School with just seven pupils could see closure a step nearer
A school near Oswestry which has fought the threat of closure for more than a decade could finally lose it battle next week.
Llangedwyn Church in Wales School, which has just seven pupils on roll, could close if a recommendation to Powys County Council's cabinet is approved. A decade ago it has almost 50 pupils.
The council, which is proposing to close Llangedwyn School, carried out a six-week consultation between October and November 2023.
The findings of the consultation will be considered by the cabinet on Tuesday. .
If it decides to continue with the process to close the school, the council will publish a statutory notice formally proposing the change. It would then be required to consider another report to conclude the process.
The school is federated with Llanfechain School, and the Dwy Afon Federation governing body says it is deeply disappointed to hear the news.
Chair of governors Chris Richards said: "Llangedwyn School has served the local community for nearly 200 years and has an enviable reputation for providing a caring and nurturing environment for the children it has cared for over the years.
"Many in the community will know that the school has been under constant threat of closure for over a decade. This has created real uncertainty for parents thinking of bring their children to us.
"Alongside this, the new schools funding formula introduced in recent years has moved from funding schools by the classroom to funding per pupil. This policy is very damaging to small schools.
"This combination of the long-term uncertainty over the future of the school and the rapidly diminishing funding has created a situation where it is not possible for the governors to continue to believe that the school is sustainable."
Mr Richards said that there had been a great deal of support for the school
However he said that with the continuous threat of closure hanging over it, parents had said they wanted their children to start and finish at the same school.
Mr Richards said that many of the governors had been associated with the school for decades and had collectively done everything they could could over the years to save Llangedwyn.
"The reality is that small schools throughout Powys are under threat and that many more will face what we are facing," he said.
"We are determined to secure the best possible outcomes for the children in the school and we have urged Powys County Council to put measures in place to ensure this.
"This is a sad time for the school and the community, we believe that if the decision is made to close our wonderful school that we should spend the time we have left celebrating its amazing legacy."
Councillor Pete Roberts, the council's cabinet member for a Learning Powys, said: “The council would like to thank all those who took part in the consultation exercise for this proposal.
“After carefully considering all the consultations responses, the recommendation that cabinet will be considering is to continue with the proposal by publishing the statutory notice formally proposing the closure of Llangedwyn Church in Wales School.
“The proposal would address the issue of low numbers at Llangedwyn Church in Wales Primary School and it would increase pupil numbers at Llanfechain Church in Wales School."
