Smallest school in Powys to close despite calls to develop Welsh language education

Elgan Hearn Local Democracy Reporter

Senior councillors have voted to go ahead with the closure of the smallest school in Powys despite calls to retain it as a Welsh medium school that could attract pupils from nearby Oswestry in Shropshire.

A meeting of the Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet restarted on Friday, February 21, to decide the fate of 25 pupil school Ysgol Bro Cynllaith in Llansilin

On Tuesday, February 18 members of the Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet received a report on the consultation held on proposals to close Ysgol Bro Cynllaith in Llansilin near Oswestry.

But the item was deferred due to technical problems with the Welsh language translation equipment.

The consultation had been held between October 3, and November 24.

Comments received were overwhelmingly against the closure.

Opposition

Despite this, education officers had recommended that that Cabinet receive the consultation report and press ahead with the legal process which would see school close at the end of August.

In the reconvened meeting Plaid Cymru’s Cllr Bryn Davies joined forces with his brother, Cllr Aled Davies, leader of the Conservative group and local councillor for Llansilin to oppose the scheme.

Cllr Bryn Davies said: “I have two concerns about this proposal, the Tanat Valley will have two primary schools that are within two and a half miles of each other and that is difficult to justify in the long term.

“And secondly, while the western end of the valley will be served well, the eastern end will be deprived of schools.

“Bro Cynllaith is in the perfect spot to serve the eastern end (of the Tanat Valley)  and the Oswestry area where there is an increasing call for children to be educated and immersed in the Welsh language and culture.”

Cymraeg

Cllr Aled Davies said: “It’s important to keep the school so that Welsh language education can be developed in the area.”

He stressed that the risk of children leaving the area to attend primary schools in the Oswestry area had not been properly addressed in the process.

“My ambition is that the children of the Llansilin area are retained within the Welsh education system, so they become part of a Welsh community,” said Cllr (Aled) Davies.

Cabinet member for a safer Powys Liberal Democrat Cllr Richard Church said there had been “quite a lot” of talk about keeping the school as a “classroom in the countryside” operated by Llanfyllin all through school.

Cllr Church asked if anyone from Llanfyllin school had responded in the consultation about this idea?

Head of transforming education  Marianne Evans said that Llanfyllin had not made any comments.

Cllr (Aled) Davies interjected and said that he had spoken with the headteacher who would be “more than happy” to go ahead with that proposal.

Deputy council leader Labour’s Cllr Matthew Dorrance who was chairing the meeting said: “We have to rely on official and not third party responses.”

Cabinet then moved to a vote and supported the proposal to continue the legal process to close the school.

The next stage will see a 28-day period for people to object to the decision.

A report on the objections will then come before the cabinet for a further decision.