Over 1,500 people respond to Flintshire Council survey on future of education in Broughton and Saltney

More than 1,500 people have actively participated in a survey to shape the future of education in Broughton and Saltney.

This initiative, undertaken by Flintshire County Council, aimed to understand community perspectives and guide educational development in the area.

Survey Details and Response Running from 6 June to 3 July 2023, the survey presented respondents with seven potential options for educational reform, ranging from maintaining the status quo to constructing new educational facilities.

The survey also saw significant engagement from local pupils, ensuring that the voices of those directly affected by the changes were heard.

The options presented in the survey included:

1. Do nothing – schools in Broughton and Saltney to remain as they are.
2. Do the minimum to remove a backlog of maintenance issues.
3. Refurbish and extend existing facilities (where possible).
4. Build a 3-16 campus to accommodate St David’s High School and a merged Saltney Ferry CP and Saltney Wood Memorial School.
5. Build a 3-16 all-through school.
6. Build a new 11-16 Secondary School St David’s High School on the Bretton site and build a new 3-11 Primary School on the old site of St David’s High School.
7. Close St David’s High School.

According to the council survey results, there was a clear community desire for change.

The majority strongly opposed the first option of maintaining the current state of schools.

Option 6, suggesting the construction of a new 11-16 Secondary School at St David’s High School on the Bretton site and a new 3-11 Primary School on the old site of St David’s High School, was the most favoured in terms of the number of ‘strongly agree’ responses (383), however, 205 people also strongly disagree.

Option 3, involving the refurbishment and extension of existing facilities, was the most favoured overall, with significant support from respondents.

Conversely, option 7, which proposed the closure of St David’s High School, received overwhelming disapproval, with a vast majority strongly disagreeing with this proposal.

Respondents identified the building conditions and standards of facilities as their primary concerns regarding current educational infrastructure.

This feedback highlights a pressing need for improvements in the physical environment of the schools.

Council’s Commitment to Education Councillor Mared Eastwood, Cabinet member for Education, expressed gratitude to those who participated in the survey.

Cllr Eastwood said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in the early engagement survey. The overall response has been positive, but there is a general consensus in the community that there needs to be change and that investment is desired.”

“Flintshire County Council is committed to providing high-quality teaching and opportunities for students. We are working towards a plan that delivers a new strategy for education in the area which is sustainable and affordable.”

The results of the survey are set to be discussed by the Cabinet in the coming months, marking a crucial step in determining the future of educational provision in Broughton and Saltney.