BRECON and Gwernyfed high schools could be closed under radical plans to overhaul secondary education in Powys.

The schools would be replaced by a new £50 million Beacons Learning Campus in Brecon, which would include an 11 to 16 English medium school and college. All post 16 provision, including A levels and vocational qualifications would be provided at a sixth form academy run by the NPTC College Group.

The county council will also review secondary education in Llandrindod and Builth Wells. It says pupil numbers at both schools are falling and it hopes to establish one bilingual secondary school in Mid Powys with a sixth form.

The Mid Powys School would also provide Welsh medium education, which would no longer be offered in Brecon from September 2016.

The councillor responsible for schools, Arwel Jones said the council's ideal is schools of at least 600 pupils aged 11 to 16 with sixth forms of at least 150 pupils.

He said a 'full consultation' on the plans for Brecon and Gwernyfed will start in May.

Sixth form provision at Ysgol Maesydderwen in Ystradgynlais will also be reviewed. The council will consider a business case for post 16 education in the area in July. The future of Llandrindod and Builth will also be considered in July.

The council is already committed to a major revamp of the Brecon High School and the adjacent NPTC College site at Penlan. It had proposed to open a new school and college, including a joint sixth form centre, by September 2018.

The council now says it will close Brecon High, which has been placed in special measures by education inspectors Estyn, and Gwernyfed High in Three Cocks. Gwernyfed is one of the county's top performing comprehensives.

They will then open as a single 11 to 16 school but split between both existing school sites by September 2017, with a full transfer to the new campus in Brecon by September 2018.

The council's cabinet is next week due to consider a business case for the Brecon campus.

The plans are the first stages of the council's secondary education review, which will also consider the future of Welsh medium education in North Powys. The council has already announced it will consider closing three secondary schools.

Cabinet member for schools, Councillor Jones said: "Our secondary schools have done a valiant job in the past delivering excellent results. But, falling school rolls and financial pressures have created a position that cannot be tackled without radical change.

"We simply don't have enough pupils or resources to sustain current school numbers, if we try, we will fail and it will be our young learners that lose out.

"It is not just about money, it is about improving standards but we cannot do that without effective use of resources. Without change in the future we will not be able to afford to the best teachers, provide the best learning environment and deliver the best results."

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