Top Welsh school asks to go under council control as it tackles almost £600,000 deficit

One of Wales' few remaining Foundation Schools says it would be in its best interests to go under council control as it tries to tackle a near £600,000 deficit. Governors of Stanwell School in Penarth - currently a Foundation School running its own budget - are recommending they hand over control to the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

A consultation on the local education authority taking over runs to the end of this month. The changes, if they go ahead, will alter Stanwell School's admission system and the current system of accepting pupils from feeder primary schools would be replaced with having to live within catchment.

The school, which has nearly 2,000 pupils, has an annual budget of more than £9.5m for 2023-24, but ended the 2022-23 financial year with a deficit of nearly £600,000. It received an undisclosed emergency pay out from the Vale of Glamorgan Council to stay afloat while a damning auditor’s report revealed a £283,000 overspend on a new wellbeing centre, poor governance, and budgeting. You can read more about that here

A three-year recovery plan has already led to 17 staff redundancies and subject choices for pupils being cut. In their consultation document on handing control to the council, Stanwell’s governors said it was “in the best interest of school” and would “improve financial management, ensure compliance and support long-term sustainability”. Get the latest education and politics news and analysis by subscribing to our daily Wales Matters newsletter here.

Presenting proposals to change the category from Foundation School to community maintained school from September 2024, governors said the proposal “has transpired due to recent financial and organisational challenges”. If there are objections the final decision will be made by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

The consultation document from governors goees on: “The school’s budget is currently managed by the governing body without oversight from the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Should this proposal come to fruition Stanwell School would benefit from additional specialist financial support on budget management by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

“The school would also benefit from support with cash flow, procurement, and access to Section 106 funds for capital projects. As a community school, responsibility of Stanwell’s buildings would transfer to the council and as a result, capital works identified through condition surveys would be prioritised and maintained from the council’s capital funding and asset renewal programme.”

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How Stanwell School's admissions would change

Stanwell currently runs its own admissions rules as a Foundation School. It currently operates on a feeder school arrangement for entry with Albert, Evenlode, Sully and Victoria primaries being the feeder schools.

This system means pupils living outside the Vale of Glamorgan can access a place in a feeder primary school and then have priority for school places at Stanwell over pupils living in the catchment area or local community who have not got a place in one of Stanwell’s feeder primary schools.

If the school goes under local authority control the council’s policy of residence within a school catchment area would ensure that local children are prioritised for entry to their local school, the consultation says.

In most but not all cases under current feeder school arrangements, children in feeder schools are also resident in Stanwell’s school catchment area. Putting Stanwell under Vale of Glamorgan Council control would “provide a better approach to admissions for those pupils living within the local community”.

Under the proposals the Vale of Glamorgan Council would keep the feeder primary school link for children attending a Stanwell feeder primary school during the academic year 2023/2024. This means all children in reception to year six age would retain their feeder status and be eligible for places at Stanwell, regardless of where they live, until the end of this school year. This means the last children eligible under the feeder system would start secondary in September 2030.

The consultation can be commented on until October 23 and can be viewed here . All responses submitted in writing by that date will be considered by the governing body before it decides whether or not to publish a statutory notice to change status.

If no objections are received the governing body will decide in February 2024 whether or not to change status. If objections are received a decision will be referred to the council’s cabinet in March 2024.

What a Foundation School is and how many there are in Wales

Foundation schools are funded with public money but run their own budgets and admissions rather than the local authority doing so. Foundation schools are funded by their local education authority (via the Welsh Government) but the governors have different responsibilities and accountability than governors of maintained community schools.

Foundation schools were set up by law in 1998 to replace grant-maintained schools, which were funded directly by central government. Grant maintained schools that had been voluntary controlled or community maintained schools were given the option to become foundation schools.

Foundation schools are “maintained schools,” meaning that they are funded by Welsh Government via the local authority, and do not charge fees to students. As with voluntary controlled schools, all capital and revenue costs are met via the local authority. As with voluntary aided schools, the governing body employs the staff and has responsibility for admissions to the school, subject to the rules imposed by the Welsh Government.

In Wales it is no longer possible to establish a new Foundation School or propose to change from another category of school to become a Foundation School.

The following Foundation Schools are listed on the Welsh Government’s Stats Wales 2023 website:

Primary:

Ysgol Gynradd Brynsiencyn

Ysgol Gynradd Llanfairpwll

Ysgol Caergeiliog

Ysgol Pen Y Bryn

Derwen Foundation School

Ysgol Gymraeg Gilfach Fargod

Ysgol Gymraeg Trelyn

Secondary:

Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan

Eirias High School