Schools closures on the cards on Shropshire/Welsh border
Two primary schools near Llansantffraid could close in two years time.
Powys councillors will meet on Thursday to decided whether to consult on closing Llanfechain and Llangedwyn Church in Wales schools.
Llangedwyn has fought of closure at least twice in the past.
Instead children who go to an extended primary school in Llansantffaid.
Powys Cabinet meeting will be asked to start the statutory process to close the two schools and to develop a business justification case for submission to the Welsh Government for a new extension to Llansantffraid Church in Wales School. They will also be asked to start the statutory process to make a regulated alteration to increase the capacity of the school by 90 places from September 2023 following completion of the new extension.
The two schools could close at the end of August 2023, with pupils transferring to their nearest alternative school, if the proposals are approved.
Councillor Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, said: “We are committed to transforming the learner experience and entitlement for our learners and we will achieve this by delivering our Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys 2020-2030.
“Our strategy is ambitious, exciting and we believe it will give our learners the best possible start they deserve. However, as we start to implement it, we will be faced with significant decisions as we look to address some of the challenges facing education in Powys which include the high proportion of small schools in the county, decreasing pupil numbers and the high number of surplus places.
“These proposals have not been reached lightly but we have ensured that the best interest of the learners at these two schools were at the forefront of our discussions and decision-making.
“If these schools were to close, then the learners would be attending schools that would be better equipped to meet the requirements of the new national curriculum and that could provide a wider range of educational and extra-curricular opportunities.
“I am recommending to Cabinet that we start formal consultation to close these two schools."
He said: “Staff at all our schools have been working in extraordinary circumstances due to the Covid-19 pandemic and I want to pay tribute to their hard work and commitment during this extremely difficult period.
The £170 million transformation of ecducation in the county will also see a new all-age school for Llanfair Caereinion and a major new facility built to service the newly opened all-age Ysgol Llanfyllin.
