A BRECON primary school has said it will expand its early years provision in response to Powys council raising the school starting age.

Ysgol y Bannau, the town’s Welsh medium primary school, is working with its nursery, Cylch Meithrin Aberhonddu, to increase early years provision to include children currently able to attend school.

Powys council has allowed children to start from the term in which they have their fourth birthday but has now agreed to raise the school starting age.

From September 2017 children will have to wait until the September after their fourth birthday before they can start school.

Mum Becca Jones, of Brecon, said her son Iolo, would be affected and complained some parents must fund an additional year’s childcare.

She said: "Many parents have been planning to return to work, only now to discover they can’t because there is no school place for their child, and there are next to no nursery places available."

Toni Borgia, a Cylch Meithrin committee member, said: "We are pleased that in conjunction with Ysgol y Bannau we can help plug the gap and offer quality, affordable childcare to four-year-olds."

Powys council’s cabinet member for schools, Councillor Arwel Jones said raising the starting age will save the council £1.2m a year and bring it into line with the majority of councils in Wales and England.

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