Two rural primary schools set to close after council approval

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

Two rural primary schools will close after a county council’s cabinet voted this week to approve proposals.

Cabinet members backed both closures by eight votes to one, with only Cllr Dilwyn Roberts opposing the decisions.

Both schools currently have 14 pupils, and the proposals followed a public consultation which ran from November 28, 2025, to January 9, 2026.

The proposals had previously been considered by the council’s education and skills overview and scrutiny committee, which did not support the closures.

Discussing Ysgol Betws y Coed, leader Cllr Julie Fallon said the school had capacity for around 100 pupils but was expected to have just 13 pupils by September, equating to around 10% of places.

The leader explained many local families had chosen to send their children to other schools, particularly Ysgol Bro Gwydir in Llanrwst.

Cllr Fallon claimed the Betws y Coed school was the most expensive in Conwy and the second most expensive in Wales, with an average cost of around £21,000 per pupil compared to just over £5,000 across the county.

“Unfortunately, we are just in the position where we have to look at the provision we have for education,” she said.

“We have to look at the footprint we need to make our schools sustainable and it is hard to justify, incredibly hard in fact to justify, the second most expensive school in the whole of Wales.”

Cllr Fallon added it was “sad” but said there were other larger Welsh language schools within three and four miles of Betws y Coed.

During the meeting, Cllr Liz Roberts suggested the Betws y Coed site could be retained for another use if the school closed, citing growing demand for children with additional learning needs.

Area school

At last week’s scrutiny committee, Cllr Roberts proposed the school could be used as an “area school”.

But at the cabinet meeting, Plaid Cymru backbencher Cllr Roberts pointed to many Conwy schools not being able to cope with an increase in the rise of children with complex additional learning needs, citing limited training and a shortage of trained staff, and delays in accessing support.

She said: “My concern is that this school site, with some creative thinking, could be adapted to support the delivery of services that could support the county in the delivery of support for children with additional learning needs, therefore not losing the school site.”

The consultation on both schools generated opposition to the plans, with concerns raised about rural sustainability, the Welsh language, transport, well-being, and the impact on local communities.

A petition containing more than 900 signatures opposing the closure of Ysgol Betws y Coed was also submitted to the council.

Estyn previously said there appeared to be “minimal evidence” that the council had sufficiently considered the impact on pupils’ learning and wellbeing, although it acknowledged the authority had provided a rationale based on low pupil numbers, surplus places, and financial pressures.