school surplus places issue won't go away and what assurances will you have that your children won't end up being affected
5 will you get into the school of your choice - those schools dont have many surplus places for a reason.

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Careful says...
1:33am Wed 24 Oct 12

The route from CHS to EV College is very direct being all A road from Door to Door, and I have done this in a car in around 20 minutes. The College site is just off the roundabout by the Tesco Store.

I think JWG1967's last 3 points are worth noting. A lot of parents choose Cwmcarn High School for the relatively high standard of education that is not always available locally. In many cases Cwmcarn is not necessarily the closest to our front door, but we believe in the strong and effective leadership team, supported by a caring and enthusiastic teaching staff and as a result our children enjoy a stimulating and quality education in the company of like-minded friends and teaching staff.

I purposely made this decision in the best interests of my children's education and will continue to do so as unfortunately we live in an imperfect world where we all have to make compromise decisions, sadly even still today, in fundamental areas such as our children's education.

In our case, and I am sure shared by many others, is that by choosing CHS we currently already compromise on location and convenience in order to secure the relatively high standard of education for our children.

I welcome this decision as it represents the most feasible choice from those tabled to Councillors, in that it keeps the School together as a whole and recognises the priceless value that is generated from protecting what is widely acknowledged as a successful (human) formula for educational achievement in the area.

Anything that keeps that intact for the benefit of our children's future is worth fighting for in my opinion and although they may not appreciate it on day one I am sure mine will agree the extra bit of effort was worth it, when they look back in years to come.

A good result from where we were just over a week ago, but I sense the hard work has only just begun and we must all be constantly vigilant over the next nine months or so.

Long Live Cwmcarn High School!!

The route from CHS to EV College is very direct being all A road from Door to Door, and I have done this in a car in around 20 minutes. The College site is just off the roundabout by the Tesco Store. I think JWG1967's last 3 points are worth noting. A lot of parents choose Cwmcarn High School for the relatively high standard of education that is not always available locally. In many cases Cwmcarn is not necessarily the closest to our front door, but we believe in the strong and effective leadership team, supported by a caring and enthusiastic teaching staff and as a result our children enjoy a stimulating and quality education in the company of like-minded friends and teaching staff. I purposely made this decision in the best interests of my children's education and will continue to do so as unfortunately we live in an imperfect world where we all have to make compromise decisions, sadly even still today, in fundamental areas such as our children's education. In our case, and I am sure shared by many others, is that by choosing CHS we currently already compromise on location and convenience in order to secure the relatively high standard of education for our children. I welcome this decision as it represents the most feasible choice from those tabled to Councillors, in that it keeps the School together as a whole and recognises the priceless value that is generated from protecting what is widely acknowledged as a successful (human) formula for educational achievement in the area. Anything that keeps that intact for the benefit of our children's future is worth fighting for in my opinion and although they may not appreciate it on day one I am sure mine will agree the extra bit of effort was worth it, when they look back in years to come. A good result from where we were just over a week ago, but I sense the hard work has only just begun and we must all be constantly vigilant over the next nine months or so. Long Live Cwmcarn High School!! Careful

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rlewis says...
7:47am Wed 24 Oct 12

archiethecat wrote:
What is wrong with risca comp then?

At Risca comprehensive they have no ability streaming. All abilities are in one class. I'm not in favour of this as the teacher will be gearing the lesson towards either the more able children or less able. If a lesson is levelled at the more able children, the less able are going to struggle. If it's towards the less able, the more able will not be achieving their full potential.

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Bem1978 says...
8:05am Wed 24 Oct 12

The earlier comment insinuating there will be more travelling time than learning time seems a foolish one.

I travelled 35 mins to school and some of my greatest memories of friends and funny incidents are those from the school bus.

I for one feel the right and proper decision was made last night.

What parents now need to know is whether the school of choice is allowed by ccbc to accept the enrolment of next years year 7.

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welshlady88 says...
8:08am Wed 24 Oct 12

I can't help but share my concerns at this decision. I can appreciate the need to keep the children together as one but I'm concerned about letting my year 7 child travel that distance when I don't drive, what would happen if I was called to go get him or he was sent home ill? I would , as any parent would, catch the bus to get the train and then walk, however in this day and age I cannot help but worry about cost implications. I can't believe that when there are school places for all of the children within county that they decide this. Yes I appreciate the comments that there may be reasons why these places aren't full but surely cwmcarn high if you are so good as you keep saying you could bring these places up to scratch too?

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JWG1967 says...
8:21am Wed 24 Oct 12

This is not a specific comment on the school namec above.

In general schools are funded by an amount of money per pupil. It is inevitable that a smaller school will have less money and consequently won't be able to employ more teachers.

This will result in only one subject class teacher and possibly restriction on the availability of less popular subjects at Gcse. Teachers may need to be made redundant or (cheaper) Higher level teaching assistants employed in some subject areas to save money.

School surplus places will have an inevitable consequence on any school irrespective of how well it is financially managed. A secondary school will have an optimum number of pupils which provides the funding for an effective provision of education.

The situation in Cwmcarn may very well leave some parents considering moving their children. In reality their choices will be limited as those schools with the surplus places will need a huge influx of children to attract enough additional funding to make a real difference.

Those will better provision and possibly better standards will inevitably have more pupils. As a result they will not be able to absorb large numbers of extra pupils.

I believe funding per pupil is around an average of £3500 to £4500 in Caerphilly. In order to make a real difference pupil numbers will be required to increase dramatically.

In addition any transfers will only attract a proportion of that funding as we are half way through the academic year, so the full effect will not be seen until next April.

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JWG1967 says...
8:48am Wed 24 Oct 12

welshlady88 wrote:
I can't help but share my concerns at this decision. I can appreciate the need to keep the children together as one but I'm concerned about letting my year 7 child travel that distance when I don't drive, what would happen if I was called to go get him or he was sent home ill? I would , as any parent would, catch the bus to get the train and then walk, however in this day and age I cannot help but worry about cost implications. I can't believe that when there are school places for all of the children within county that they decide this. Yes I appreciate the comments that there may be reasons why these places aren't full but surely cwmcarn high if you are so good as you keep saying you could bring these places up to scratch too?

In response to the poster above. Welsh lady
Unless your child has serious ill health issues then the risk of them needing collection from school between now and next July has to be very low. I'm sure in any case the school will have to get a policy on this issue as I'm sure they will recognise the difficulty parents will have.

Anyone who works outside of the immediate area and sends their children to Cwmcarn have these transport and access issues anyway.

Regarding raising standards in the other schools.

Yes it is possible for a committed (usually new) head and team of staff to raise standards at a school but this takes concerted effort from all staff, some of whom wont agree and inevitably a long time as new practises are adopted and embedded. Under performing staff will need to be identified and dealt with by training or getting rid/ pensioned off etc.

All that takes time - it can and has been done. In a best case scenario it can take a long time. Several academic years possibly.

I don't know about others and I know its totally selfish but I don't want my children in a school thats going to go through this process.

In my view a few months of early mornings won't kill them. Those children won't have a second chance and bad choices now could have a big effect later on.

[quote][p][bold]welshlady88[/bold] wrote: I can't help but share my concerns at this decision. I can appreciate the need to keep the children together as one but I'm concerned about letting my year 7 child travel that distance when I don't drive, what would happen if I was called to go get him or he was sent home ill? I would , as any parent would, catch the bus to get the train and then walk, however in this day and age I cannot help but worry about cost implications. I can't believe that when there are school places for all of the children within county that they decide this. Yes I appreciate the comments that there may be reasons why these places aren't full but surely cwmcarn high if you are so good as you keep saying you could bring these places up to scratch too?[/p][/quote]In response to the poster above. Welsh lady Unless your child has serious ill health issues then the risk of them needing collection from school between now and next July has to be very low. I'm sure in any case the school will have to get a policy on this issue as I'm sure they will recognise the difficulty parents will have. Anyone who works outside of the immediate area and sends their children to Cwmcarn have these transport and access issues anyway. Regarding raising standards in the other schools. Yes it is possible for a committed (usually new) head and team of staff to raise standards at a school but this takes concerted effort from all staff, some of whom wont agree and inevitably a long time as new practises are adopted and embedded. Under performing staff will need to be identified and dealt with by training or getting rid/ pensioned off etc. All that takes time - it can and has been done. In a best case scenario it can take a long time. Several academic years possibly. I don't know about others and I know its totally selfish but I don't want my children in a school thats going to go through this process. In my view a few months of early mornings won't kill them. Those children won't have a second chance and bad choices now could have a big effect later on. JWG1967

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sherrie says...
9:55am Wed 24 Oct 12

I am really happy with this decision and I would just like to thank Mrs Peplinski and all the teachers/staff at Cwmcarn for all the dedication they have put in to keep this school running as best they could over the last couple of weeks and keeping the children together. My daughter and her friends are absolutely delighted with this result!

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proud3 says...
2:14pm Wed 24 Oct 12

rlewis wrote:

archiethecat wrote: What is wrong with risca comp then?
At Risca comprehensive they have no ability streaming. All abilities are in one class. I'm not in favour of this as the teacher will be gearing the lesson towards either the more able children or less able. If a lesson is levelled at the more able children, the less able are going to struggle. If it's towards the less able, the more able will not be achieving their full potential.

My child attends Risca and I can assure you that they do stream from year 8 there. The class sizes average about 25 and therefore she receives a very personalised education. The facilities are excellent as are the extra curricular opportunities. Please visit the School website/School before submitting misleading information.I feel very sorry for the pupils and staff from Cwmcarn, but also relieved that we chose Risca!

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Cwmderi says...
5:04pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Now that Caerphilly council has decided to place nearly all of the pupils of Cwmcarn 'Out of county' and locate them in Blaenau Gwent county borough, will Blaenau Gwent become the Local Education Authority (LEA) and have responsibility for the running and funding of the school, staff, pupils, etc?

What happens to the rules relating to 'Out of catchment' pupils?

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CWMCARN ASBESTOS: School to move to Ebbw Vale for a year (From South Wales Argus)

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CWMCARN ASBESTOS: School to move to Ebbw Vale for a year

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