Council shares Welsh language plans for school

Richard Evans Local Democracy Reporter

A council has backed plans to launch a formal public consultation on changing a dual-language primary school into a Welsh-medium one.

The proposal for Ysgol Babanod Llanfairfechan was considered at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting at Conwy County Council’s Coed Pella HQ, where members unanimously supported moving forward with the consultation.

Cabinet Member for Education and Skills Cllr Aaron Wynne proposed that Cabinet back the move. This was seconded by Cllr Mike Priestley.

Council Leader Cllr Julie Fallon said: “This is a really positive step forward, and I’m really proud of the position that we are in as a council that we are moving in this direction. So I’m very happy to support this.”

The plans would see Ysgol Babanod Llanfairfechan progress from its current T2 dual-language status to Category 3 Welsh-medium provision.

According to the council report, the proposals align with the local authority’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP).

The school has gradually increased its Welsh provision since 2008 and has been designated as a T2 dual-language school since September 2022.

The transition to Category 3 status can take up to 10 years.

Ysgol Babanod Llanfairfechan is currently in a soft collaboration and shares a headteacher with Ysgol Pant y Rhedyn, the village’s junior school, which is also a T2 language category school.

The infant school has capacity for 92 full-time pupils and is operating at 90% capacity, with nine unfilled places.

Cllr Wynne previously said the proposal would demonstrate the council’s commitment to its Welsh in Education Strategic Plan and help it work towards increasing the number of children and young people receiving their education through the medium of Welsh.

He also welcomed the consultation as an opportunity to gather feedback from stakeholders and the local community.

The next stage will be a formal public engagement exercise, expected to run until January 2027.

Cabinet is due to review the feedback in March 2027 and decide whether to issue a statutory notice, with a final decision anticipated in July 2027.