New schools planned in Flintshire in education shake-up

Parents, pupils and teachers protested against proposals to close schools last summer

A new high school and primary may be built in Flintshire under revised proposals for restructuring education in the county.

The schools would be built in Holywell, while in Deeside and in Mold, some post-16 education would move.

Original plans for schools in Deeside, Buckley and Mynydd Isa proved unpopular among parents when they were first put forward, leading to a rethink.

Flintshire council plans to consult on the new proposals this autumn.

The changes to schools aims to cut the number of vacant places to reduce building sizes and costs.

On Tuesday, the council's cabinet agreed a plan:

• In Holywell, a new high school would be built as well as a new primary to replace Ysgol Perth y Terfyn and Ysgol y Fron.

• On Deeside, John Summers High School would continue for children aged from three to 16, while Connah's Quay High School would become a hub for post-16 education.

• In the Mold, Buckley and Mynydd Isa area, Elfed High School in Buckley would be reduced in size to 600 places, with parts of the school building given a new community use. Post-16 pupils would move to nearby Mold Alun, which has grown to have one of Wales' biggest sixth forms.

A <link> <caption>report to the cabinet committee</caption> <url href="http://cyfarfodyddpwyllgor.siryfflint.gov.uk/documents/s6634/Cabinet%20for%20School%20Modernisation%20-%20Area%20Reviews.pdf?LLL=undefined" platform="highweb"/> </link> says the changes at Elfed school would "free up space [at Elfed] which could be used for other things not connected to the school like office space".

Part of the school already includes the town's public swimming baths and leisure centre.

The council says it hopes to make a final decision on the plans by the summer of 2013 after the consultation.

School reorganisation plans were first discussed last summer with Flintshire council saying there were three high schools - Holywell, Elfed in Buckley and John Summers in Queensferry - where surplus places were now over 25%.

Initially, options included merging Argoed High, Mynydd, with Elfed High and consolidating Deeside's John Summers High with Connah's Quay High.

But the plans prompted protests from parents and were dropped.