The future of Catholic education in Wales could be jeopardised by the ending of subsidised transport for pupils at faith schools, the head teacher of a church secondary school said this week.
Eugene Scourfield, head of St Joseph’s Comprehensive School in Port Talbot, said the decision last week by Swansea Council to stop funding free buses would have a “massive impact” on the future of Catholic education in the country.
The local authority with jurisdiction over his own school, Neath Port Talbot, agreed to a similar cost-cutting move a year ago, and Mr Scourfield says it has serious long-term implications.
“In the short term, the school has agreed to subsidise transport ourselves, which we can do because the council allows us to buy low-cost places on the buses it is required to run while there are still pupils who were admitted to the school when free transport was available,” said Mr Scourfield, adding: “But in four years’ time those buses will no longer be run, and we will no longer have the option to subsidise.”
Chris Holley, the Catholic Lib Dem opposition leader on Labour-controlled Swansea Council, said he felt angry and upset at the decision.
“I feel we are rolling back hundreds of years with this, because it is picking out a single community,” said Mr Holley. “I accept there have got to be cuts but cuts should be made so they don’t disadvantage one particular group. I can’t believe this is being done in this way. I think some people believe the Catholic Church has got lots of money and can fund its own buses, but that’s not the case.”
He said he found it hard to imagine that another faith community would have been affected in this way, and he pointed out that free transport would be retained for Welsh language schools, adding: “It’s not that Welsh language schools don’t deserve free transport – but the point is, Catholic schools deserve them too.”
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