A COLWYN Bay private school facing tough budget cuts says a restructuring of practices is "not simply cost cutting".
Rydal Penrhos School, on Pwllycrochan Avenue, is reported to be forced to make £833,000 worth of savings due to falling pupil numbers, with classes such Welsh being axed and more than 30 redundancies, including some teachers, on the cards.
But senior staff have confirmed the consultation process is still ongoing, and that education standards will not fall as a result of any cuts.
Headmaster Patrick Lee-Browne said: “Ours is not an isolated incident. It’s not just independent schools, many schools are having to balance very tight budgets - they are just not standing alone like we are.
“The number of redundancies is a worst case scenario. Since I circulated the document to start the consultation process we have had a great deal of agreement with departments, and I am confident the final number of redundancies will be far less than what I originally suggested.”
Mr Lee-Browne explained trimming compulsory lessons, including Welsh and Latin, was “not simply cost cutting”, and that a more co-ordinated curriculum between the junior and preparatory schools was a key part of Rydal Penrhos' strategy to make “an academic program that makes sense”.
He said: “There are proposals to narrow the curriculum but at the same time we are taking care to make sure everything will still be available as an extra curricular activity. Welsh will still be provided in the prep school and available as a GCSE and A-Level as an extra subject.”