Flintshire Cabinet to make final call on Catholic super-school plan opposed by thousands
Flintshire Cabinet will make a binding decision on Tuesday on whether to close four Catholic schools and replace them with a single 3-18 super-school in Flint, in a vote that follows more objections than any school consultation in the county’s history.
Cabinet meets at 10am on 10 March at Tŷ Dewi Sant in Ewloe. Members will determine whether to close St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School in Saltney, St David’s Catholic Primary School in Mold, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Flint, and St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School in Flint, all by 31 August 2026, and open a new amalgamated Catholic school from September.
The proposal, developed jointly by Flintshire County Council and the Catholic Diocese of Wrexham, would see a new 3-18 all-through school built on the current shared site of St Mary’s and St Richard Gwyn off Albert Avenue in Flint.
The estimated capital cost is £55m, with Welsh Government covering £46.75m through its Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme.
Flintshire would borrow the remaining £8.25m, though the true cost of that borrowing has been the subject of dispute.
The council’s Cabinet report puts repayment costs at £22.65m over 50 years, while figures cited during the objection period put the figure at £30.9m.
‘Behind every objection is a family’
When the formal objection period closed in December, Liberal Democrat councillor David Coggins Cogan reported the council had received over 4,000 responses during that period alone.
After removing duplicates, the council’s formal count for the objection period stands at 2,372, according to documents published ahead of next weeks meeting.
Cllr Coggins Cogan said that when petition signatures and responses from the earlier consultation period are also included, the total estimated response across all stages stands at more than 9,400, which he said was a record for any Flintshire County Council consultation and more than double the 3,733 responses received during the process to close John Summers High School.
Officers have told Cabinet that volume does not determine the outcome and that each submission has been assessed against statutory criteria.
Claire Smith of the St Anthony’s Action Group said the response had been overwhelming.
“It’s evident from the huge number of objections that the community can see these plans for our children are no good,” she said. “Small schools are an important part of our communities.”
Fellow St Anthony’s Action Group parent Kerry Hunt added: “It shows that our small communities pull together for the sake of our children. They need the nurturing environment of small community schools to thrive in the big world.”
Saltney mum Martina Crocombe said the council needed to start listening. “Behind every one of those objections is a family who cares deeply about their child’s future,” she said. “Our schools aren’t just buildings, they are the heart of our communities.”
St David’s Action Group in Mold said they were “overwhelmed by the public support” and that it was “vital that this voice is heard.”
Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Andrew Parkhurst called the response a rare demonstration of democratic participation. “What is particularly striking is not just the number of responses, but the breadth of people involved,” he said.
“Thousands of residents, even children, have taken the time to engage with the process to let this council know how much they love their schools.”
Cllr Coggins Cogan added: “That is incredible feedback on this council’s proposal to close four community-based schools. It is a record for Flintshire County Council and this strength of feeling must be reflected in the Cabinet’s final determination.”
St Anthony’s: the unresolved question
St Anthony’s in Saltney is the sharpest point of contention going into Tuesday’s meeting.
The Education, Youth and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which last examined the proposal on 13 February, formally asked Cabinet to reconsider the closure date, saying 31 August 2026 was too soon.
The committee said if Cabinet wished to proceed with the closure at all, it should be delayed by a full academic year.
It is the second time scrutiny has pushed back on the plans.
In October last year the committee asked Cabinet not to issue the statutory notice at all, calling instead for an alternative model that would preserve Catholic provision in Saltney and Mold.
Cabinet pressed ahead regardless, triggering a formal call-in.
The committee accepted Cabinet’s subsequent explanation but made clear it did not endorse the decision.
St Anthony’s currently has 47 pupils on roll against a capacity of 152, a surplus of just over 69%.
The council’s own data shows that only one in five pupils at the school are registered with the Diocese of Wrexham as practising Catholics, the lowest proportion of any school involved in the proposal.
Children from St Anthony’s would be directed to Venerable Edward Morgan Catholic Primary School in Shotton.
Estyn’s concern
Estyn, the Welsh schools inspectorate, said during the consultation period it was “unclear what the impact of this proposal is likely to be on the standard of education provision in the area, particularly as one of the schools within the consultation requires significant improvement.”
St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School is currently in the statutory category of In Need of Significant Improvement.
The council said the school has made strong and sustained progress since its last inspection.
Officers and the Diocese remain of the view that amalgamation is in the best interests of pupils in the Catholic network and have recommended Cabinet proceed to implementation.
An additional option before members is to amend St Anthony’s closure date in line with the scrutiny committee’s recommendation.
When the objection period closed in December, Chief Officer for Education and Youth Claire Homard said: “We know these proposals have generated high levels of interest, which reflects the importance of the matter to our communities. We would like to reiterate our thanks to everyone who took the time to share their views and assure them that all comments will be carefully considered.”
Tuesday’s meeting will be streamed live on the council’s website and a recording will be available afterwards at flintshire.public-i.tv.
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