Newsletter 4 posted 8th November 09
email addresses for the councillors cut and paste
From Chair of action group Gerald Pearson ; 01341 250773
The residents of Llwyngwril have formed an Action Committee to help the parents and governors of their local school, to continue their fight against the closure of their school. The committee has collected evidence that shows the total amount of savings given by the Council in their proposal is greatly exaggerated by the omission of any cost in securing the safety of children during the transport from their villages to the site of the new area school.
In February 2009 the Council established a working group to consider all matters of school transport in Gwynedd. There were a number of issues established by this committee such as quality of service, timing, cleanliness, lack of shelter for picking up the bus, drivers needed training in peoples skills, clearer guidance on wearing seat belts and training need on risk assessment. The working group were eager to draw the Council’s attention to “the new risk assessment will improve safety. However, the procedure will need to be administrated and respond to the identified risk”. In September 2009 the Council have issued their new policy on school transport. There is no mention whatsoever in their policy of any of the points above on safety. They have however issued a guidance to parents and children relating to their responsibility in these matters. The committee and parents are greatly concerned the Council are ignoring their responsibility to the Duty of Care in the name of cost saving. The proposed route is expected to be along the A493 which we all know locally is a difficult and dangerous road for buses and heavy transport, and has had a number of fatal accidents over the last few years. To ask the children to be transported along this route without adequate safety procedures is unacceptable. The committee has estimated a cost of these procedures, which if implemented, would render the whole exercise of cost saving as proposed by the Council as totally irrelevant.
We will be asking all Councillors whether they would allow their children or grandchildren to travel on Gwynedd’s school buses.If they are not prepared to put their children on Gwynedd school transport then they should not expect that we will.
From Sue Williams Chair of Governing Body Ysgol Llwyngwril; 01341 250703
Throughout the consultation process our representatives had been concerned about the transporting of our children should an area school be built. The Council gave us costings but these were not clear in relation to rising fuel costs, transporting the part time nursery pupils and escorts on buses. It was not until the WAG guidance was brought to my attention that I actually compared it to the Gwynedd Council policy. WAG guidance is more than 20 pages long and Gwynedd’s is less than 2. I was shocked.
Parents need to be aware that Gwynedd do not make reference to many important issues which impact on the safety of our children; type and age of vehicles , checking of drivers ie CRB, training of drivers, provision of escorts, risk assessments, use of seat belts etc.
Therefore in our view they are failing in their duty of care to the children of Gwynedd
We have to presume that Gwynedd have not included these matters when costing out the transport.
And therefore they are failing to properly cost out these proposals which the Councillors will vote on on the 10th December.
Llwyngwril parents have already expressed their concerns re the safety of transporting primary school children and the policy does nothing to allay these. They are particularly concerned with the lack of escort in relation to accidents eg bumped heads on the bus, bullying, upset child, wetting or soiling accidents
Gillian Williams “One of my concerns is that at present if I am not at the school right on time to collect my 5 year old, the teachers will keep him in school until I am able to get there. I live on a farm about half a mile out of Rhoslefain so if (in the future) my 3-4 year old was to go on a bus to and from the area school and my car broke down or something happened and I could not be there at the main road when the bus arrived I am sure the bus driver isn’t going to sit and wait as he will have to keep to a schedule, which leaves my small child alone on a main road. Another concern is if a 3-4 year old from Llwyngwril had to go on the bus and whilst at the area school had an accident or soiled him/herself and was quite distressed and the school contacted it’s mother to collect him/her but the mother could not drive, apart from a bus service every 2 hours, how else could she get to collect her child?
Ifana Banks “ How can parents get to see the teachers? At the moment I can speak to the teacher each day about my children. Will I only see them at parents’ evenings?”
“What happens about after-school activities? My child won’t be able to stay if I have not got a car.”
Nerys Pugh. “I can’t believe that CRB checks are not mentioned in the school transport policy. These drivers must be checked.”
The residents of Llwyngwril have formed an Action Committee to help the parents and governors of their local school, to continue their fight against the closure of their school. The committee has collected evidence that shows the total amount of savings given by the Council in their proposal is greatly exaggerated by the omission of any cost in securing the safety of children during the transport from their villages to the site of the new area school.
In February 2009 the Council established a working group to consider all matters of school transport in Gwynedd. There were a number of issues established by this committee such as quality of service, timing, cleanliness, lack of shelter for picking up the bus, drivers needed training in peoples skills, clearer guidance on wearing seat belts and training need on risk assessment. The working group were eager to draw the Council’s attention to “the new risk assessment will improve safety. However, the procedure will need to be administrated and respond to the identified risk”. In September 2009 the Council have issued their new policy on school transport. There is no mention whatsoever in their policy of any of the points above on safety. They have however issued a guidance to parents and children relating to their responsibility in these matters. The committee and parents are greatly concerned the Council are ignoring their responsibility to the Duty of Care in the name of cost saving. The proposed route is expected to be along the A493 which we all know locally is a difficult and dangerous road for buses and heavy transport, and has had a number of fatal accidents over the last few years. To ask the children to be transported along this route without adequate safety procedures is unacceptable. The committee has estimated a cost of these procedures, which if implemented, would render the whole exercise of cost saving as proposed by the Council as totally irrelevant.
We will be asking all Councillors whether they would allow their children or grandchildren to travel on Gwynedd’s school buses.If they are not prepared to put their children on Gwynedd school transport then they should not expect that we will.
From Sue Williams Chair of Governing Body Ysgol Llwyngwril; 01341 250703
Throughout the consultation process our representatives had been concerned about the transporting of our children should an area school be built. The Council gave us costings but these were not clear in relation to rising fuel costs, transporting the part time nursery pupils and escorts on buses. It was not until the WAG guidance was brought to my attention that I actually compared it to the Gwynedd Council policy. WAG guidance is more than 20 pages long and Gwynedd’s is less than 2. I was shocked.
Parents need to be aware that Gwynedd do not make reference to many important issues which impact on the safety of our children; type and age of vehicles , checking of drivers ie CRB, training of drivers, provision of escorts, risk assessments, use of seat belts etc.
Therefore in our view they are failing in their duty of care to the children of Gwynedd
We have to presume that Gwynedd have not included these matters when costing out the transport.
And therefore they are failing to properly cost out these proposals which the Councillors will vote on on the 10th December.
Llwyngwril parents have already expressed their concerns re the safety of transporting primary school children and the policy does nothing to allay these. They are particularly concerned with the lack of escort in relation to accidents eg bumped heads on the bus, bullying, upset child, wetting or soiling accidents
Gillian Williams “One of my concerns is that at present if I am not at the school right on time to collect my 5 year old, the teachers will keep him in school until I am able to get there. I live on a farm about half a mile out of Rhoslefain so if (in the future) my 3-4 year old was to go on a bus to and from the area school and my car broke down or something happened and I could not be there at the main road when the bus arrived I am sure the bus driver isn’t going to sit and wait as he will have to keep to a schedule, which leaves my small child alone on a main road. Another concern is if a 3-4 year old from Llwyngwril had to go on the bus and whilst at the area school had an accident or soiled him/herself and was quite distressed and the school contacted it’s mother to collect him/her but the mother could not drive, apart from a bus service every 2 hours, how else could she get to collect her child?
Ifana Banks “ How can parents get to see the teachers? At the moment I can speak to the teacher each day about my children. Will I only see them at parents’ evenings?”
“What happens about after-school activities? My child won’t be able to stay if I have not got a car.”
Nerys Pugh. “I can’t believe that CRB checks are not mentioned in the school transport policy. These drivers must be checked.”
Our village, and in particular its children as young as 4 years old are under a serious threat. The threat is to close the village school and transport these young children 6 miles along a dangerous stretch of road on an unsupervised bus. I am sure everyone will be in agreement that we cannot and will not let this happen without protest. This proposed action ultimately affects the whole community and the future of our village. We are very concerned at this outrageous proposal and are fighting it to the bitter end.
Sample letter from parents to councillors. cymraeg and english
Please copy this and email (download and send as an attachment) to send to councillors whose email addresses are below.
Please copy this and email (download and send as an attachment) to send to councillors whose email addresses are below.
links to related documents in this section
Letter sent to Daily Post on 2nd December by Gwilym Roberts,
Darpar Ymgeisydd Cynulliad DWYFOR/MEIRIONNYDD Prospective Assembly Candidate
letter sent to BBC received 7th Dec
Letter reply to newspaper letter received 7th nDec
Darpar Ymgeisydd Cynulliad DWYFOR/MEIRIONNYDD Prospective Assembly Candidate
letter sent to BBC received 7th Dec
Letter reply to newspaper letter received 7th nDec
video highlighting the dangerous route our children will have to take. LINK
I regret to report that we lost the vote on this occasion. However, we may be down but we are definately NOT out. This is just the beginning and there is a long road ahead.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am extremely annoyed and upset by your headline regarding Gwynedd Council’s school proposals. Ysgol Llwyngwril is not doomed and this is exactly the type of misinformed publicity that we, as Governors and campaigners for the school, do not need. A period of statutory consultation with the council will follow in the New Year and we will ensure that our views are correctly represented and that the views or all local people are heard in support of keeping our school open. If statutory closure notices are then published we will make formal written objections. Therefore the matter will have to go to the Welsh Assembly Government for determination. Please let me remind people that this area school requires a site, planning permission from Snowdonia National Park (with whom we will also raise objections) and funding from the Welsh Assembly. None of this is guaranteed. And If Ysgol Llwyngwril pupils choose to send their children to Ysgol Friog, the numbers for an area school will be too low. The fight to keep our school open has only just started. I look forward to the positive publicity you will give our new ESTYN report.
Yours faithfully,
Sue Williams
Chairperson of Governing Body Ysgol Llwyngwril
I am extremely annoyed and upset by your headline regarding Gwynedd Council’s school proposals. Ysgol Llwyngwril is not doomed and this is exactly the type of misinformed publicity that we, as Governors and campaigners for the school, do not need. A period of statutory consultation with the council will follow in the New Year and we will ensure that our views are correctly represented and that the views or all local people are heard in support of keeping our school open. If statutory closure notices are then published we will make formal written objections. Therefore the matter will have to go to the Welsh Assembly Government for determination. Please let me remind people that this area school requires a site, planning permission from Snowdonia National Park (with whom we will also raise objections) and funding from the Welsh Assembly. None of this is guaranteed. And If Ysgol Llwyngwril pupils choose to send their children to Ysgol Friog, the numbers for an area school will be too low. The fight to keep our school open has only just started. I look forward to the positive publicity you will give our new ESTYN report.
Yours faithfully,
Sue Williams
Chairperson of Governing Body Ysgol Llwyngwril
Croeso i Lwyngwril.. Welcome
LATEST updated 20/3/10
An interesting article by Merfyn Benford. click here
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Copyright © 2008 by S.J.W • All Rights reserved • E-Mail: contact@llwyngwril.org.uk
Copyright © 2008 by S.J.W • All Rights reserved • E-Mail: contact@llwyngwril.org.uk
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