Proposals to reorganise sixth forms in Powys that could end up with just two sixth forms in the county have been slammed  by councillors.

At a meeting of Powys County Council Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee on Friday, May 2, councillors and lay committee members received a presentation on the outcome of a strategic review into post-16 education in the county.

The review has come up with three options to consider.

These will be subject to a two-stage “engagement” process which will allow people to give their views on the proposals over the next six months.

Council education staff stressed that the current model with all schools having their own sixth form is not “financially viable”.

The need to address post-16 provision has also been highlighted by education watchdog Estyn in a scathing report on the department published in March.

Option three is the preferred way and could see a sixth form college set up with one board of governors and management team across two sites in Brecon and Newtown.

Similarly, a sixth form college would be based across Welsh medium all-through schools at Ysgol Bro Hyddgen in Machynlleth, Bro Caereinion in Llanfair Caereinion and potentially Builth Wells.

The Welsh medium sixth form would also be run separately.

Cllr Chloe Masefield (Liberal Democrat) represents Crickhowell, which has the biggest sixth form in Powys – albeit with many pupils coming from Monmouthshire and Blaenau Gwent.

Cllr Masefield said: “I have really significant concerns about this review, and don’t think it’s appropriate for it to go out to engagement in its current state.

“It’s not acceptable to go out and ask people to engage on a paper which doesn’t present the information clearly and in a format that allows you to make a decision on it.

“It’s unclear what option one and two would be.

“Option three is very clear on the specific on the locations of these sixth forms and puts them in Brecon and Newtown and I don’t really know how that’s been decided.

“Crickhowell sixth form is operating incredibly successfully, bringing in students and funding from across the border and there’s no argument to say that we should be closing it.”

She warned that “every single person in the area of Crickhowell” would object to this.

Conservative group leader Cllr Aled Davies who represents Llansilin and Llanrhaedr-ym-Mochnant, said that he was concerned at the “lack of vision” of what Powys education could look like in 15 to 20 years time.

Cllr Davies said that successful sixth forms could be “swept up and lost” and that the work should focus on those sixth forms with small pupil numbers.

Cllr Davies said: “I worry that this paper is all or nothing - there has to be a blend and the focus on standards.”

Cllr Sue McNicholas (Labour) who represents Ynyscedwyn near Ystradgynlais, said: “If these options came to fruition we would lose our pupils here in the south in droves across the border, as we have two colleges who offer a lot more subjects and options.

“It would be very detrimental to Ysgol Maesydderwen.

“In all fairness I cannot see pupils from Ystradgynlais travelling the 28 miles up the road to Brecon.”

Director or education Dr Richard Jones told the committee there had been “thorough engagement” ahead of the Powys Sixth/Chweched Powys model being introduced and that “learning from that” had been taken onboard.

Dr Jones said: “That’s provided us with a framework for three options to go out to engagement.”

He believed that going out to engagement without options would take the council “back to that pre-Powys Sixth point.”

Powys Sixth was rolled out in 2022 with greater emphasis on collaboration between schools and online learning.

Cabinet member for post-16 education Cllr David Selby Liberal Democrat said: “What we have demonstrated is the complexity of the issue that faces us.

“We have discussed this twice in the last 15 years and ended up not doing an awful lot – the short term challenges are only going to grow.”

He pointed out that the decline in pupil numbers and those going on to sixth forms after their GCSEs was only going to continue.

The challenge of countering the offer from further education colleges out of county would also “steadily get worse not better.”

Cllr Selby said: “The vision for the future is more likely to be option three than the others and we have to be prepared to offer a more mature post-16 offer which is why pupils are going over the border.

“We need to find a way of moving forward together.”

Recommendations from the committee will be added to the report which is expected to go before the Liberal Democrat/Labour cabinet for a decision later this month to start the engagement process.