Carmarthenshire Council as the local education authority is preparing to consult on alternatives for Ysgol Heol Goffa. This unique school has now reached a tipping point of over-demand. The school has a very large wait list. This indicates a significant demand for Additional Learning Needs (ALN) education across the region. The council’s recent vote comes on the heels of increased community outcry and protests over the school’s future.
In September, about 300 Llanelli campaigners took to the streets to march for their sixth form. They called on them to reconsider their regrettable decision last year to call off plans for a new Ysgol Heol Goffa building, due to soaring project costs. The protests brought attention to what many saw as a broken promise from the council members to pay for a new police facility. In response to these concerns, the council commissioned an independent review of the ALN provision in Llanelli. We wrapped up that review and published our findings back in February.
The review revealed an alarming increase in the amount of children & young people being diagnosed with p Autism Spectrum Conditions. That’s almost double the size of this increase over the past decade. It also described six possible pathways to improve ALN education in communities. Of those, two proposals specially tailored for Ysgol Heol Goffa are now poised to move on for more detailed consideration.
Glynog Davies, the Plaid Cymru cabinet member for education, confirmed that he would propose to cabinet colleagues the investigation of two viable options: constructing a 150-capacity school on a single site or developing a larger facility for 250 pupils. Both proposals are bigger than the previously shelved proposal. That proposal – one of Britain’s first so-called eco-towns – was eventually made for the former Draka copperworks site in Llanelli.
“Despite huge financial pressures, we are determined to ensure the very best provision for ALN pupils in the Llanelli area, future-proofed for decades to come. I’m asking for more definite costings and, as always, we will engage with Welsh government to ensure funding for the scheme,” – Glynog Davies.
The pitch for these expansion plans clearly identifies the urgent need for Ysgol Heol Goffa. They better equip themselves to meet the anticipated surge in need for special educational services. The action committee is understandably hopeful. They’re confident the council will see the value in the creation of a new school facility.
“The local authority has acknowledged we do need a new school. That’s fantastic. The action committee is really pushing for a 250-pupil school,” – Chairwoman of Ysgol Heol Goffa Action Committee.
She emphasized the importance of long-term planning, stating, “We don’t want to be in this position again in 10 years’ time.”
