Llangedwyn school is threatened with closure

On Tuesday night parents, staff and residents of Llangedwyn Church in Wales school, near Oswestry, called on Powys Council's Head of Education, Mike Barker, to abandon the scheme.

Last month Powys councillors agreed to start a review of the organisation and management of the county's primary schools.

One of the moves being considered is to build a new area school for 200 pupils at Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant to replace schools in that village as well as those at Llansilin and Llangedwyn.

The arrogance of the council is unbelievable. We will not be rail-roaded into an unwanted area school Simon Clarke, parent

Parents at Llangedwyn fear their meeting with education chiefs will be the only public consultation about the shutdown.

The governing bodies of all three schools have already rejected the proposal outright.

United

Even if the new area school is built at Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Llangedwyn school's head teacher claims few, if any, of the 52 pupils will go there.

After the meeting, Simon Clarke, parent of two children at the school, which has 52 children on its books, said: "The community in all three villages is united in opposing this plan for an area school.

"The council said they were here to listen to us, and there is no mistaking the message they were given.

Parents are angry at the way the council has handled the issue.

Closure plans were only revealed when council documents for the review was revealed by BBC Online.

"This has been presented as a done deal, cooked up by councillors behind closed doors," said Mr Clarke.

"Even now, the council is trying to restrict the public consultation process by only allowing opinions voiced at a two hour meeting to be put forward.

"The arrogance of the council is unbelievable. We will not be rail-roaded into an unwanted area school."

A joint statement issued by the three school governing bodies said: "We unanimously agreed the independent status of all three schools be maintained and that all consultation regarding an area school be deemed inappropriate.

Criteria

"It was also noted the condition of the buildings at Llanrhaeader-ym-Mochnant school does not provide an appropriate working environment for pupils and staff."

The governors urged the local authority to provide a replacement school at Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant.

Parents could refuse to take their children to the new area school

In 1997 the school only had 12 pupils at the school but the pupil number has now risen to 52 .

Head teacher John Parkinson has conducted his own feasibility study of the county council's proposal.

"None of the children at this school would attend the new area school because their parents work and live closer to Llanfyllin and Welshpool.

"Why would parents decide to travel an extra 20 minutes in the morning to take their children to a school at Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant?"

Pupil numbers Bro Cynllaith (Llansilin) - 81 Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant- 70 Llangedwyn - 52

A council spokesman said Mr Barker was visiting a number of schools as part of the "root and branch" review of the organisation and management of Powys schools over the next 10 years.

News Online is awaiting a response from the council about Tuesday night's meeting.

The council is also considering the closure of five rural primary schools at Llangurig, Llandinam, Howey, Libanus and Trecastle.

In the south of the county near Ystradgynlais, Glanrhyd, Gurnos, Cwmtwrch and Ynysgedwen schools are earmarked for closure.

A new school would be built at the Glanrhyd site.

The council is also considering setting up one school to replace separate infant and junior schools at Welshpool.