Process approved to start schools closure
The consultation on proposals to close the quartet will begin later this month, with the council saying it wants to ‘reconfigure and rationalise’ the primary school provision in the county as part of its Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys 2020-2030.
The Cabinet today agreed to start the statutory process and consultation on the proposals will start by the end of February.
The schools could close at the end of August 2022, with pupils transferring to their nearest alternative school, if the proposals are approved.
A petition to stop the Churchstoke closure has attracted over 1,000 names in less than a week, with campaigners saying that with more than 100 houses being built or planned in the village, the pupil numbers would grow.
But Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, said: “We are committed to transforming the learner experience and entitlement for our learners and we will achieve this by delivering our Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys 2020-2030.
“Our strategy is ambitious, exciting and we believe it will give our learners the best possible start they deserve. However, as we start to implement it, we will be faced with significant decisions as we look to address some of the challenges facing education in Powys which include the high proportion of small schools in the county, decreasing pupil numbers and the high number of surplus places.
“These proposals have not been reached lightly but we have ensured that the best interest of the learners at these four schools were at the forefront of our discussions and decision-making.
“If these schools were to close, then the learners would be attending schools that would be better equipped to meet the requirements of the new national curriculum and that could provide a wider range of educational and extra-curricular opportunities.
“We will now start formal consultation on the proposals later this month.”
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