Proposals to split Ysgol Calon Cymru and create a Welsh medium all-through school at the Builth Wells campus will progress to the next stage of the process - but many questions remain unanswered.

At a meeting of the council’s Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet on Tuesday, October 21, senior councillors met to consider taking the proposal to the next stage following a consultation earlier this year.

Essentially this uncoupling would be done in two distinct phases, which are supposed to be completed by 2029.

The Builth Wells campus would become a new Welsh medium four to 18 all-through primary and secondary school.

While the Llandrindod Wells campus would provide English medium education and continue under the Ysgol Calon Cymru brand.

The idea is to plug a gap in Welsh medium education provision at high school level in “Mid-Powys” and the council has said that they would invest in the infrastructure at the sites.

Education portfolio holder, Cllr James Gibson-Watt (Liberal Democrat – Glasbury) said: “This is about strengthening Welsh medium and English medium education in the Mid-Powys area.

“This proposal gives us the opportunity to do just that.”

But while this proposal would meet the needs of Welsh medium education in the middle part of Powys, where will Welsh speaking primary pupils in the south of the county go to secondary school?

Deputy council leader, Cllr Matthew Dorrance  (Labour – Brecon West) said: “The ambition in the paper is one I am fully supportive of, and the Llandrindod Wells campus needs significant investment.

“There is a lack of clarity about what we think will happen next.”

He pointed out that an intensive Welsh language immersion centre will be developed at Ysgol y Bannau primary school in Brecon, and the council also intends Ysgol Pontsenni (Sennybridge) to become a Welsh medium primary school.

Cllr Dorrance continued: “The consequences for those two schools in the context of this proposal have not been made clear.

“I think the council needs to be very clear in terms of what the knock-on effects will be.”

Director of Education, Dr Richard Jones explained that the all-through Welsh medium school in Builth Wells is expected to take children from primary schools in Builth Wells, Rhayader, and Trefonnen (Llandrindod Wells).

This means that 258 pupils are potentially available to move up to the Welsh medium secondary school phase in Builth Wells.

Head of Transforming Education Marianne Evans said: “The catchment (secondary) school for Ysgol y Bannau is Brecon High School – pupils from the Brecon area have access to designated Welsh medium providers over the (county) border.”

This means that Welsh medium pupils in Sennybrdge would go to Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera in Neath Port Talbot, while those in Brecon would have to attend Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw in Pontypool, Torfaen.

Ms Evans explained that the “pathway” to secondary Welsh medium education is clear in Sennybridge and Brecon but not Mid-Powys: “which is the difference.”

Adult Social Care portfolio holder, Cllr Pete Roberts (Liberal Democrat – Llandrindod South) said that the continuing the legal process for the proposal would allow “new information” to be brought forward.

Cllr Roberts said: “What would be beneficial is hearing an enhanced voice from around the periphery of this area.

“I would encourage people to engage and offer those opinions.”

Eventually councillors went to a vote and unanimously backed going ahead with the next stage of the proposal.

A statutory notice is expected to be published after half term in November which will allow a further 28-day period to receive comments and objections on the proposals to take place.

A further objections report is expected to be back in front of Cabinet in February next year.