A meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council this week could spark major changes for schools in the Tenby, Saundersfoot and Kilgetty areas - which could see consideration given to the discontinuation of three longstanding primary schools, and Ysgol Greenhill turned into a ‘campus’ for 3 to 19 age groups.

On the agenda for the meeting at County Hall, Haverfordwest on Friday, December 12, are recommendations of the ‘School Modernisation Working Group’ - and for approval to be given to the Director of Education to commence statutory consultation on specific proposals for school provision for the locality.

At a meeting of Cabinet on November 3, cabinet resolved that the Modernisation Working Group be requested to determine the final preferred outcomes in relation to the Tenby area and that those recommendations be presented to Full Council in December 2025.

As a result of that request the School Modernisation Working Group met on the 5th, the 11th of November and the 3rd of December to determine those final preferred outcomes for the Tenby area and a report that will go before PCC’s councillors this Friday, forms the basis for those recommendations.

The recommendation is as follows, that the Director of Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation on the following...

a) on establishing a new 3-19 school - split site initially, but as part of future SCfL investment to rebuild /extend Greenhill site, or on a new site:

I. with the St David’s Diocese to discontinue Tenby Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and; II. to discontinue Ysgol Greenhill.

b) on establishing a new 3-11 primary school on the Saundersfoot School Site that encompasses the catchment of Saundersfoot and the Catchment of Stepaside and Kilgetty:

I. To discontinue Saundersfoot School and;

II. To discontinue Stepaside school

Focusing on the future of both Tenby VC School, and the town’s secondary school Ysgol Greenhill, the report states: ‘Parental preference in the area shows that most children living in the Tenby Church in Wales VC School catchment attend that school. Tenby VC School serves a catchment area shared with Ysgol Hafan y Môr and St Teilo’s Catholic Primary School, encompassing approximately 340 children in total.

‘Of these, 159 pupils currently attend Tenby VC School, while a significant proportion come from outside the designated catchment. These out-of-catchment pupils are drawn mainly from other Tenby Area school catchments, with some traveling from further afield; notably, 29 pupils come from the Stepaside catchment alone.’

‘The school building, constructed as part of the Band A investment programme, is relatively new and provides a modern, 21st-century learning environment.

‘Overall, the condition of the premises is rated as Grade B, and its suitability for educational purposes is rated as Grade A.

‘However, despite its strong infrastructure, the school has experienced issues with water ingress through the roof, which are currently under investigation and scheduled for remedial action. Cabinet resolved to invite tenders for this work and the development of a decant strategy which will be presented back in January .

‘Although Tenby VC School operates as a faith school, ownership of the building remains with Pembrokeshire County Council’

‘In relation to the proposal for the discontinuation of Tenby VC Church in Wales School, it is anticipated that the school’s catchment area would remain. There is no funding implication on the formula as budget share for a 3 -19 school would have a primary element and secondary element.’

‘Implementing the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Greenhill on other neighbouring schools will have limited effect due to the proposal to establish a 3- 19 school initially on two sites.

‘Any parental preferences can be comfortably accommodated within the creation of a 3 -19 school.’

The report goes on to consider Ysgol Greenhill, stating that the school’s buildings are in ‘poor condition’ and have not benefitted from major capital investment under the Council’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme (formerly the 21st Century Schools Programme).

‘Ysgol Greenhill is a large secondary school in Tenby with a capacity of 1,194 places, but pupil numbers have declined over time, leaving significant surplus capacity—28.5% in 2025, well above the Welsh average of 18%, and forecasts indicate this trend will continue,” states the report.

‘The Estyn inspection in January 2024 highlighted strong leadership, a caring and inclusive ethos, and effective well-being provision, alongside a broad curriculum and positive sixth-form opportunities.

‘However, attendance remains a concern, Welsh language provision is limited, and some teaching lacks sufficient challenge, issues which the school is addressing through its improvement plan.

‘The catchment area covers Tenby and surrounding communities, and while 80.3% of local pupils attend Greenhill and 92.9% of its roll is in-catchment, some families opt for other schools, particularly Welsh-medium settings.

‘The school buildings are in poor condition (Condition Grade C, Suitability Grade B) and have not benefitted from major capital investment, though essential repairs have been made for fire safety and safeguarding.

‘Future proposals to establish a 3–19 school across two sites aim to address surplus places and parental preference without significant disruption. The recommendation does commit the council to future additional borrowing as part of any Sustainable Communities for Learning bid.’

Moving onto Saundersfoot Community Primary School, the report states that pupil population at the school has decreased at an ‘alarming rate’.

‘Saundersfoot Community Primary School has a capacity of 280 places for Reception to Year 6, but pupil numbers have declined significantly over recent years,’ continued the report.

‘In 2019, the school had 256 pupils, leaving just 24 spare places (8.6%).

‘By 2025, enrolment had fallen to 151, creating 146 surplus places—almost half of the school’s capacity (49.2%).

‘Forecasts indicate this trend will continue, with numbers projected to drop to 118 by 2030, resulting in 179 spare places and 63.9% surplus capacity. This sustained decline reflects demographic changes in the area and suggests that the school will operate well below capacity for the foreseeable future, raising important considerations for future planning and resource allocation.’

In relation to the proposal below for the discontinuation of Saundersfoot Primary School, the report states that it is anticipated that the school’s catchment area be increased to include the catchment of Stepaside School.

The report continued: ‘Stepaside Community Primary School has a capacity of 200 places for Reception to Year 6, but pupil numbers have declined steadily over recent years.

‘In 2019, the school had 125 pupils, leaving 75 spare places (37.5%).

‘By 2025, enrolment is projected at 107, creating 101 surplus places—over half of the school’s capacity (50.5%). Forecasts indicate this trend will continue, with numbers expected to fall to 85 by 2030, resulting in 115 spare places and 57.5% surplus capacity.

‘This persistent decline highlights a significant mismatch between supply and demand, raising concerns about long-term sustainability and the efficient use of resources.’

In relation to news on the future of Stepaside School, the proposals set out in the report to PCC, has already sparked concerns amongst the community, with one local labelling it a ‘devastating proposal’ on social media, sharing: “Stepaside school is the heart of this community and we are so lucky to have such a nurturing caring school. We need to be responding as a community.”

County Councillor for the ward of Kilgetty and Begelly, Cllr Alistair Cameron commented on Facebook: “This is very bad news as Stepaside School is an excellent school with a really good review from Estyn.

“I agree that we need to respond to this as a community to save the school.

“I will be supporting keeping the school open at the Council meeting on Friday which is open to the public or can be seen online.

“The main reason to keep school open is education for our local children and it is a really good nurturing school and the staff are excellent.

“However, you cannot even justify its closure on financial grounds because it would cost more to transport the children to Saundersfoot,” he added.