Stepaside School Plea

A petition plea to save a Pembrokeshire village school under threat of potential closure has been lodged with the county council.

At the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, a call for a breathing space before any decision is made on Stepaside school, Kilgetty, part of a wide-ranging range of education changes mooted in the south of the county, was defeated.

At that meeting, a recommendation before members asked that the Director of Education be authorised to undertake a public consultation on establishing a new 3-19 school, on a split site initially, but as part of a future investment to rebuild/extend Tenby’s Ysgol Greenhill site, or potentially on a new site was backed.

As part of that it also recommended Tenby Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and Ysgol Greenhill are discontinued.

A second part of the series of recommendations was a call to establish a new 3-11 primary school on the Saundersfoot School site, discontinuing Saundersfoot School and Stepaside school.

A report for members said there were many surplus places for all the schools in the proposals, with Stepaside having a surplus capacity of over 50 per cent.

The Tenby area proposals were backed, with amendments, but a call for a deferral on the second part concerning Stepaside was made by local member Cllr Alistair Cameron.

He was backed by neighbouring councillor Alec Cormack, saying the school had only heard of the proposals officially a few days before, and it was “only natural justice to give the school communities the chance of a fair hearing”.

Cllr Cameron’s amendment call for a deferral was defeated by 37 votes to 12, the original proposal was later passed by 42 votes to seven, with the intention public consultations would be held next year.

Since then, an e-petition on the council’s own website, started by Angela Robinson, calls upon Pembrokeshire County Council “to Save Stepaside School and work with local communities to look at alternative solutions”.

“Stepaside School in Kilgetty is the heart of our community. It represents a high-performing local education asset that delivers significant public value. Any proposal to close it must be assessed not only in terms of short-term financial pressures, but against wider statutory duties, long-term social impact, and the strategic use of public funds that invests in our children’s best interest.”

The lengthy petition adds: “The rationale for closure appears primarily financial, yet any credible public spending decision must be based on a holistic assessment of costs, benefits, risks, and outcomes. This includes impacts on carers, children with additional learning needs, families from global majority backgrounds, and those reliant on local support networks.

“Smaller community schools often deliver better early years outcomes and improved wellbeing—factors closely aligned with government policy priorities and associated with reduced long-term public expenditure.

“Furthermore, the financial and carbon costs associated with reviewing, closing, and rebuilding provision are significant. Redirecting such expenditure towards maintaining and enhancing an already excellent school would represent a more efficient and sustainable use of public funds. The additional financial burden on families and impact on quality time  together cannot be undermined with moving outside of our local community.”

The e-Petition runs from December 17 to February 17.

At the December meeting petition pleas to save Manorbier School and Ysgol Clydau, also at threat of potential closure, were heard; members noting those petitions.