Education officials say they will be launching a promotional campaign to try and nearly double the current number of pupils for the new £12 million Welsh school being built on the former Maesydre site.
Work has started on the new Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng site following several years of wrangling, with the Welsh Government expecting up to 150 pupils to fill the classrooms when it eventually opens as part of its agreement to fund 50% of its cost.
But the current number of Welshpool pupils enjoying education in Welsh stands at just 82, so there is some work to do if the ranks are to be bolstered in time for next year.
“A number of promotional activities form part of the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan to help the council meets its targets,” an education insider at Powys County Council told us. “Work has already started with the introduction of a new webpage and brand to promote Welsh-medium education and the benefits of bilingualism.”
Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng currently operates from the former Ardwyn School site. The new facility will incorporate the former Maesydre building into a new complex that education officials say will be a groundbreaking education project.