PEMBROKESHIRE County Council will discuss a shake-up of education in Haverfordwest today (Thursday), with the possibility that some primary schools may merge.

A report to the council by the Director for Schools and Children makes two recommendations to councillors to consider for the future of primary education in the county town.

The first is that they move to “discontinue Mount Airey Nursery and Infants School and Haverfordwest Church in Wales VC School and establish a new 3-11 community school using both current school sites and buildings”.

The alternative is to “discontinue Mount Airey Nursery and Infants School, Haverfordwest Church in Wales VC School and Fenton Community Primary School and establish a new 3-11 community school using the schools’ current sites and buildings.”

The report goes on to say that Mount Airey and Haverfordwest VC schools are the only remaining pair of separate 3-7 and 7-11 schools in the county following the Council’s decision in July 2017 to amalgamate The Meads Nursery and Infants School and Milford Haven Junior School.

It describes this break between infant and junior education as an unnecessary transition point.

The report also highlights that pupils are not spread evenly throughout Haverfordwest’s schools, and that the amalgamation of schools might change this.

While Fenton Community School has an expected capacity of 355 pupils it currently has 360 pupils.

The picture is similar for Prendergast Primary School which has an expected capacity of 448 but currently has 457 pupils.

Meanwhile Mount Airey Nursery and Infants School has an expected capacity of 176 but only 121 pupils, and Haverfordwest Church in Wales VC School has 89 pupils within a capacity of 156.

Mary Immaculate School and the new Haverfordwest Welsh Language Primary are not included within the scope of the report as they have catchment areas which extend beyond Haverfordwest.

The council is metting at County Hall today.