New Welsh medium school expanding

Twm Owen, Local Democracy Reporter

A Welsh medium school that had to delay its opening by 12 months after struggling to attract pupils and a teacher is expanding.

Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy opened in September 2024, which was a year later than originally planned, with 18 pupils and the number is set to increase to 29 when schools return from the summer holidays.

Councillor Tudor Thomas said: “The school had 18 pupils last September and now, this September, will have 29 on roll.

“It’s very much down to the headteacher and her staff who’ve worked so hard and set a high bar for the standards they provide.”

Seedling school

Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy was established as a seedling school, with the intention of it growing by a class every year, at the existing Overmonnow Primary which remains open as an English medium school in Monmouth.

But Cllr Thomas, at Monmouthshire County Council’s July meeting, asked director of education Will McLean that thought be given to its long term location.

The Abergavenny councillor said: “I ask the authority make a decision about where Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy is in the long term.”

He said while the Welsh medium is currently able to operate from one classroom it doesn’t currently have a staff room.

Future locations

Director of education Mr McLean said its future location will be considered as part of plans to address higher than average empty places in local primary schools.

Mr McLean said a meeting was held with local schools and said: “We did commit to work through and understand what the likely solutions could be for both dealing with surplus places and also providing a long term home for Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy.”

He said reports will be brought to council committees and the cabinet during the autumn term.

At the meeting Mr McLean also acknowledged concerns over existing Welsh medium Ysgol y Ffin, in Caldicot, and said it has had a “challenging past year” and the council is supporting it and its new temporary headteacher.

Since the meeting the council has responded to claims, made in an online petition, and confirmed it doesn’t intend closing any schools to deal with surplus places and denied claims Ysgol Trefynwy would replace the current Kymin View Primary in Wyesham.

The council originally intended to open a Welsh medium primary, in Monmouth, in September 2023 despite only three pupils having registered by the deadline but in June that year said it hadn’t been able to appoint a headteacher and took the decision to postpone the opening to September 2024.