More than 400 concerned parents, pupils, governors and teachers attended a crunch consultation meeting over the future of secondary education in Powys.

People packed into Caereinion Leisure Centre, Llanfair Caereinion, yesterday to voice concerns at Powys County Council’s planned changes to secondary and sixth form education.

Proposals for Llanfair Caereinion School form part of the county council’s plans for a shake-up education in Mid Wales.

The council has now held meetings at all 13 secondary schools and Coleg Powys campuses across the county.

Plans which may see sixth forms close have already been approved by councillors. Management could also be streamlined and schools merged.

But Councillor Viola Evans, the town’s county councillor, said the community was immensely proud of the school.

She said: “I would like to see the figures for the shortfall in numbers of pupils and also the funding because our school is doing very well.

“We have extremely talented teachers and they have had this consultation hanging over their heads creating a great worry.

“I am also concerned taking children to other schools by bus will do nothing to reduce our carbon footprint. I need to see good solid facts from the council and will fight to ensure our school stays unaffected as it is.”

Ken Astley, who has a number of grandchildren at the school, said he felt that Welsh Assembly funding was not sufficient in Powys.

He accused Coleg Powys principal Simon Pirotte of “jumping on the bandwagon” to ensure the college had “more bums on seats.”

He said: “The South Wales Assembly Government, as we call it here, has let us down. I think Coleg Powys is jumping on the bandwagon. They used to do vocational stuff very well, but numbers are dwindling.

“They are only getting involved in this because they want more bums on seats when it has little to do with them.”

But Mr Pirotte hit back, saying: “We do want more bums on seats, numbers are dwindling in education overall in Powys.

“But we work hard to ensure the right bum is on the right seat and would not jeopardise anything for that.”

By Andrew Morris