Council bosses should ditch plans for a shake-up of secondary school education in Powys as it is not viable and will not improve standards of education, it has been claimed.

The comments came at a meeting last night when up to 450 people packed into Newtown High School to have their say on the future of the town’s high school.

Councillor Russell George, from Newtown and an ex-pupil, said he would not back changes as they were not viable.

He said: “I don’t think the economic case for change has been made and the savings identified do not justify the risk of changing our school structure.

“It is imperative we do nothing that harms the present provision. If we are to make changes, there has to be a clear overwhelming case and at the moment it’s marginal.

“Newtown is a high achieving school and this won’t improve standards.”

The consultation forms part of Powys County Council’s plans for a shake-up of secondary and sixth form education in Mid Wales.

The council wants to address falling pupil numbers and financial deficits at the county’s 13 high schools in a bid to save money and improve education.

The meeting heard the school may lose its current sixth form to a post-16 Newtown education hub, which may be run on the school site and at Coleg Powys.

But many parents, teachers, students and governors said there was no need to make changes as the school did not meet any council criteria for concern.

Judith Price, headteacher, said: “We do not have a deficit nor will we have within the next five years.”

Campaigners urged Powys County Council “not to fix what wasn’t broken”.