High school could lose all pupils from neighbouring county if sixth form is closed

Elgan Hearn Local Democracy Reporter

The closure of a sixth form in the south east of Powys could see fewer pupils cross the border to be educated there from a neighbouring south Wales valleys council.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Children, Young People and Families scrutiny committee on Tuesday, March 17, the question came up on whether Brynmawr Foundation school loses pupils to Crickhowell High School over the border in Powys.

The towns are roughly eight miles from each other and Crickhowell High School is noted as one of the best secondary schools in the whole of Wales.

At the meeting education portfolio holder, Cllr Sue Edmunds had appeared before councillors to justify the cabinet’s decision last month to take Beaufort Hill primary school out of the catchment area for Brynmawr Foundation school.

Cllr Chris Smith (Labour – Beaufort) asked : “Is there a drain on Brynmawr from Crickhowell?”

Cllr Edmunds (Labour – Ebbw Vale South) said: “Actually no.

“Historically there’s been a small number of children that go from Brynmawr to Crickhowell and that still happens.

“But it’s reducing all the time.”

She believed the number of pupils travelling across the county border is “in single figures.”

Cllr Edmunds continued: “So a very small drain.

“My understanding is that Crickhowell is actually in consultation about losing its sixth form.”

She believed that if this happened it would probably “end completely” the movement of pupils from Brynmawr to Crickhowell.

Cllr Edmunds added: “A lot of that comes from Crickhowell having a very good sixth form but Monmouthshire (sic) are changing their policy.”

Crickhowell is actually within Powys council’s boundaries rather than Monmouthshire.

Last year it was revealed that a radical shake-up of post-16 education in Powys is on the horizon and could see all sixth forms in their schools axed.

The preferred way would see a sixth form college set up with one board of governors and management team across two sites in Brecon and Newtown.

A backlash has been seen with a “Save our Sixth Form” campaign already underway in Crickhowell and other schools in the north of Powys joining forces to fight any closure proposals.

From October 1 to November 30, Powys council held an “engagement” exercise and asked people for views on the initial proposals.

Of the 3,739 responses received by Powys council, 168 came from within Blaenau Gwent.

The engagement report said: “These respondents tended to indicate that they or their child/family member studied at Crickhowell High School.”

Next week Powys council’s Liberal Democrat/Labour coalition cabinet will receive an update on the sixth form reorganisation – which shows a change of emphasis.

The updated report explains that the reorganisation will now go deeper and look at the Powys education system from the age of 14 onwards and bring in further education colleges to work more closely with schools.

Powys council has said: “No decision is being sought at this stage regarding future delivery models.”

Final proposals could be agreed in 2028, and this is expected to be a decision for a future administration following the next local authority council elections in May 2027.