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Powys County Times
09-07-2025
- General
- Powys County Times
Llandinam Primary School could close under Powys plans
A Powys primary school could be set for closure after an announcement by the council. Powys County Council is proposing to close Llandinam C.P. School, which currently has 33 pupils. Plans to consult with the public on closing the primary school will be considered by Cabinet later this month. On Tuesday (July 15) Cabinet will consider the plans and will be asked to start the statutory process, which could see the school close from the end of the next school year on August 31 2026. Should the school close, pupils would 'need to transfer to other schools within the wider catchment area'. If Cabinet approve the recommendation to start the statutory process, it is anticipated that consultation will start in September. Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: 'We are committed to securing the best possible start for our learners and we believe that our Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys will achieve this. 'As part of the strategy, we need to address the high proportion of small schools in the county, decreasing pupil numbers and the high number of surplus places. 'The historic and projected pupil numbers for Llandinam C.P. School suggest that the school will remain one of the smallest schools in the county for the foreseeable future. 'It is currently ranked the third highest school in Powys by budget share per pupil – £7,424 per pupil compared to the Powys average of £5,214." Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app The school has already been spared closure once, after a backlash against a previous set of plans in 2013. But Cllr Roberts said that the small class sizes were causing complications to the education of the children as the school. He added: 'The small pupil numbers at the school mean that pupils are taught in whole key stage classes with foundation pupils in one class and older pupils in another. 'As pupil numbers in each year group are very small, it is more challenging to meet the needs of all pupils, and the opportunities for pupils to work with pupils of similar age and ability are more limited. 'The proposal before Cabinet in respect of Llandinam C.P. School has not been reached lightly and has been reached following a light touch review of the wider catchment but we believe that it is needed to address the low numbers at the school and reduce the council's overall surplus capacity in primary schools. 'It will also ensure that pupils are taught in classes with peers of similar ages and attend a larger school which could provide a wider range of educational and extra-curricular activities.'
Powys County Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Powys County Times
Powys primary school set to close despite objections
Objections to the closure of a small primary school in north Powys don't appear to have been enough to save it from closure. After proposing to close Ysgol Bro Cynllaith in Llansilin later this year, Powys Council have said that after hearing objections to the closure its education chief will still be recommending closing the school to Cabinet when it receives the report on June 10. Twenty objections were received by Powys Council during the statutory notice period, having first published a notice formally proposing closing the school in March 2025 Cabinet will receive and consider the objection report and will be asked to approve the proposal to close Ysgol Bro Cynllaith from the 31 August 2025, with pupils to transfer to their nearest schools in Powys Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: 'After carefully considering the objections, I will be recommending to Cabinet that they approve the proposal to close Ysgol Bro Cynllaith. 'We are committed to securing the best possible start for our learners and we believe that our Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys will achieve this. 'As part of the strategy, we need to address the high proportion of small schools in the county, decreasing pupil numbers and the high number of surplus places. 'The historic and projected pupil numbers for Ysgol Bro Cynllaith suggest that numbers are not expected to increase significantly in the future while it is ranked the third highest school in Powys by budget share per pupil. 'The small pupil numbers at the school mean that pupils are taught in whole key stage classes with foundation pupils in one class and older pupils in another. As pupil numbers in each year group are small, it is more difficult to ensure all pupils are appropriately challenged. 'The proposal has not been reached lightly but we believe that it is needed to address the low numbers at the school and reduce the council's overall surplus capacity in primary schools. 'It will also ensure that pupils are taught in classes with peers of similar ages and attend a larger school which could provide a wider range of educational and extra-curricular activities.' News of the school's closure drew objections from members of the community and Powys politicians, with Montgomeryshire MP Steve Witherden saying it ' will be a great loss to the community ' after arguing it should be kept open.
