It's not even once in a generation that pupils get an opportunity to have a new school. This evening, between 5.30 and 7.30 p.m., the current generation got an opportunity for the first time to see plans of their new school buildings for Ysgolion Rhos Street a Phenbarras... which will be available at Glasdir in September 2017. It was a busy two hours.
Denbighshire is catching up with neighbour Conwy in terms of new school buildings. The only real change locally over the last 10 years was the extension to Ysgol Brynhyfryd. Now, though, the new Rhyl High School opened this month. Ysgol Glan Clwyd is under build. The plans for Ysgol Carreg Emlyn (replacing Ysgolion Clocaenog a Chyffylliog) went into the planning process this month. Talks regrading a new school at Llanfair DC (replacing the old one and that at Pentrecelyn) are advanced—subject to potential judicial review from Pentrecelyn parents. The upper Dee valley has a recent new site.
Among all the positivity at Glasdir, there still remains three issues: flooding, catchments and distance... oh and the smell from Clifford Jones.
Distance
This is less of an issue for Welsh-medium Penbarras pupils because that school has a wider catchment. Some of its 200 pupils will need to walk further; others will be nearer. There are still a minority of Rhos Street parents who are less keen on moving lock, stock and barrel across town. One parent concerned about the walk is said to work for Public Health Wales! There's no doubt that Rhos Street's catchment is tighter (to the east of Rhuthun/Ruthin) where there's been a significant amount of new development and it will inevitably mean a higher proportion of parents will need to walk their children to their new school... or, more likely, drive them.
Such parents at Rhos Street are, however, now in the minority. Although Rhos Street School has been on the same site since the 19th century, it's substandard and crammed in. It has a role of just shy of 180 and this might be OK were the site to be on Rhos Street alone. The construction of Penbarras on the same site, which opened in 1982, makes the whole campus very over-crowned. Most parents will be glad of more space. For most parents, when it comes to distance, the allure of a new school facility wins.
Catchments
With two English medium primaries soon to be within a third of a mile of each other, we do not yet know what impact the new build will have on Borthyn. Currently, there are parents who cross the catchments, perhaps because they were educated in one rather the other; perhaps because Borthyn is a church school; or perhaps because Rhos Street has the better reputation. It is inevitable that a new school on the Glasdir site will see an increase in applications. The new Rhos Street will not spell the end of Borthyn, however, because the new school will accommodate only a few extra spaces when compared to the expected future roll at Rhos Street. Indeed, the first call will be from those parents of to-close Ysgol Rhewl. The expected growth at Rhos Street is nevertheless projected to come from the Glasdir housing estate which, alongside Mwrog Street, is the main part of town which sees young families in large numbers.
Flooding
This is a cause of concern for the pupils themselves and for home owners at Glasdir and Y Parc. The fields on which the schools are to be built have occasionally flooded. Local consultants, Waterco, whose engineer stated that he had been modelling the new schools for the last 18 months, believed that the schools would not change the current flood risk and that they might even reduce it. In terms of concrete, building a school on the site was better than 200 houses.
Were the Clwyd to flood to the extent seen in 2012, Waterco felt the river would have no impact on the school, Taking into account the most pessimistic scenario, were a thousand year event causing a 95 per cent blockage at the Mwrog Street flood relief scheme trash gates near Dyffryn Services, water would pool on the schools' fields by the link road. These fields will be designed to act as a reservoir. Anything entering Y Parc as a result would, they say, be no more or less than during a similar flood now. The schools themselves would be about three feet above current ground level to assure against being flooded. Waterco also explained that any flood waters would not impact on Glasdir at all.
The engineer certainly satisfied me. There were those, however, who remained sceptical.
And finally, we can anticipate Rhos Street School keeping its name—for now. It would be odd, though, for this to remain. It would, however, be up to the governors to select a new one.
Distance
This is less of an issue for Welsh-medium Penbarras pupils because that school has a wider catchment. Some of its 200 pupils will need to walk further; others will be nearer. There are still a minority of Rhos Street parents who are less keen on moving lock, stock and barrel across town. One parent concerned about the walk is said to work for Public Health Wales! There's no doubt that Rhos Street's catchment is tighter (to the east of Rhuthun/Ruthin) where there's been a significant amount of new development and it will inevitably mean a higher proportion of parents will need to walk their children to their new school... or, more likely, drive them.
Catchments
Flooding
This is a cause of concern for the pupils themselves and for home owners at Glasdir and Y Parc. The fields on which the schools are to be built have occasionally flooded. Local consultants, Waterco, whose engineer stated that he had been modelling the new schools for the last 18 months, believed that the schools would not change the current flood risk and that they might even reduce it. In terms of concrete, building a school on the site was better than 200 houses.
Were the Clwyd to flood to the extent seen in 2012, Waterco felt the river would have no impact on the school, Taking into account the most pessimistic scenario, were a thousand year event causing a 95 per cent blockage at the Mwrog Street flood relief scheme trash gates near Dyffryn Services, water would pool on the schools' fields by the link road. These fields will be designed to act as a reservoir. Anything entering Y Parc as a result would, they say, be no more or less than during a similar flood now. The schools themselves would be about three feet above current ground level to assure against being flooded. Waterco also explained that any flood waters would not impact on Glasdir at all.
The engineer certainly satisfied me. There were those, however, who remained sceptical.
And finally, we can anticipate Rhos Street School keeping its name—for now. It would be odd, though, for this to remain. It would, however, be up to the governors to select a new one.