Public meeting on Castle Caereinion Primary School future

Parents, teachers, staff and governors of a closure-threatened primary school in Powys are being urged to turn out at a public meeting tomorrow night.

Castle Caereinion Primary School, near Welshpool, said it should not have been placed on Powys County Council's "hit list" because it has more than 30 pupils.

The council announced this month that it would be reviewing 11 primary schools for closure because they had fewer than 30 pupils.

But Huw Jones, headteacher of Castle Caereinion Primary School, said the school, which currently has 38 pupils, had now called on council bosses to remove it from the list.

He said: "The only qualification for inclusion on this list should be that numbers would be falling to below 30.

"The council's projected figures are wrong. We are a viable school, with a clear vision for the future.

"Our numbers are in fact rising at present, and we can demonstrate they will remain significantly above 30 for the foreseeable future."

He said a public meeting would be held at Castle Caereinion Community Centre tomorrow night from 7pm and urged as many people as possible to attend.

Councillor Ann Holloway, from Welshpool, said she would be attending the meeting to pledge her support.