The PTA of Hermon School had a special meeting to discuss the proposed
plans. Various options have been put forward and
discussed including:-
Complete closure of Hermon and Blaenffos schools and a new area
school to be built at Crymych.
This would remove a very important focal point for the community,
many parents even choosing to move to the area in order to send their
children to a local small, community school.
Quite a few children enjoy time in "the park", the play
area alongside the school which would be denied them if they were at
Crymych.
Many parents would try and send their children to another "small
school" rather than Crymych which would have over 100 pupils by
then.
Plans were drawn up in 1969 for a new primary school at Crymych due
to open in 1971, this of course never happened and the school seems to
have been neglected ever since, short on maintenance and adding
portacabins to give extra room. A modest new school would seem to be in
order but not at the expense of closing a very popular school at Hermon.
One of the only factors put forward to back up the closure is the
distance of Hermon school to Crymych which is 1.8 miles. This distance
is quite small in a car but for children on a busy, narrow road with no
walkways, it is a long way. Being a dead straight road, vehicles
including quite a number of lorries, travel at sometimes extremely high
speeds.
Blaenffos closed and Hermon made into an annex of Crymych.
If Hermon was made into an annex of Crymych, most of the control of
the school would be lost. The majority of the PTA would be from Crymych
and the Headmaster and governers at Crymych would have control of
Hermon.
The parents of Hermon are worried that the older children would be
moved to Crymych leaving Hermon with only the very young children.
Fundraising would be more difficult if the money had to help fund the
pupils at Crymych as well. Many of the present activities would be
unlikely to take place.
The teachers would be under the control of Crymych and possibly
subject to being changed round more frequently.
Blaenffos closed and Hermon remaining open independantly of Crymych.
This is the preferred option of the parents, the following points
reinforce this view.
The school is full to capacity and looks like being so for many years
to come, this is based on the present "baby population" and
also the village is expanding, more new houses are being built every
year and there is planning permission for quite a few more.
At present the parents of 15 children from out of the catchment area
send their children to Hermon School. Those parents would not exercise
their "parental preferance" for Hermon without good reason.
If even some of the children from Hermon were taken to Crymych the
already serious traffic chaos would increase significantly. Even if a
bus or buses were provided, which has not been confirmed, the narrow and
busy Hermon to Crymych road would get even more blocked with cars. At
present some 30 cars pick up children from Hermon School and some
children walk home, if they all had to go to Crymych it would mean all
of them being ferried to school. Crymych has the added problem of the
senior school with some 700 pupils next door to the primary school with
94 children. The primary school children leave about ½ hour before
the senior school but many of the buses for the senior school are
already waiting parked outside at this time. Another factor which has
just been brought to our notice is that planning permission has been
given to CCF (Clunderwen Farmers), which is across the road from Crymych
Primary School on the Hermon to Crymych road, for nine dwellings, more
cars!!!
The PTA at Hermon raises a significant amount of money which allows
the children to go on numerous trips, outings and buy equipment. If
Hermon were to close the present PTA would be a minority at Crymych
which raises little money and has few trips or other out of school
activities. In the last year Hermon School has put on a Carol Service
and also all the children were involved in a christmas play at a local
chapel, a packed house!
Plans are well under way for a village hall next to the school at
Hermon. This is being planned as a community complex with rooms which
would be available to the school and a parking area for some 50 cars.