Concerns have been raised about a new school admissions policy which could mean fewer Welsh language pupils attending Llanidloes High School.

Chair of governors and town councillor Margot Jones said she fears that the new policy by Powys County Council will affect the number of pupils attending the school, and could mean that some pupils will not be able to go to their nearest school.

It also raises issues with Welsh language secondary education provision in south Montgomeryshire, and may disadvantage some pupils with no free transport.

Some schools such as Ysgol Carno, Ysgol Llanbrynmair and Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd in Newtown could be removed from Llanidloes High School’s feeder school list, and instead directed to Welsh-medium secondary schools in Machynlleth and Llanfair Caereinion.

With less than a week to go, school governors cllr Jones and cllr Gareth Morgan are urgently calling on the community to support them by writing to Powys County Council to change the new admissions policy.

Cllr Jones told Llanidloes Town Council on Monday that the issue is “extremely worrying” for pupils.

“We think this consultation is extremely serious and could be a significant change for Llanidloes High School,” she said.

“We need our school to continue to be as vibrant and wonderful as it is now and always has been.

“We need as much support to fight this and get Powys County Council to change its views.

“Why should parents be denied that choice? It doesn’t make any sense. It does seem to be focusing on Welsh medium schools with less support for us.

“We want to encourage Welsh medium learning in our school because it is extremely important for the pupils of this area.

“We are extremely worried about losing the Welsh language here in Llanidloes in terms of our pupils being pointed in another direction.”

Cllr Jones added: “One of our biggest concern is that there will be a barren land here where children may not be taught here through their own language - that is shocking.”