A Powys County Councillor has said that a “School Closure proposal raises unanswered questions”.

Cllr Liz Rijnenberg of St Mary’s Ward raised her concerns at a meeting of the Powys County Council Cabinet earlier this month regarding the proposal which was voted on to close Mount Street and Cradoc Schools.

The Welsh Labour councillor said: “Phase 1 of the proposal involves a merger of the 3 schools on the current sites. Under the proposals Phase 1 will not happen until Autumn 2023 which is 30 months after the closing date of the consultation. Phase 2 presents its own challenges in terms of a suitable site, funding and many other issues.”

Addressing the meeting Cllr Rijnenberg voiced serious concerns about how educational standards and the pastoral care of children will be retained over the next 18months and asked how this risk will be managed, particularly given all the disruption from the pandemic.

Cllr Rijnenberg said: “It is hard enough to manage the risks which emerge during the implementation stage of any change, without the added disruption of a pandemic plus multiple transformation projects all taking place in parallel .

"If children lose out now that time cannot be easily recovered and I will continue to ask questions about this because education is the greatest leveller we have."

Cllr Rijnenberg who is a member of the Governing Body for Mount Street Infants School will be urging the public to respond during the objection period with as much information as possible in order that there are no stones left unturned.

Cllr Rijnenberg said: “It is really important to provide as much information as possible so that an informed decision can be made. Stakeholders can object during a 28 day window which is due to commence in January but so far the start date has not been confirmed."

Powys County Council has said that a statutory notice with the proposal to merge the three existing schools to create the new primary school will be published in the new year.

The plans will help the council deliver its Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys, an ambitious 10-year strategy that was approved last year.

Powys County Council’s cabinet voted unanimously in favour of proceeding with the plans on Tuesday, December 14.

The decision, which prompted concerns from various members of Powys council, caused the shock resignation of Cllr Iain McIntosh from the cabinet as well as Conservative Group within the council.

Cllr McIntosh had declared an interest and so was not able to vote on the plans, however he has been very vocal in speaking against the closure of Cradoc Primary School which is within his ward of Yscir.

Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, 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 by clicking here.