Job fears as last single sex council-run schools set to merge

Plans to close and merge the last two mainstream single sex schools in Wales have left staff fearing for their jobs. A ballot for industrial action at Lewis Girls School in Caerphilly is opening in a dispute over potential redundancies, lack of consultation and workload.

Pupils from Lewis Girls School in Ystrad Mynach would move to the site of the boys’ school in Pengam under Caerphilly Council plans. A final decision will be made by cabinet members on December 11 But the move has alarmed teachers who fear jobs will go. They say there has been a lack of consultation.

The Nasuwt teaching union said it would fight any compulsory redundancies as the ballot for possible industrial action opens for its 35 members at Lewis Girls.Nasuwt national executive member Mark Morris said: “The dispute is about workload and the potential for job loss if the council give the approval for the merger of the Boys and Girls School.” For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter

He added: “Members were concerned that the questions they raised over how this would work could not be answered. Our position is that the ballot will be there to ensure that there is no compulsory job loss in the process.”

A Caerphilly Council spokesperson said: “The council continues to support pupils and staff from both school communities as we consider the future of Lewis Girls School and Lewis School Pengam. We appreciate that the proposal may cause some concern and uncertainty as we progress through the statutory decision-making process, but we believe the plan, if agreed, will deliver significant positive outcomes in the future.

“We are keeping staff informed and engaged and will also continue to work with the trade unions in order to address any issues they may identify during this process.”

A “special board of experts” considered options for the future of single-sex education, addressing surplus places, and cutting the number of secondaries in the Upper Rhymney Valley from four to three. Lewis Girls School and Lewis School Pengam share the same catchment areas with many families having children at both schools and last year 38% of spaces were surplus at Lewis Girls and 41.84% at Lewis School.

If agreed pupils from both sites would be moved to Lewis School Pengam while the Lewis Girls School site would be kept to manage the transition over a number of years.

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