Surplus School Places.

Wrecsam County Borough Council is in a somewhat fortunate position compared to other authorities in having very few surplus school places within the primary sector with figures for admission to reception classes for September 2010, having been published. These figures show that there were only 1.6% surplus places this year. There were 1630 successful applications against an admission number of 1656. Of the 57 Primary schools in the County Borough, nearly half (26) were either full or oversubscribed with Ysgol Plas Coch (WME) with an admission number of 27 actually admitting 66 children being the most oversubscribed; hence the need for a new Welsh School in Gwersyllt.

Opponents of the new Welsh School in Gwersyllt argue that opening a new Welsh School will create surplus places in the existing English Medium Schools and may lead to closure. The six schools that may be affected are:
1. Ysgol Plas Coch (37)
2. Ysgol Rhosddu +1
3. Ysgol Wat's Dyke (4)
4. Gwersyllt CP +7
5. Ysgol Heulfan (2)
6. Llay Park (4)
*Surplus places +, oversubscription ().

In those 6 schools there were 244 admission places in Reception class for September 2010 but 285 children were admitted; and even without the 37 extra children in Plas Coch the other 5 English Medium Schools would still be oversubscribed.

The new Welsh school will be a single form entry of a total of 210 pupils with a maximum of 30 pupils per year which still would not cater for the total number of over subscribed for Plas Coch (37).

The demography changes and the increase in pupil numbers in the County Borough is more likely to require the opening of a new English Medium Primary school than the closure of one because of a new Welsh school; the surplus places argument is flawed!