Rhydfelen law change discussed further
16 Ebrill 2008
Assembly Members will debate a change in the law that could mean that Ysgol Rhydfelen’s name could be retained.
The law would let schools, rather than local authorities, make the final decision on their name. The proposal, to be discussed in the Assembly’s education committee follows the petition presented by school campaigners, to the Assembly’s petitions committee.
Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood, who has helped present the school’s case to the committee, commented:
“I welcome the news that the education committee is to examine the law. The school has fought very hard to keep its name. It is disappointing that the local authority has sought to force the school to change its name and is ignoring the people who have worked hard to support it over the years. It seems that only a change in the law will protect the school against the actions of the Labour-run council.”
Plaid’s Bethan Jenkins, a former Ysgol Rhydfelen pupil and member of the petitions committee, added:
“I hope that the committee can reverse the local authority’s nonsensical decision to get rid of the school’s historic name. It should be kept for future generations. Parents, teachers and pupils from the school are quite right to want to keep the name of their school. We should celebrate it as part of the history of the resurgence of the Welsh language in the south of the country.”
The school was the first Welsh-medium secondary school to established in south Wales in 1962.
Diwedd / Ends
Notes to Editors
For further information contact Colin Nosworthy on 07971 339542
