Splitting Ysgol Calon Cymru into distinct Welsh and English medium schools will happen as councillors vote to continue the process
Concerns have been raised that Powys education chiefs are putting the cart before the horse by agreeing to uncouple Ysgol Calon Cymru before a new secondary school is built in Llandrindod Wells
Powys County Council’s Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet met on Tuesday, February 24, to receive the objections report into proposals to split Ysgol Calon Cymru into two separate schools.
The Llandrindod Wells campus will become an English medium secondary school, while Builth Wells will become an all-through Welsh medium school.
This would be done in two distinct phases, with the Welsh medium aspect in Builth Wells to start in September 2027, while a new school for Llandrindod Wells would start being built in September 2029 at the “earliest.”
As well as concerns about where Welsh-speaking pupils and teachers for Builth Wells will be found, the other issue is why building a new secondary school in Llandrindod Wells comes second rather than first.
Deputy council leader Cllr Matthew Dorrance (Labour – Brecon West) asked: “It would be helpful if you could set out the technical process and the reasoning behind not building a brand-new secondary school in Llandrindod Wells before we move to a Welsh medium school in Builth Wells.
“We all know the condition of the building in Llandrindod is not acceptable.
“We need to understand why that build is not happening first, because it might seem strange to people looking at us.”
Head of school transformation Marianne Evans said: “In terms of the sequencing, we felt that the immediate pressure was to establish the Welsh medium all-through school as soon as possible.”
She explained that waiting for the new secondary school to be built would risk delays, and the political scene could change in Wales after the Senedd elections in May, which could affect a decision on funding.
Ms Evans said: “We’re not going to put the creation of a Welsh medium school at risk.”
Matthew Curtis, who has been seconded by the Welsh Government to work with Powys’s education department on school transformation, explained that an initial business case for the new build school has already been submitted to the Welsh Government.
Mr Curtis said: “It will be considered by their investment panel next week, and we’re expecting ministerial sign-off before the commencement of the pre-election period by the end of March.
“In anticipation of that decision, we have progressed the work and we have appointed external cost and management support for this project.
“We’ve also begun the procurement process to appoint a contractor to deliver the new build in Llandrindod. We’ve issued the tender, and that process will run until the end of March, and we have multiple contractors interested in bidding for the project.”
Education portfolio holder Cllr James Gibson-Watt (Liberal Democrat – Glasbury) said: “We are making a big judgement call.
“It’s not without risk.
“The risks are understood, and the mechanism by which they can be managed is clear.
“I feel comfortable with that.”
He put the proposal forward to the vote, and cabinet unanimously agreed to carry on with the project.
