School protest rallies have been held in Carmarthenshire

The plea was made by both head teachers and Welsh language campaigners as the council set out more details of a scheme it said would invest �110m.

The National Association of Head Teachers Cymru (NAHT) said uncertainty was also damaging to communities.

Education director Vernon Morgan said only consultation would show what was right for each community.

Such uncertainty can be destabilising for schools and that can be very damaging in the long term Anna Brychan, NAHT

Some 30 schools are under threat of closure in the county. Money would be invested in the remaining ones, and another 14 new schools built.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith (the Welsh Language Society) has claimed more than 1,000 children would be automatically prevented from being taught in Welsh because Welsh and English-medium schools would be merged.

Mr Morgan told councillors on Friday that he accepted that communicating the proposals had not always been effective.

The council said it would speak to all interested parties, and the plans would be presented to a meeting of head teachers later this month.

'Decent standard'

The responses will then go back to Carmarthenshire's executive board, before going to the full council.

Mr Morgan said plans were "open to change, refinement and further improvement as time goes on".

He added: "It is only through consultation that we will only find out what is right for a particular community. A great deal of work has been carried out on the draft timeline over the past two months and it is now time to open it up for discussion."

The council said investment was needed to bring schools "up to a decent standard," with many lacking indoor toilets or communal halls, and some "crumbling and in desperate need of repair".

A Cymdeithas spokesman said: "We sincerely hope that this will lead to a proper consultation on the principles included in the strategy rather than just being a PR exercise which is taking place after decisions have been taken.

"Cymdeithas yr Iaith will be meeting Mr Morgan on 13 June and will be taking the opportunity to find out what exactly the nature of his proposed consultation will be and will respond to what he has to say."

Anna Brychan, director of the National Association of Head Teachers Cymru, said: "Our members would want to see a proper level of consultation with them and with the communities that are affected by this.

"Also, (we want to see) an appreciation by the local education authority of how destabilising such uncertainty can be for schools and that can be very damaging in the long term.

"The level of consultation needs to ensure this is addressed."