THE Vale of Glamorgan Council has published revised plans to meet the increasing demand for English medium primary school places in Cowbridge.

A previous consultation on proposals to amalgamate Y Bont Faen Primary School and Cowbridge Comprehensive School closed in January with 67 per cent of respondents opposing the proposal.

As a result, the Council has listened to the feedback from parents, teaching staff, governors and local Councillors and revised the proposals.

There is still a need to meet increased demand for primary school places in Cowbridge. However, there was little support for amalgamating Y Bont Faen Primary with Cowbridge Comprehensive School and, having considered the feedback received, another feasible proposal has been identified.

Under the revised proposals, the Council would seek to change the age range of Cowbridge Comprehensive School from 11 - 19 to 3 – 19.

The capacity of Cowbridge Comprehensive school would also be increased to accommodate 210 primary school places, with an additional 48 part-time nursery places available.

And a new primary school building would be constructed on the site of Cowbridge Comprehensive School.

Y Bont Faen Primary school, as a result, would remain on its current site with its existing capacity.

Cllr Lis Burnett, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration, said: "It was clear from responses to the previous consultation that there is an emotive attachment to Y Bont Faen Primary school and its current site.

There are also strong links to the community given its current proximity to Cowbridge town centre and an ambition in the town to promote and maintain sustainable travel.

Therefore, we have listened to the feedback from parents, teachers and the governing body and under the revised proposals Y Bont Faen Primary school would remain as it is.

"Some concerns were raised about the state of the current school building and these will be addressed at a later stage.

"Parents also raised concerns about the affect the previous proposals would have on the teaching staff and ethos of Y Bont Faen Primary School.

"Whilst these concerns were mitigated in the detail provided under the consultation, we hope that the new proposal will be seen as a positive alternative."

The Council will need to undertake a statutory consultation on the new proposals, under the School Organisation Code.

If approved by Cabinet on 9 March, this consultation would run from 16 March until 1 May.