Plans to close a Newtown school has been described as “despicable” by a councillor which she says the move will “rip the heart of this community”.

Treowen C.P. School has been chosen to merge with Ysgol Calon y Dderwen as part of Powys County Council’s education shake-up in the town.

A public meeting has been organised by the Treowen Action Group to save the school from closure which will take place inside the school hall at 6pm on Thursday, October 16.

Councillor Jones said: "The school is not only a place of education for children but a hub for the community, teaching their young people life skills as well as education. They are there to support the whole family and the estate.

"This despicable move by the education department and Cllr Pete Roberts to put a proposal together to close the school is devastating and will rip the heart out of this community.

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"The council are meant to work to protect communities and bring them together, to support them, not to destroy them.

"As counsellors we are supposed to listen and support Powys communities.

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"The Treowen community and parents deserve to be listened too, but this appears to have been totally ignored as their engagement questions show quite clearly that people are not in agreement with amalgamating other schools into Calon y Dderwen school.

"The Lib Dems fought their last election on the grounds that they were going to protect schools and halt closures. Why don't they honour their commitment? They shouldn't have made promises they obviously weren't going to keep."

The council's intention is that, from September 2025, pupils continue to attend the existing Treowen building until the new building at Ysgol Calon y Dderwen is ready. When the new building opens, the Treowen site will close, and all pupils then move to the new school building for Ysgol Calon y Dderwen. 

A council spokesman said: "The plans being considered by the council are to increase the capacity of the proposed new school building at Ysgol Calon y Dderwen so that pupils from Treowen C.P. School can also be included.

"It is the intention that, from September 2025, pupils continue to attend the existing Treowen building until the new building at Ysgol Calon y Dderwen is ready.

"When the new building opens, the Treowen site closes and all pupils then move to the new school building for Ysgol Calon y Dderwen.

"Cabinet will be considering the plans on Tuesday, 24 October where they will be asked to approve the start of formal consultation.

"The proposed change will be subject to the statutory school reorganisation process which involves further extensive consultation with schools and their communities, before any final decisions are made."