Small school set for decision day over future

A small north Powys primary school could close if a recommendation to Cabinet is approved, the county council has said.

Powys County Council is proposing to close Ysgol Bro Cynllaith in Llansilin and carried out a six-week consultation on the proposal between October and November 2024.

As part of the proposal, Powys-based pupils would transfer to the nearest alternative school in Powys, which, for most, would be Ysgol Gynradd Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant.

The findings of the consultation will be considered by Cabinet on Tuesday, February 18 who will also be asked to continue with the process to close the school, which currently has 25 pupils.

If given the go-ahead, the council will publish a statutory notice formally proposing the change. It would then be required to consider another report to conclude the process.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “The council would like to thank all those who took part in the consultation exercise for this proposal.

“After carefully considering all the consultations responses, the recommendation that Cabinet will be considering is to continue with the proposal by publishing the statutory notice formally proposing the closure of Ysgol Bro Cynllaith.

“We are committed to securing the best possible start for our learners and we believe that our Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys will achieve this.

“As part of the strategy, we need to address the high proportion of small schools in the county, decreasing pupil numbers and the high number of surplus places.

“The historic and projected pupil numbers for Ysgol Bro Cynllaith suggest that numbers are not expected to increase significantly in the future while it is ranked the third highest school in Powys by budget share per pupil.

“The small pupil numbers at the school mean that pupils are taught in whole key stage classes with foundation pupils in one class and older pupils in another. As pupil numbers in each year group are small, it is more difficult to ensure all pupils are appropriately challenged.

“The proposal has not been reached lightly but we believe that it is needed to address the low numbers at the school and reduce the council’s overall surplus capacity in primary schools.

“It will also ensure that pupils are taught in classes with peers of similar ages and attend a larger school which could provide a wider range of educational and extra-curricular activities.”

The consultation findings and report will be considered by the council’s Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday, February 12.

To read the council’s Strategy for Transforming Education 2020-2032 and details of the Transforming Education Programme - Wave 2 (2022 – 2027) visit www.powys.gov.uk/transformingeducation