Major changes to primary and nursery school education in Penarth have been proposed by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

The changes include merging Bute Cottage Nursery School and Evenlode Primary School and amalgamating Cogan Nursery School and Cogan Primary School.

Bute Cottage Nursery School and Cogan Nursery School are the only two stand-alone nursery schools within the Vale, which are separate entities with their own governing bodies and a delegated budget.

Evenlode Primary School and Cogan Primary School are the only two remaining primary schools in the Vale which do not provide, or have approved plans to provide, nursery provision.

The merges would result in 96 part time nursery places at Evenlode Primary School and 96 part time nursery places at Cogan Primary School.

The nurseries and primary schools would continue to operate on their existing sites, while the staff and governing bodies are amalgamated.

"Over the past 10 years the Council has sought to move towards a primary school model for 3 to 11 years education," said Cllr Lis Burnett, Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration.

"We would want to launch a consultation process, in which all stakeholders are consulted and that is governing bodies, parents, local residents and anybody that wants to comment on the proposals.

"The Council would publish a consultation document, which would provide a comprehensive overview of the proposal, outlining any potential implications."

The headteacher post at Bute Cottage Nursery School has been vacant since the end of August 2019 and is currently being covered through a temporary acting-up arrangement.

This August, the headteacher post at Cogan Nursery School became vacant. It will be covered for one year through a temporary acting-up arrangement with St Andrews Major CIW Primary School.

"This provides the opportunity for the Council to reconfigure nursery provision in a way that benefits pupils and staff whilst also avoiding compulsory redundancies," reads the council report.

Cabinet member for Social Care and Health Cllr Ben Gray said he had already had feedback from the public regarding the proposals.

"I know some residents are concerned about the speed of this and I want to reiterate that this is a consultation that has been announced, not an outcome. I look forward to seeing the responses that we get."

"If people have genuine concerns this is an opportunity to air them," said Vale Council leader Cllr Neil Moore.

"This report covers the case for change, and I urge people to read it. I've seen this working in Cadoxton, I was a governor for many years there and it does make managerial sense too."

Read the full council report here.