Cabinet decide to close Llanfihangel Rhydithon primary school

Llanfihangel Rhydithon primary school which has 36 pupils, will close at the end of August, and save Powys County Council £76,000.

The fate of the primary school in an area known as Dolau, which is between Llandrindod Wells and Knighton, was sealed by councillors at a cabinet meeting today.

Following a consultation, the Independent/Conservative cabinet had decided last September to go ahead and close the school.

The cabinet were now looking at the 200-page official objections report.

They also listened to arguments by local county councillor Hywel Lewis as well as Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr James Gibson-Watt against the closure.

Cllr Lewis pointed out that in collaboration with Llanelwedd Church in Wales primary school, Llanfihangel Rhydithon had been going from “strength to strength.”

Cllr Gibson-Watt wanted to see the cabinet “pause and reflect” on the current school reorganisation programme.

Cllr Gibson-Watt said:  “The school is more or less full.

“We’re not talking about educational standards, those are very good, it’s working very successful with another school.

“So, what’s driving the idea of closing this school?

“The truth is because it’s a small school.

“That seems to me to be the overwhelming driver, all small schools would be in line for closure in due course.”

“This will have massive implications and long-term consequence for the county as a whole.”

Cllr Gibson-Watt added that the cabinet had not decided what they wanted to do to the Ysgol Calon Cymru catchment area of Llandrindod Wells and Builth Wells.

“Yet today you’re deciding to close one of its feeder schools, strategically I don’t understand how on earth it fits in,” said Cllr Gibson-Watt.

Education portfolio holder, Cllr Phyl Davies said: “On surplus capacity and there not being any in Dolau, that is correct.

“But not of the catchment.”

He believed that rectifying surplus school spaces across catchment areas was something Estyn had wanted.

Schools’ transformation manager, Marianne Evans said: “The option to federate with Llanelwedd came up in the consultation, it is not legally possible to federate a Church in Wales school and a community primary school.”

“We are looking at potential options for Ysgol Calon Cymru  and have recently finished an informal engagement about the provision.

“Comments have been made why we haven’t included all the primary schools in a formal area review

“We have to look at where the problems are and the highest priority to address.

“That is in fact Ysgol Calon Cymru itself.”

Cllr Hywel Lewis said that Llanfihangel Rhydithon had made it “quite clear” that they were prepared to become a church school to accommodate a federation and had been in touch with the diocese of Swansea and Brecon on that point.

“The process was started but the education department stopped it,” said Cllr Lewis.”

Cabinet voted unanimously in favour of closure.

This means that from September 1, pupils currently attending Llanfihangel Rhydithon C.P. School will have to attend an alternative school.