Two groups have taken to the streets of Brecon to protest the merger of three schools in the Brecon area.

A group of former and current Cradoc Primary School pupils along with supporters walked from Cradoc School to the Powys County Council offices on Cambrian Way in the town last Saturday, January 29.

Organised by Powys councillor Iain McIntosh, around 52 protesters braved the wet weather and donned themselves with a banner for the walk which is approximately three miles long.

Among the protesters was Brecon and Radnorshire MP Fay Jones and MS James Evans who have both voiced their support online.

The group were filmed chanting “save Cradoc School” as they made their way through Brecon High Street and The Bulwark - the video can be seen on the action group Save and Rebuild Cradoc School’s Facebook page.

Cllr McIntosh, who represents Yscir ward, made ripples in the county towards the end of last year with his shock resignation from the Powys cabinet and the Conservative Group within Powys council just seconds after the cabinet voted to close Cradoc Primary School.

When he resigned, Cllr McIntosh - who has been very vocal in his opposition to the closure plans - said he would fight to save the school.

The plans to close the rural school have since received around 400 objection letters and there has been a petition with around 1,300 signatures.

“I’d like to thank over 50 people who joined the Save & Rebuild Cradoc School protest walk on Saturday morning, despite the miserable weather! Fay Jones MP, James Evans MS, Cllr Hywel Lewis, Cllr Roger Williams and Cllr Peter Roberts joined the walk, as well as local community councillors, governors, residents, grandparents, parents and children.

"We were also joined by representatives against the closure of Llanfihangel Rhydithon school. We all walked from Cradoc school, through Brecon, to the Powys County Council offices at Cambrian Way in Brecon.

"Before the walk, I had been in touch with Yscir residents to notify everyone about the objection period which is currently underway, not one person I spoke with thinks it’s a good idea to close the school!

"Nobody believes children will receive a better education or learning experience in a larger school in Brecon, particularly when it’s possible to build a new school in Cradoc, to include a much needed hall for the Cradoc community.

"Nobody thinks our school will struggle to deliver the new education curriculum, as it was designed specifically for small schools.

"With over 91 pupils, Cradoc School isn’t even a small school, it’s a medium sized school, which has been added to the proposal to merge both Mount Street Schools in Brecon, without its own separate impact assessment. The demand for places at Cradoc school is increasing too, increasing from 95 pupils a few weeks ago, to 104.

"The strength of public feeling against the proposal to close Cradoc Primary School is very clear, Yscir residents and everyone who walked on Saturday urges all seven Cabinet members at Powys County Council to please take the proposal to close our school, off the table, and start considering the proposal to build a new school again!

"The objection period ends this Friday, February 4, so if you’d like to join everyone else who is objecting to the decision made on December 14 to close our school, please write to the council at [email protected] and [email protected].”

The plans by Powys council will see Cradoc primary merged with Mount Street Infants school and Mount Street Juniors school in Brecon.

The proposal is for a new 360-place English-medium primary at Penlan, the former site of Brecon High School.

A Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) and a community swimming pool would also be part of the scheme which could be built on the site of the old Brecon High School.

Consultation on the proposal took place between February 25 and May 12 last year..

The plans put forward that merging the Mount Street schools and Cradoc into a “new primary school” would happen by September 2023. Pupils would then transfer to a new school building in 2025/26.

The whole scheme, which includes a new 180 place dual-stream primary school in Sennybridge - replacing the current building there - is estimated to cost £32 million.

The town saw protests against the merger during the previous weekend as well, with current and former pupils from the two Mount Street Schools taking to the streets on Sunday, January 23.

Donned with homemade placards, the group split in two and walked from Cradoc Close and Woodlands Crescent up to the former Brecon High School site at Penlan - the proposed site for the new school in future.

The group hoped to show “how inappropriate” the site is for a new primary school, especially for transporting prospective pupils - one of many issues the group says arises from the merger.

Powys County Councillor Liz Rijnenberg, who represents Brecon St Mary’s Ward, helped to organise the walk along with Mount Street Action Group.

Cllr Rijnenberg said: “Many people object to the proposal to join the three schools on the basis that other alternatives have not been adequately explored.

“People care about their children’s education and have taken the time to respond to the consultation with well researched suggestions. These were ‘noted’ by the PCC Cabinet but no effort  was made to engage in dialogue or to offer any further credible explanation as to why alternatives are not being considered.

“As one parent said to me ‘the problem and the solution do not match’. One of the  questions repeatedly asked is how will this improve what is described in the documents as ‘ learner entitlement’.

“We have been told that it could improve access to Choirs and Football teams and technology, but it is hard to pin down any tangible benefits beyond this.

“Powys has been behind on school transformation but that is not a reason to implement a transformation project which is not properly researched,  and evidenced, especially one that is likely to take up to 6 years with no guarantee that it is affordable or achievable. The public want their views to be listened to and for more personal and meaningful engagement with all sections of the community to find a solution which takes people with them.

“We started at Cradoc Road/Cradoc Close to Penlan – up Cerrigcochion Hill and this took 48 mins with no stops. We started from Woodland Close /Lon Swlch at the same time and this walk took 36mins. It is a hard walk with toddlers and buggies and it can be much more difficult for anyone who needs mobility aids.

“Schools should be in the heart of communities where children learn about daily life. When they can walk to school they can talk to their parents and learn as they make the journey and observe what is happening in the town. Many will be excluded from this opportunity if the schools move to Penlan.

“It seems counter intuitive when we are trying to reduce the carbon footprint and promote health and well-being. More and more people are recognising the value of walking to school so why undermine that very positive development.”

Brecon Town Councillors Matthew Dorrance, David Meredith, Rob Thomas, Michaela Davie and Mark Perry also joined the walk to show support.

Brecon Town Council announced at its last full council meeting on Monday, January 24, that it would write a letter of objection to Powys County Council over the schools merger.

The town council were not alone as the Chair of Governers for Cradoc School sent a letter to Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, objecting to the merger and subsequent school closures.

The letter, on behalf of Cradoc Community Primary School’s governing body, said the governers “unanimously wish to continue to formally object to and reject the proposal to close the school and send the pupils to a new build school possibly at Penlan”.

The letter says: “The GB of Cradoc Community Primary School fully supports the building of a new school for all Mount Street pupils if that is what they want. We wish to save and rebuild our school at the heart of our community in Cradoc.

“The strength of feeling has not waned, in fact it has been fueled by the erroneous assumption set out to Cabinet that we are asking for a new two class school for 50 pupils. This is not the case we wish for a new larger school to accommodate all those children whose parents are choosing to travel out to a rural school with all its advantages.

“There are still applications coming in from families who wish to have a rural school environment for their children’s education.”

The letter then went on to ask questions about the statutory notice issued by Powys County Council as well as reasons for the objection and alleged “procedural failings” during the process by Powys.

Cllr Davies has previously said: “We would like to thank all those who took part in the consultation exercise for this proposal.

“After carefully considering all the consultations responses, Cabinet has agreed to continue with the proposal by publishing the statutory notice formally proposing the amalgamation Mount Streets Infants School, Mount Street Junior School and Cradoc C.P. School to create a new primary school.

“We are committed to transforming the learner experience and entitlement for our learners and we will achieve this by delivering our Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys 2020-2030.

“We are also committed to providing world-class facilities that will our learners and teachers thrive and reach their potential.

“Our strategy is ambitious, exciting and we believe it will give our learners the best possible start they deserve. However, as we start to implement it, we will be faced with significant decisions as we look to address some of the challenges facing education in Powys which include the high proportion of small schools in the county, decreasing pupil numbers and the high number of surplus places.

“This recommendation has not been reached lightly but we have ensured that the best interest of the learners at this school were at the forefront of our discussions and decision-making.

“I believe that our plans for the Brecon catchment area will help us deliver our strategy and improve the education entitlement and experience for future learners.”

For more information about Transforming Education in Powys, visit the Powys council website

Residents hoping to object to the school merger have until tomorrow - Friday, February 4 - to contact Powys County Council. Concerns can be raised by emailing [email protected] and [email protected].