Conwy schools shake up - Colwyn Bay Area 1

Jun 17 2010 by Richard Evans, North Wales Weekly News

Ysgol Glan y Mor infants and Pendorlan juniors will merge with Conway Road School for an area school at Glan y Mor and Pendorlan.

Conway Road headteacher Stephanie Cartmel said her children will remain at the West End site next year, but will be integrated with Pendorlan and Glan-y-Mor on Greenfield Road.

She claimed her children would enjoy the best of both worlds in terms of small classroom sizes and greater resources.

“We are in quite a fortunate situation. We’ve got a plan for next year and a staff agreement, and we will be part of a centralisation scheme. Janet Edwards will be stepping up to assistant headteacher. We are going to have a small school able to access a larger school’s resources, but still have a small class size.

“We’ll be able to access to resources including a mini-bus and ITC suites.

“To see us grouped in with schools which are possibly closing is discouraging. The children leave here with excellent attainment, it’s an excellent provision in Colwyn Bay.”

Pendorlan head Mike Mulvaney believes both Glan-y-Mor and Conway Road would benefit from the merger.

“I think the modernisation programme is going to make schools fit for the 21st century and Pendorlan has a plan which involves Conway Road taking effect in September,” he said. “Conway Road will become a federalisation of the schools, led by myself. It is a unique opportunity for the first federalisation in Conwy and a chance to share resources.

“It will benefit children in Colwyn Bay, it will make sure there is a continuity of development at Conway Road.”

Doreen James, headteacher of Ysgol Babanod Glan-y-Mor, also believes Colwyn Bay could benefit by having just one primary school for all children in Colwyn Bay.

She said the merger could make it easier for children to make more friends.

“I think it is a good thing, there are a lot of positives about merging so that there is one through-school in Colwyn Bay that is an LEA school,” she said.

“I think it would be an easier transition for infants to juniors and sharing facilities would be a benefit to both Glan-y-Mor and Pendorlan.”