A petition calling on Pembrokeshire County Council to keep open a village school, severely damaged in a fire back in 2022, will be debated at a future council meeting after gaining more than 1,000 signatures to date.
At the May meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members backed a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which included statutory consultation with the St David’s Diocese on proposals to discontinue Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School, Ysgol Clydau in Tegryn, and establishing Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School as a 3-11 Community School.
Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space.
A ‘school from school’ has been set up in Jameston Village Hall.
After the May meeting, a general consultation on Manorbier and Ysgol Clydau was backed by councillors in July.
Since then, an e-petition on behalf of Manorbier, on the county council’s own website, has been set up by Rebecca Williams, which has gained 1,063 signatures to date.
If a petition gets 500 signatures, the creator will have an opportunity to debate it at a future full council meeting.
Any petition of more than 100 signatures triggers a debate at one of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees.
The petition, which says closure of the school “will have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of our children, their families and the wider community” states: “The school has been open since 1873. (152years!).
“We would have been celebrating our 150-year anniversary there in January 2023, had it not been for the fire that damaged the building. A fire, we hasten to add, caused through no fault of our own. A fire, which could, if you allow it to, change the future of our children; our staff; our parents; our governors; our community; our church; our heritage and our history. We fully support the Diocesan’s view that the school should be rebuilt.
“We, the undersigned, beseech Pembrokeshire County Council to reconsider its decision to close Manorbier Church in Wales School and instead honour its promise to rebuild the school; prioritise the needs of the community by rebuilding the school; allowing the dedicated staff and families the opportunity to open its doors to everyone once again.”
It added: “We urge you to rebuild our school, as promised; to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the community; listen to our concerns, and work with us to find a solution that supports the needs of our children and families.”
A plea on behalf of Ysgol Clydau, which has a petition of its own attracting 196 signatures to date, was previously made by Cllr Iwan Ward, local member, who said it was “the heart of our society not just a school, it’s family, a community, an anchor for children who deserve the opportunity to grow”.
He added that closure was “a disaster for the future of education locally” and was “not fair and was not moral”.
A petition has also been launched on Ysgol Cilgerran, attracting 20 signatures to date.
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