HAVE you got a name for one of Powys’ newest schools? If so, the council wants to hear from you.

The community has been asked for its input in naming a new primary school in the Banwy Valley.

Powys County Council is counting on the creativity of all pupils and members of the wider community to come up with a name for a new Church in Wales Voluntary Aided school to replace Ysgol Llanerfyl and Ysgol Dyffryn Banw.

Those looking to share their ideas can suggest them to either the headteacher at Ysgol Llanerfyl or the headteacher at Ysgol Dyffryn Banw. Submissions are now open until Friday, January 10.

Powys County Council has also revealed that a temporary governing body has been formed to focus on creating the new school in time for the new academic year in September.

County Times:

The temporary governing body, which is chaired by Emlyn Thomas, will appoint a headteacher after interview in early January. The rest of the school staffing structure will be appointed once a headteacher is in place.

Ysgol Llanerfyl and Ysgol Dyffryn Banw will shut their doors for the final time on August 31 following a decision by Powys County Council last year. The new Welsh-medium school will open on the Ysgol Dyffryn Banw site in Llangadfan on September 1.

The council’s Cabinet agreed to make sure that Welsh-medium education would continue in the Banwy Valley by creating one larger school.

Closing the two schools and establishing a new Voluntary Aided Church in Wales School on the current site of Ysgol Dyffryn Banw would result in an annual saving of £53,820, according to a council report.

One of the reasons behind the closure process was the number of pupils at the schools. On the first day of term in September 2019 there were 34 pupils in Ysgol Dyffryn Banw while 14 pupils attended Ysgol Llanerfyl. The controversial decision was met with 15 objections which ranged from fears for the Welsh language to abuse of process.