News

Plans to consult on closure of primary school dropped after community feedback

27 Sep 2026 2 minute read

Deri Primary School, pictured in July 2025. Credit: Google

Nation.Cymru staff

Plans to consult on the closure of a primary school have been dropped following feedback from parents, governors and the wider community.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet decided on Thursday (September 24) not to proceed with a consultation on the future of Deri Primary School.

The school had faced possible closure from September 2027 because of falling pupil numbers and growing financial pressures.

Its governing body had previously asked the council to consider closure after concluding the school was no longer able to sustain a balanced budget.

However, governors have now written to the council asking for the proposed consultation to be paused until the end of the current financial year.

The council said the school’s financial challenges had not gone away, but governors believed it was appropriate to continue until then before reassessing its position.

There were 57 pupils at Deri Primary when the closure proposals emerged earlier this month, compared with a capacity of 80.

Council forecasts suggested surplus places could reach 33% by January and more than 60% by 2031, with falling birth rates contributing to declining demand for school places across parts of the county borough.

The school’s deficit, previously forecast at £73,000, was expected to grow to more than £250,000 within two years if pupil numbers continued to fall.

The council had said reduced pupil numbers meant a corresponding loss of funding and made it increasingly difficult to maintain staffing levels and deliver education within the school’s budget.

Efforts to improve its financial position had included reducing the number of classes and establishing collaborative arrangements with Aberbargoed Primary.

The potential closure had been described by the council as a last resort.

Feedback

Council leader Cllr Jamie Pritchard said: “We have listened to the feedback from the Governing Body, parents and wider community over recent weeks.

“Therefore, we have decided not to consult on the closure of Deri School as a result of all the feedback received.

“We will work with the governing body of the school to ensure we support the school community and continue our engagement going forward.”

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