The final item on this week’s monthly full council meeting was a motion for debate tabled by Cllr. Alex Williams (Ind, Pencoed & Penprysg).
The motion – which can be read in full here – noted several concerns over learner transport and Welsh-medium education which arose over the summer, including:
- The council’s policy of providing free home-school transport for Welsh-medium pupils to the nearest school in the county wasn’t properly implemented in September 2020. This meant that some pupils were awarded free transport in error – an error identified in October 2021.
- Poor communication with parents and guardians of Year 6 pupils moving to Ysgol Gyfun Llangynwyd in June 2022 led them to believe that learners were eligible for free home-school transport only for this to be withdrawn in late August 2022 – a week before the start of the new school year. A similar error was made with pupils attending the Welsh-medium stream at Ysgol Dolau in Llanharan who wanted to attend Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari.
- The practical effect of the council’s learner travel and school admissions policies has led, in some cases, to parents/guardians removing their children from Welsh-medium education.
- Free home-school transport is still available for pupils at the English-medium Abercedin Primary (Evanstown, near Gilfach Goch) to attend out-of-county Tonyrefail Community School. This “actively discriminates against the Welsh language” as pupils attending Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tonyrefail and Ysgol Dolau were denied similar transport to Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari.
- BCBC need to urgently clarify that children attending Ysgol Dolau who live in Bridgend county would not be eligible for free home-school transport to Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari and that when their children move from primary to secondary school, parents/guardians can make an informed choice.
- Future school transport contracts should allow paid places.
Following further discussions between Cllr. Williams and members of the Cabinet, the Cabinet agreed to conduct a review of the council’s learner/home-school transport and school admissions policies.
Any new policy would likely be introduced – at the earliest – in September 2024.
