PLANS to close a north Powys primary school are going ahead, the local authority has confirmed.

Powys County Council’s (PCC) cabinet formally approved the closure of Castle Caereinion Church in Wales School today (Tuesday, July 13). Cabinet gave the go-ahead for a statutory notice to be published in September, formally proposing the closure after receiving and considering the consultation report.

Between April and June the council carried out a seven-week consultation on the proposal to close the school, near Llanfair Caereinion.

PCC will publish the statutory notice in September and there will be a 28-day ‘objection period’ for those who disagree with the proposal to send their objections to the council, and a further report, summarising any objections received, will be considered by cabinet to conclude the process.

The council is looking to reconfigure and rationalise the primary school provision in the county as part of its ‘Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys 2020-2030’ and is proposing to close Castle Caereinion School on August 31, 2022.

Councillor Phyl Davies, cabinet member for education and property, said: “We would like to thank all those who took part in the consultation exercise for this proposal.

“After carefully considering all the consultation responses, cabinet have agreed to continue with the proposal by publishing the statutory notice formally proposing the closure of Castle Caereinion Church in Wales School.

“We are committed to transforming the learner experience and entitlement for our learners and we will achieve this by delivering our Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys 2020-2030.

“Our strategy is ambitious, exciting and we believe it will give our learners the best possible start they deserve. However, as we start to implement it, we will be faced with significant decisions as we look to address some of the challenges facing education in Powys which include the high proportion of small schools in the county, decreasing pupil numbers and the high number of surplus places.

“The decision to continue with this proposal has not been reached lightly. Not only has it been robustly challenged by senior leaders within the council at every step, but it has been developed with the best interest of the learners, who have been at the forefront of our discussions and decision-making.”