Cymer Afan Comprehensive School was a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

, located in

Cymmer, Neath Port Talbot Cymmer () is a small village in the community of Cymer and Glyncorrwg, in Neath Port Talbot in Wales, set on a hillside in the Afan Valley near the confluence of the River Afan and the River Corrwg. In 2001, Cymmer had a population of 2,883. ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It offered mixed-sex education to around 200 pupils aged 11–16. In November 2017, plans were announced to close the school. Following two failed court appeals, the school closed in July 2019.

Planned closure and reactions

Background

In November 2017, plans were announced to close Cymer Afan on 31 August 2019. Consultation started on 11 December 2017, ending on 26 January 2018. The reasons for the planned closure included the school's £3m maintenance bill, the high amount of money spent on the school's pupils compared to other schools in the area, and the large gap between the school's capacity of 640 pupils and the 229 on roll. In June 2018, members of

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (or simply Neath Port Talbot Council) is the local authority for the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, one of the 22 Principal areas of Wales, principal areas of Wales. The council was controlled by the ...

voted in support of the school's closure.

Legal action

A community action group of parents was formed to oppose the plans, their legal representative calling the plan "a death sentence for the community". A

judicial review Judicial review is a process under which a government's executive, legislative, or administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. In a judicial review, a court may invalidate laws, acts, or governmental actions that are in ...

was prepared for the group, focusing on the

Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (anaw 2) () is an Act of the National Assembly for Wales that was given royal assent on 29 April 2015; it came into force in April 2016. It set out seven well-being goals: i) a prosperous Wale ...

. The BBC described the group's aims as being "landmark". In December 2018, solicitors representing the group served the council with notice of a judicial review application. The High Court saw the case in March 2019, but dismissed it on the grounds that judicial review was not the appropriate way to enforce the Future Generations Act. A second judge also dismissed the review.

Other responses to the plans

A council report showed 433 written objections from pupils, parents, staff and members of the community, including

Stephen Kinnock Stephen Nathan Kinnock (born 1 January 1970) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberafan Maesteg, formerly Aberavon, since 2015. A member of the Labour Party, he has served as Minister of State for Care since 2 ...

, the MP for

Aberavon Aberavon () is a town and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a district of Por ...

. A petition with 2007 signatures was also received. The school's chair of governors opposed the planned closure, calling it a "devastating blow" to the area. The

National Education Union The National Education Union (NEU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom for school teachers, further education lecturers, education support staff and teaching assistants. It was formed by the amalgamation of the National Union of Teachers ...

criticised the plans, arguing that the council "failed to safeguard the jobs of staff" and "did not adequately consult" the local community. However, council leader Robert Jones stated that he was "100% confident" in their consultation process.

Aftermath

Following the dismissal of the judicial reviews, the school closed in July 2019. A report indicated the presence of

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

within the school, and plans were put before the council to demolish the building. A majority of students transferred to Ysgol Cwm Brombil, a new-build school in

Margam Margam is a suburb and community (Wales), community of Port Talbot in the Wales, Welsh county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, close to junction 39 of the M4 motorway. The community had a population of 3,017 in 2011; the built up area being l ...

References

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1932 Educational institutions disestablished in 2019 1932 establishments in Wales 2019 disestablishments in Wales Defunct schools in Wales Education in the United Kingdom Secondary schools in Neath Port Talbot