PEOPLE wishing to have their say on plans to close four Powys secondaries will have to book tickets to attend school hall meetings.

Powys council will hold meetings during April at Brecon, Builth Wells, Llandrindod and Gwernyfed high schools to outline its plans to close the schools.

The council plans to open a new school in September 2017, without a sixth form, to replace Brecon and Gwernyfed High. It would operate from the existing two sites until a new school in Brecon could be built.

It also plans to open a new school to replace both Builth and Llandrindod, which would also operate from the two existing sites. It would have a sixth form and Welsh language provision for south Powys would also be based there.

The council is asking people to apply for tickets for the meetings which will also be filmed and be available for viewing on the council’s website.

Meanwhile the Welsh Government has published a report on improving performance and the efficiency of sixth forms in Wales.

The report has questioned the 150 pupil minimum figure for a sixth form as well as the ability of schools to provide at least 30 courses for post 16 students.

Powys council has previously said its proposals are intended to ensure its schools are sustainable. It had said a report drawn up by accountants PWC found 180 students is the minimum number required to make a school sixth form financially viable. The council adopted a figure of 150 in recognition of the county’s rurality.

The council has previously cited concerns at how schools can meet the 30 course minimum, known as the Wales learning measure, as a driving factor in its schools reform.

Schools in Powys have worked together in local partnerships to provide the full range of courses to students - but many have face long journeys between schools to attend lessons.

The council has had to pick up the cost of providing transport for inter school travel and has said basing post 16 education at the Coleg Powys site in Brecon would eliminate the need for inter school travel.

The report, which has been complied by Professor Sue Maguire, and is described as a "think piece" on possible options for improving sixth forms, called the 150 pupil figure outdated.

Professor Maguire said: "The number, performance and efficiency of sixth forms has lacked a strategic review at national level over a number of years.

"There is a lack of robust evidence within the literature to support the notion that a sixth form with less than 150 students is unviable. This figure was derived from calculations drawn up in the 1990s and warrants reassessment."

However Professor Maguire also warned schools must understand the risk of using their budgets to support small sixth forms.

She said: "The increased risk of cross-subsidisation from the rest of the school budget is strongly linked to the sustainment of small sixth sixth forms. The impact of reductions in resources allocated to younger school pupils in these circumstances requires further assessment, as well as the long-term viability of this approach."

The professor also questioned wether an instance on increasing the number of courses available to sixth formers was effective. She said: "There remains a lack of robust evidence to demonstrate that it has improved post 16 retention and achievement rates.

"Moreover, the high costs of sustaining the measure must be questioned, in

particular with regard to transport costs incurred in most localities, as well as evidence of course duplication and unsustainable class sizes."

Powys council will hold public meetings on its plans at Builth on April 13, Llandrindod on April 14, Brecon on April 19 and Gwernyfed on April 20.

Entry to the meetings will be by ticket only which can be booked online through the county council’s website www.powys.gov.uk.

Tickets for the events will be available when a consultation on the council’s plans formally opens on Wednesday, April 6. It will close on May 23.