Following the announcement of primary school places, we believe that 17 / 47 families have been left in impossible and distressing circumstances after not receiving places at Gilwern Primary. 

The vast majority of these families have children who:

• Live in catchment, many within Gilwern village itself, or have Gilwern as their nearest school. Children living in catchment, only a 0.7 mile walk away have been rejected on grounds of distance.
• Have siblings and / or parents as staff at Gilwern Primary. Working parents are having to work out how to get children to two schools 20 minutes apart.
• Have attended Hopscotch Primary, on the same site as Gilwern Primary.
• Are concerned that the school admissions codes and criteria have not been correctly applied.

Gilwern Primary School is fully supportive of our appeals and would welcome all our children with open arms, should the council enable them to do so.

It seems to us that adequate provision has not been made for our village. With so many children living under a mile away, let alone further afield in the catchment. Seventeen out of forty seven children is not just a few outliers. 

There seems to be a great deal of pressure on our local schools, with those locally being over subscribed. The closure of both Darenfelin and Clydach schools surely had an impact. Parents who were reassured that their feeder school would be Gilwern Primary are now being sent many miles away. The emotional, logistical, financial and environmental impact of this is huge. The still yet to be finished King Henry Super school is not a viable option for many in the village. For this to be prioritised over an established and respected school, in an area growing in population is unacceptable. 

We are also concerned that, regardless of admissions criteria, that these children do not have a place in their local school or with their siblings. They have grown up seeing the older children go into Gilwern Primary, they are familiar with the site. They have formed friendships and bonds with their peers. Parents have formed support networks that are vital to balance family life with work, especially for those of us without family support. None of this can be replicated or replaced if the children are educated outside our community. 

Especially considering the social isolation that accompanied the first few years of these children's lives, it is is vitally important that they remain within the communities they have formed, for their well-being and for that of their families.

This is an issue that will reoccur year after year if support is not given to our community schools. We are hoping that we can show how important this issue is and encourage our local councillors to ensure small, successful schools are supported and communities are listened to. We hope that we can persuade them to allow the extra class that Gilwern Primary is willing and able to accommodate.

Many thanks,

Hopeful Gilwern Parents