Claire Archibald MS calls on Welsh Government to protect Church schools and Christian education

Claire Archibald MS has written to the Welsh Government’s Education Minister asking what action will be taken to protect Church schools, Christian education, and parental choice in Wales.

The Reform UK Member of the Senedd for Ceredigion Penfro raised concerns after a number of rural school proposals in west Wales, including Church in Wales schools in Pembrokeshire facing closure or the loss of their Church status.

In Cilgerran, Pembrokeshire County Council has consulted on proposals to discontinue Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and establish it as a 3-11 community school. In Manorbier, the council has also progressed proposals to discontinue Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School.

Claire said these decisions should not be treated as simple administrative changes.

Claire Archibald MS said:

“Christianity has helped shape Wales for generations. It is part of our history, our values, and the life of many of our villages and towns.

“Church schools matter. They give parents the choice of a Christian education for their children, and in rural areas that choice can be lost very easily when a school is closed, reorganised, or stripped of its Church status.

“I fully understand that councils face financial pressures and difficult decisions, but we cannot allow those pressures to quietly erase Christian school provision from rural Wales.

“These are not just technical changes. They affect parental choice, community life, and the future of Christian education in Wales.”

Claire also highlighted wider concerns about rural school closures in Ceredigion, including proposals affecting village schools such as Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, which is a community school on a Church in Wales-owned site.

She said that while each case is different, the pattern across rural Wales is worrying.

Claire added:

“Parents should not be told they have choice on paper when the nearest realistic alternative may be many miles away.

“In rural areas, distance matters. Transport matters. Community matters.

“I have asked the Education Minister to set out what safeguards are in place to protect Church schools, Christian education, rural communities, and parental choice before these decisions are allowed to go ahead.”

In her letter, Claire asked the Welsh Government to confirm what assessment has been made of Church schools closed, discontinued, or proposed for category change in Wales, and whether stronger guidance will be issued to councils considering proposals that affect Church schools.

She has also asked the Minister to meet with affected parents, governors, local representatives, and the relevant dioceses.