Education, Youth & Culture Overview & Scrutiny Committee

The Education, Youth and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee is asked to consider two proposals from the Council's school modernisation programme. One would close Saltney Ferry and Saltney Wood Memorial primary schools and open a single 3-11 school. The other would close St Anthony's Catholic Primary School and merge three other Catholic schools into one 3-18 school. No minute has been published, so this summary sets out what is proposed, not what was decided.

1. Merging two Saltney primary schools into one new 3-11 school

   Proposed

   The report recommends that the committee review the consultation report and give its comments to the Cabinet Member. The proposal is to close both schools and open one 3-11 community school with 315 full-time places, on the two current sites until a new building is ready.

   Why

   The Council says the two schools had 182 empty places in January 2026 (40%), and that empty places divert money from teaching. It also says the proposal would draw on Welsh Government capital funding through the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. Estyn said the proposal is likely to at least maintain standards, but said it did not clearly set out what would happen if funding was not secured or how large the ongoing savings would be. The consultation ran from 16 June to 29 July 2026 and received 221 responses, 217 of them online.

   Based on the minutes, Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme - Proposal to Modernise English Medium Primary Education Provision for Saltney, Enc. 1, Enc. 2, Enc. 3

2. Closing one Catholic school and merging three into a 3-18 school

   Proposed

   The report recommends that the committee review the consultation report and give its comments to the Cabinet Member. The proposal is to close St Anthony's Catholic Primary School in Saltney by August 2027, and to merge St David's, St Mary's and St Richard Gwyn into one 3-18 Catholic school from September 2027, using their three current sites until a new building is ready, expected around September 2030.

   Why

   Estyn said the proposal is likely to at least maintain standards, but said it did not explain how a staffing saving of £209,000 a year would be achieved, and that many St David's pupils would lose free transport. The first statutory process ended without a decision in 2025 after a late legal challenge, so a new consultation ran from 16 June to 29 July 2026 and received 2,813 submissions.

   Based on the minutes, Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme - Proposal to Modernise the Roman Catholic School Estate, Enc. 1, Enc. 2, Enc. 3

Written by AI from the reports on the agenda, before the minutes are published. Reports say what council officers recommend; the meeting can decide differently. Once the minutes are out, this becomes a summary of what was decided.

1. 2

   Declarations of Interest (Including Whipping Declarations)

2. 3

   Urgent Matters as Agreed by the Chair

3. 4

   Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme - Proposal to Modernise English Medium Primary Education Provision for Saltney

   Part of an issue followed across 2 meetings

   Papers: Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme - Proposal to Modernise English Medium Primary Education Provision for Saltney, Enc. 1, Enc. 2, Enc. 3
4. 5

   Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme - Proposal to Modernise the Roman Catholic School Estate

   Papers: Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme - Proposal to Modernise the Roman Catholic School Estate, Enc. 1, Enc. 2, Enc. 3

Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.

Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.

• Gina Maddison, Vice-ChairLabourSent apologies and a substitute
• Adele Davies-Cooke, ObserverConservativeIn attendance
• Allan Marshall, Committee MemberIndependentPresent
• Andrew Parkhurst, ReserveLiberal DemocratPresent as a substitute
• Ant Turton, ObserverIndependentIn attendance
• Bill Crease, Committee MemberIndependentPresent
• Carol Ellis, ObserverTrue IndependentsIn attendance
• Carolyn Preece, Committee MemberFlintshire People's VoicePresent