A short list of possible options for the future structure of Powys' secondary and post 16 education has been identified by Powys County Council.
In June, the county council published an in-depth report outlining the challenges facing the existing secondary and post 16 education as part of the 'school modernisation' initiative.
The strategic case, which was open to wide-ranging public consultation, set out the challenges facing education and identified a number of models for the future management of the county's secondary and post 16 education.
This week, the council's Learning in the Communities Board approved a short list of options for secondary Pre-16 provision and post 16 provision for further detailed research and costing.
Board Member for Schools, Councillor David Jones, from Guilsfield, said: “The authority and our schools are facing serious challenges both now and into the future. A huge amount of work has already been done looking at ways of tackling the problems of falling school rolls, conditions of school buildings, curriculum pressures, changes in legislative requirement and the need to meet Welsh medium provision.
“We have identified a short list of possible options that we believe could form the basis of future plans but need further detailed examination. We have separated the options into pre-16 and post-16 provision and deliberately not identified a ‘preferred option’ at this stage.
The options for further investigation are:
Pre-16 Options
* 7 schools on 13 sites (split sites, streamlined management structures)
* 12 schools (Welsh Medium delivered from 3 sites)
* 6 x 1000 pupil schools, 1 x 600
* 13 schools (Welsh Medium delivered from 3 sites)
Post-16 Options to support the Pre 16 model of delivery
* Existing post 16 structure (for comparison)
* Sixth Form Centres
* Learning Hubs
* Tertiary System
Cllr Jones added: “We hope to identify a preferred option at the next meeting of the programme board in November. That option will be referred to the council's main Board before the council submits its future education plans to Welsh Assembly Government in December.
“Our plans will be the subject to informal consultation with schools, parents, learners and other partners from January through March with feedback going back to the programme board in the spring. The final recommendations will be discussed by the council's main Board and the full Council next summer.”