3 schools in Carmarthenshire at risk of closing
Cabinet members agreed to publish a statutory notice to close Ysgol Llansteffan, Llansteffan, and start a formal consultation about Ysgol Y Fro, near Kidwelly, and Ysgol Meidrim, west of Carmarthen
Proposals that could result in the closure of three schools have been backed by senior leaders in Carmarthenshire.
Cabinet members agreed to publish a statutory notice to close Ysgol Llansteffan, Llansteffan, and start a formal consultation about Ysgol Y Fro, near Kidwelly, and Ysgol Meidrim, west of Carmarthen. But a formal consultation about Ysgol Pontiets, Pontyates, is being delayed.
People will be able to respond to the statutory notice and consultations for the three affected schools and any final closure decisions would be made by full council.
Councillors Meinir James and Jean Lewis, whose wards include Ysgol Y Fro and Ysgol Meidrim respectively, addressed cabinet urging members to think again.
Cllr James said Ysgol Y Fro offered a unique Welsh experience for pupils who spoke the language in the school yard, and that parents have suggested it could become a “sub-school”, “hub” or “rural branch” in order to keep it open.
She said some parents would home-educate or send their children to dual stream or English-speaking schools if Ysgol Y Fro closed.
Closing the school would be 'detrimental':
Cllr James also said closing the school in the middle of the academic year in December 2026 – assuming that future decisions were made to this end – would be detrimental for pupils.
Council chiefs have long been worried about dwindling pupil numbers, deficit spending and a shortage of headteachers in many schools in the county, particularly smaller ones, and believe pupils would have more opportunities at larger ones.
Cllr James acknowledged the financial situation but felt small rural schools would pay the price to keep urban schools operating. “We have to be certain that everything else has been considered,” she said.
Cllr Lewis urged cabinet not to proceed with the formal consultation for Ysgol Meidrim as the discussions thus far, she said, had been “subject to misunderstandings and a lack of communication”.
She said governors have come up with options to make the school more sustainable and that the expected savings of the council’s closure proposal were only just over £13,000 per year because transport costs would be higher than they are currently.
“Are you genuinely convinced that this saving is enough to justify closure of this school?” said Cllr Lewis, whose speech was applauded by supporters in the gallery at County Hall.
Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith said it didn’t believe cabinet should have taken the decisions on the three schools due to concerns raised about the process to date.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith spokesman Ffred Ffransis added: “The preparation work to ensure responses to the consultations and objections to the statutory notice to close, together with the three schools, will start straight away.”
What happens next?
The formal consultations about the future of Ysgol Y Fro and Ysgol Meidrim will run from January 13 to February 24 next year.
If cabinet then decides to issue a statutory notice to close the two schools it’s likely to do so on June 1. People would have a chance to respond until July 14.
Final decisions would then be made by full council in mid-October, potentially resulting in the closure of the schools at the end of December 2026.
Ysgol Llansteffan is further down the line towards a closure decision. A statutory notice is to be published shortly, and public feedback to it will be considered by cabinet in March next year.
A final decision to close the school could then be made by full council resulting in the doors shutting for the final time at the end of July 2026.
Meanwhile, cabinet is pausing a proposal to begin a formal consultation about the future of Ysgol Pontiets.