Primary school closure plans move forward despite overwhelming opposition

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to close two primary schools have taken a step forward despite strong opposition and a plea from a councillor – with Welsh language campaigners labelling public consultations an expensive waste of time that do not change outcomes.

Carmarthenshire Council Cabinet members agreed to publish statutory notices to proceed with the closure of Ysgol Meidrim, north of St Clears, and Ysgol Y Fro, between Carmarthen and Pontyberem.

Cllr Jean Lewis, speaking on behalf of Ysgol Meidrim, said the closing the school would be “closing the door on the future of the community”.

Cllr Glynog Davies, cabinet member for education, said he understood the strength of feeling but concluded that closure was the most appropriate option.

Full council will make any final decision on both schools after considering any further objections.

Ysgol Meidrim and Ysgol Y Fro had been selected for review following a viability assessment. Low pupil numbers, high surplus places, a budget deficit or projected budget deficit, and varied quality of education were among the issues were identified.

A formal consultation on their future was launched following a meeting last November and cabinet heard that 247 of the 260 Ysgol Meidrim responses and 65 of the 71 Ysgol Y Fro responses objected to closure.

Several of the Ysgol Meidrim responses highlighted pupils’ fears around safety, fitting in, and losing a sense of belonging if they were to transfer to a new school.

“Parents described home education not as a preferred option, but as a potential last resort if their children were required to move to a larger or more distant school environment,” said a report before cabinet.

Ysgol Meidrim had 32 pupils at the beginning of 2026 and also 22 young people from the catchment area who attended other schools. Ysgol Y Fro had 15 pupils and 66 young people from the catchment area at other schools.

Cllr Davies said sustainability was a vitally important factor for schools and that it was challenging to give pupils “complete education due to multiple year groups in the same class”.

He said consultation responses had been analysed and addressed in the report, and that he sympathised with people’s concerns.

“I recognise the strength of feeling expressed by many of the responses,” said Cllr Davies. “Having balanced these views, the local authority remains of the view that proceeding (to statutory notice) is the most appropriate option in the long-term interest of learners and the wider school system.”

Cllr Lewis, who represents the Trelech ward and isn’t a cabinet member, said young people were being pushed out of their communities in Wales and that it was not happening by accident. “We are causing this ourselves,” she said.

“When you close a school, it’s not (just) a building, you are closing the door on the future of the community. No young families, no future, no balance. It’s as simple as that.”

Cllr Lewis questioned the level of savings that would be made if the school was to close, given additional home to school transport costs, and said the Meidrim community had worked hard to come up with alternative proposals including creating a community hub and offering early years education provision.

“Today I appeal to you to listen to the community,” said Cllr Lewis. “What you decide today will shape and impact the community for many years to come. Support a small rural school with a huge heart, and be fair.”

Cllr Alun Lenny, as the grandfather of a pupil at Ysgol Llansteffan, which is going to close, said he understood how parents felt. But he referred to the significant number of young people in the Ysgol Meidrim and Ysgol Y Fro catchment areas who were attending other schools, and said a wider issue was Wales’ declining birthrate.

Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen said “nobody wants to have to make these decisions”, while council leader Linda Evans said she’d “lost sleep worrying about this”.

It also emerged at the meeting that a judicial review hearing in respect of Ysgol Meidrim had taken place on May 19 and that a decision was expected shortly.

If the schools are shut in due course by the Plaid-Independent-led council, pupils from Ysgol Meidrim would transfer to Ysgol Griffith Jones or Ysgol Hafodwenog, while pupils from Ysgol Y Fro would transfer to Ysgol Y Dderwen.

Eight cabinet members voted to proceed with statutory notices for both schools and there was one abstention.

“Expensive waste of time”

Following yesterday’s decision by Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet to issue Closure Notices for both Ysgol y Fro and Ysgol Meidrim, Cymdeithas yr Iaith has said that it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that such public consultation exercises are an expensive waste of time and do not change outcomes.

Ffred Ffransis on behalf of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Carmarthenshire said: “Yesterday there was not even a specific motion nor vote individually on the two schools who each have different circumstances and strengths. Instead, generic arguments were used in proposing support for the Officers’ conclusion that there original closure plans should go ahead.

“In the brief discussion which followed, the detailed counter-proposal by Governors of Ysgol Meidrim for an integrated school & community hub was dismissed in a single sentence.

“Producing lengthy reports and even more detailed responses is no substitute for detailed public discussion. Councillors have acted as spectators through the process, relying on internal questioning of officers rather than discussing directly with those being impacted so seriously.”

Closure notices for both schools will be issued in mid-June. There will be a 28-day statutory opportunity to send in Objections to the Closure Notices and a final decision is expected on October 14th in a meeting of the full Council. This, according to Cymdeithas yr Iaith, proposes an opportunity.

Ffred Ffransis added: “The situation can be put right. It is a chance for real democracy – a chance for councillors to lead the way and meet and discuss with those whose lives they intend to seriously disrupt.

“Speed-reading lengthy reports and just “going with the flow” is not the limit of democracy when young lives and communities are to be irrevocably disrupted.”