Ysgol Bro Caereinion to become Welsh-medium school

Under dramatic education plans, some of which were revealed by MyWelshpool this morning, Ysgol Bro Caereinion is to be phased into a fully Welsh-medium school, starting from 2025.

The ambitious move, which could see three local schools close and others merged, have been revealed by Powys County Council who are under pressure to transform the education provision by the Welsh Government.

The Senedd has strict Welsh speaking targets to meet and it has been confirmed that the Llanfair Cereinion all-age school will alter its language provision so it eventually becomes a Welsh-medium education setting that would “enable all learners to develop their language skills and become fluent in Welsh and English, providing a wealth of opportunities for their future paths”.

The proposed change would be introduced on a phased basis year-by-year, starting with Reception and Year 7 in September 2025.

Additional support would be provided to pupils not yet in the Welsh stream in the form of immersive Welsh language support ‘Trochi’, which the council has successfully delivered in the county.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Securing the best start in life for our young people is the only way that we can build a Stronger, Fairer and Greener Powys. One of the ways we can achieve this is by transforming education.

“These proposals would see the council provide well planned provision for increasing the opportunities for a growing number of children and young people to become fully bilingual, fluent in both Welsh and English while delivering 21st Century facilities that would provide environments where learners and teachers thrive and reach their potential.

“I believe that these proposals meet the aims of the Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys and implement the commitments in our Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, which will enable us to make good progress against our target of increasing the number of pupils being taught through the medium of Welsh.”

The plans will be considered by the council’s Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee on September 20 and by Cabinet on September 26.