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21st Century Schools Band B Programme

Published: 15/11/2019

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet members will be asked to consider and approve a report on revisions to the continuing 21st Century Schools programme when they meet on 19 November.

This ambitious report sets out the reasons for proposed changes to the Council’s submission to Welsh Government for the 21st Century Schools programme.

Flintshire’s second phase “Band B” of the 21st Century Schools Programme has already started with projects at Connah’s Quay High School, Queensferry Campus (Plas Derwen PPRU and Queensferry CP), Ysgol Croes Atti in Flint and Ysgol Brynford but to ensure that the Council will have the best education facilities to meet future needs, there are a number of factors which have led to a review and potential changes to the Council’s original Band B Strategic Ouline Programme (SOP), including:

  • A previous Council decision not to proceed with amalgamation between the primary schools in Lixwm and Brynford.
  • Additional options resulting from availability of detailed technical feasibility studies.
  • Additional external grants from Welsh Government becoming available for the promotion of Welsh medium education and for Childcare.
  • Changing demographics and proposed large scale housing developments indicate that a review of primary and secondary education should be done in the wider areas of Saltney and Broughton to ensure sufficient places in the future.
  • The affordability of the programme overall.

Proceeding with all the proposed projects in the original SOP would need an increase in funding beyond what is currently agreed.  There are two possible solutions to this, either reduce the number of projects which would directly impact on the proposed projects at Flint, Hawarden and Mold Alun High Schools or increase the funding to accommodate all projects.

Flintshire County Council’s Chief Officer for Education and Youth, Claire Homard, said:

“There is compelling evidence to support the option for increased funding.  We know that secondary schools need modernisation to ensure we continue to deliver the curriculum effectively.  In addition to this, we have identified long term that both Hawarden High School and Flint High School may have potential future capacity pressures as a result of possible housing developments in the local area.

“We want to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for our students.  In order to do this, we need to be ambitious and plan for the future and look to larger scale developments where appropriate, particularly where there is evidence of sustained local need.”