MORE than 400 people packed into Llanidloes Community Centre on Wednesday night to deliver one message to the 73 county councillors who will soon decide upon the fate of secondary education in Powys: “We will fight to save our schools!”
Everyone was united in the opinion that the controversial draft proposal on the future of secondary schools should be scrapped and urged every single county councillor to listen to the opinions expressed by their constituents, the people who voted them into power.
“County councillors must be sure that the decision they make now is one they can be proud of and they have the power to affect education in this area forever,” explained Llanidloes Mayor Cllr Margot Jones.
Even MP Lembit Opik and Glyn Davies, the man who wants his job, shook hands and said they look forward to an “interesting” election campaign where both will be fighting for “exactly the same thing” – to keep Llanidloes, Llanfair Caereinion and Llanfyllin High Schools open, including their sixth forms.
Approximately 410 people attended the meeting in Llanidloes but it didn’t matter who spoke – be it the MP, his opposition, the town’s mayor, the town’s county councillor, the vicar, the teacher, the parents or the pupils – they all expressed a great willingness to fight for their school and the other threatened schools.
County Councillor for Llanidloes, Gareth Morgan, who has also been a school governor for 35 years, said: “Two things matter above all others in Llanidloes, our hospital and our health service, and secondly, equally as important, is our high school!
“We fought to save our hospital and we will do the same for our school.
“When the school was first built it was built for half of the pupils here today. I have seen the school double in size and also the number of subjects they teach has increased dramatically. I am proud of this school and its talented, committed and inspired staff.”
Bob Pitcher, the local vicar, said: “In America they have already tried this and regret it as the results have been worse as a result of building education factories.
“The more able children will thrive anywhere but studies show that it is the less able pupils who do worse in these big schools as they don’t have the social protection. Children do better in smaller schools because of the relationships they can build with their teacher and their community.”
Some of the most telling comments of the night came from the school’s future and current pupils.
Stephanie Thomas, who is in her final year, said: “I receive tremendous support from the teachers at Llanidloes High School. They push you and push you but that is exactly what we need.
“I am currently applying for university, which is a daunting experience for anyone, but the teachers here have been so supportive, they have given me mock interviews and helped with my personal statement.
“What they give us is invaluable.”
Victoria Baker, a year six pupil who will join Llanidloes High School in September, added: “What time do you think I would have to get up in the morning if I had to go to Newtown and what time do you think I will get home? Is this fair for an 11-year-old?”
Sarah Price, a former pupil of the school, suggested Llanidloes should cut all ties from Powys and the Welsh Assembly Government and become an academy school, so it could take care of all of its own affairs, while Jane Jarman, a teacher at the school, wanted to know why the proposals are angled towards increasing the carbon footprint (by laying on transport from potentially closed schools to a ‘super learning hub’ in Newtown) at a time when people are being urged to decrease it.
While Shirley Owen calculated it would take 11 double decker buses to transport all of the children from Llanidloes to Newtown at a cost of £460,000 per year.