News

Welsh-medium school to be split in two

04 Oct 2026 3 minute read

Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur Credit: Google Maps

Lewis Smith Local Democracy Reporter

A Welsh-medium school is set to be split into two separate schools in order to accommodate a “significant increase in pupils” accessing Welsh education.

If taken forward it could eventually see the closure of county’s Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur in Neath Port Talbot in its current form in order to establish two separate Welsh-medium schools in its place.

While currently operating as a single entity the school is set out over two separate campuses, with one based in Sandfields Port Talbot and another in the Swansea Valley village of Ystalyfera.

Altogether, the school has 1,591 pupils with the Ystalyfera campus providing education from nursery to sixth form and the Bro Dur campus providing secondary education for pupils aged 11 to 16.

The proposal to split the sites as part of the council’s Strategic School Improvement Programme was discussed by council officials at an education scrutiny committee on October 1, 2026

A report given to members said the overall improvement programme would “most likely” result in substantial change to education facilities across the borough with the opening of new schools, and closure merger or amalgamation of others .

It said: “When Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur was established over two campuses, it was intended that the school would operate as a single school until such time as pupil numbers across both sites were sufficient to support separate school budgets.

“In light of the significant increase in pupils accessing Welsh-medium education, together with projected future growth, it is anticipated that
both sites will be able to operate independently from September
2028.”

It added: “The proposal would deliver a range of benefits that support the effective, sustainable and long-term development of Welsh-medium education across the County Borough.

“Establishing two separate Welsh-medium schools would provide clearer
and more effective governance arrangements, with each school having
its own governing body, leadership structure, budget and strategic priorities.”

Figures which supported the plans said that learners in year 7-11 at Bro Dur were projected to increase from 522 in 2026, to around 708 in 2031.

They also showed an increase in the overall number of Welsh learners across Neath Port Talbot over the last six years, jumping from 3,422 in 2020, to 3,666 in 2026.

Councillors at the scrutiny meeting were generally supportive of the plans, which officers said would give more capacity for the schools to grow and succeed, while meeting the demand for the Welsh education in the borough.

They will now go to the council’s cabinet on October 21 for a decision on whether or not to go out to consultation.

This came alongside another separate proposal to develop a new 16-place learning support centre for additional learning needs at Llangatwg Community Comprehensive School and another in Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Rhosafan.

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