Diocese of St Davids calls for fresh consultation over Tenby school proposals
The Diocese of St Davids has formally objected to Pembrokeshire County Council's proposals to close Tenby Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and Ysgol Greenhill School, calling for a fresh consultation that gives equal consideration to retaining Church in Wales education in the town.
In its formal response, the Diocese has raised concerns about the fairness of the consultation process, the potential loss of faith-based education, and the financial implications of establishing a new 3–19 community school.
While supporting the ambition to modernise education in Tenby, the Diocese believes credible alternatives exist that would deliver a new school while preserving Church in Wales provision.
The Diocese has highlighted that the Council's own 121-page consultation document identifies alternative Voluntary Controlled (VC) and Voluntary Aided (VA) models, but gives them comparatively limited consideration.
A spokesperson on behalf of the Diocese of St Davids said:
"We fully support the ambition to provide modern, high-quality education for children and young people in Tenby. However, we strongly believe this can be achieved without sacrificing the Church in Wales education that has been an important part of the town for generations.
"Our objection is not to educational improvement, but to the unnecessary removal of established Church in Wales provision when credible alternatives exist.
"Parents, pupils and the wider community deserve a fair and transparent consultation in which every realistic option is properly explored. We do not believe the current process has achieved that."
The Diocese has also highlighted the potential significant financial advantages of a new Voluntary Aided school, which could attract 85% Welsh Government capital funding compared with the standard 65% rate for a community school.
Based on comparisons with recent school developments, the Diocese estimates the Council's contribution towards a new community school could exceed £22 million, with a Voluntary Aided model potentially reducing the burden on local taxpayers by millions of pounds.
The Diocese has further questioned why the structural problems affecting Tenby VC School, ten years after it opened in 2016, have become a driving factor in proposals that would remove Church in Wales education from the town.