A PROPOSAL to merge a primary and secondary school in Llanfair Caerenion is back on track.

At a meeting on Tuesday, February 16,  Powys County Council’s Independent/Conservative cabinet brushed aside concerns that the decision to go ahead with the process of creating an all-through school for four to 18 year olds in January, had been ‘flawed’.

It came after a learning and skills scrutiny committee discussed the merger earlier this month, demanding that it go back to the cabinet to be reconsidered.

Part of the issue is that Llanfair Caereinion could become the Welsh Medium secondary school for the whole of Montgomeryshire, ahead of other potential sites in Welshpool or Newtown.

At the meeting scrutiny members had voted narrowly to send the decision back to the cabinet for them to look at again, with committee chairman Cllr Peter Roberts, (Llandrindod South – Liberal Democrat) saying: “We are unconvinced that there is sufficient evidence that this move will be beneficial.”

But at Tuesday's cabinet meeting, the portfolio holder for adult social care and Welsh language Cllr Myfanwy Alexander (Indepdnent, Banwy) argued in favour of getting it back on track.

She said: “The most important thing that scrutiny did not pick up was the overwhelming support for this proposal.

“This is the beginning of a new journey for Caereinion and I recommend to my cabinet colleagues support it as what it is, a stage on a journey.”

Findings of a consultation which took place between in October and November 2020 on the merger proposal found that 52 per cent of respondents were in favour.

Cllr Gareth Jones (Independent – Llanfair Caerenion), said: “The community of Llanfair are very keen for this.

“There has been a bit of discontent in the school for a number of years, this has given certainty to the school.”

He added that teachers were had committed their futures to the school and that 75 per cent of them speak Welsh and the remainder were taking courses to learn the language.

The recommendation was backed unanimously to continue with the merger.

The decision includes starting talks with the wider community as well as all the feeder primary schools from nearby villages in the Caereinion High school catchment area, on how to improve Welsh medium education provision.