DETERMINED supporters of a Powys primary school say they “refuse to accept defeat” and have vowed to fight on and keep it open.

Powys County Council (PCC) announced on Tuesday (March 8) that its cabinet had decided to move ahead with plans to close Llanbedr Church in Wales School, near Crickhowell, this summer.

But spirited opposers to those plans say the council’s reasons for closing smaller, rural schools in Powys are “tired”. They claim the Conservative-Independent coalition running the cabinet have ignored Welsh Government evidence that Llanbedr is thriving and boasts excellent educational standards and have warned the local authority “this is a fight they will not win”.

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“As parents and governors of Llanbedr Church in Wales School, we have vowed to continue the fight to keep our school open,” said supporters in a statement released today.

“Our parents, especially, have been amazing with their support and refusal to accept defeat. They continue to work together to ensure that the school remains open and viable.

“We feel that the Welsh Government have put in place support for small rural schools, especially those who enhance their communities and provide an excellent education for the children.”

Last year, PCC’s cabinet gave the go-ahead for a statutory notice to be published formally proposing the decision to close Llanbedr from August 31 this year, which was published in November. During the statutory notice period, nearly 350 objections were received.

Cabinet received and considered the objection report and at Tuesday’s meeting approved the proposal, with pupils to attend their nearest alternative school.

The council says its ‘Strategy for Transforming Education’ in Powys outlines the concern that the county has a high proportion of small schools and, for those, the budget share per pupil is generally higher than the Powys average for primary schools.

With cabinet approving the recommendation to close Llanbedr, pupils will transfer to other schools in the area. The council says this would mean the education they receive would be more closely aligned with the standard model of delivering education in the area and would contribute to ensuring more equity across the education system in Powys.

Supporters of Llanbedr say that the school closure programme in Powys flies in the face of a school that is setting standards for Powys.

“Conservative and Independent Powys cabinet members have ignored the Welsh Government in taking the decision to close our school,” they added in their statement.

“Llanbedr is NOT a failing school – PCC agree it has excellent educational standards. It does NOT have surplus places. It is already successfully preparing and implementing the new curriculum for Wales.

“Llanbedr School deserves to be available for all children in the local area who wish to attend. We will continue to welcome new learners to our school.

“Powys County Council will, no doubt, respond with the same tired response they give every time but they must understand that this is a fight they will not win.”

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Councillor Phyl Davies, cabinet member for education and property, said of the closure decision: “After carefully considering the objections, cabinet has approved the proposal to close Llanbedr 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.

“This decision 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.”