LLANFAIR Caereinion Town Council are due to deliver a final response to the proposition regarding the future of Ysgol Bro Caereinion.

At their next full council meeting, scheduled to be held on Monday, December 18, the town council will consider and finalise their formal response to Powys County Council’s proposal to see the school transformed into a Welsh medium school.

The proposal was made as part of the council’s plan to boost the Welsh language in the area, running a consultation on potentially making the dual-stream Ysgol Bro Caereinion a Welsh-medium school on a phased basis year-by-year, which would start with Reception and Year 7 in September 2025 if approved.

Llanfair Town Council will finalise their response to the council’s proposal at the meeting and create a report on the meeting that will be presented to Powys County Council officers.

The proposal has caused controversy and concerns amongst some parents in the Llanfair area, with some stating that they were left confused by the lack of clear communication regarding the proposal.

Sam Francis, who has three children in the English stream said: "I was utterly shaken when I read the proposal, under it my youngest child will not be attending the same high school as their older siblings. The timings of this proposal have been devastating to my family.”

OTHER NEWS:

Helen Law a local parent with children in the Welsh stream added: “This is not what I signed up for, I want my children to be educated in a bilingual school that reflects the people in the local community and the wider world.”

On Tuesday, November 21, a meeting was held at Llanfair Caereinion Leisure Centre over the proposed changes, allowing the school’s governing body to inform parents of the full set of proposals from Powys County Council, with headteacher of Ysgol Bro Caereinion Huw Lloyd Jones in attendance.

Powys County Council says the move would provide pupils with two languages from the start of their education, enabling all learners to develop their language skills and become fluent in both Welsh and English.

Cllr Pete Roberts, cabinet member for a learning Powys, said: "This proposal would see the council provide well planned provision for increasing the opportunities for a growing number of children and young people to become fully bilingual, fluent in both Welsh and English and therefore contributing to the Welsh Government’s aspiration to achieve a million Welsh speakers by 2050.”