A decision to continue the splitting up of Ysgol Calon Cymru that could eventually allow a Welsh Medium all-through school to be set up at its Builth Wells campus could be “called in” for further scrutiny.

At their meeting on Tuesday, October 14, Powys County Council’s Cabinet agreed to defer taking a decision to press ahead with the proposal to split the school.

The report is set to be placed again before Liberal Democrat and Labour senior councillors at another Cabinet meeting next Tuesday, October 21.

The proposal was brought up for discussion at a meeting of the council’s Learning and Skills committee on Thursday, October 16.

Conservative group leader, Cllr Aled Davies (Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and Llansilin) said that he had sent committee Chairman Cllr Gwynfor Thomas an email about Ysgol Calon Cymru.

Cllr Davies said: “I know you haven’t had a chance to look at it, yet it’s about concerns on the council’s direction of travel.

“Maybe we as the scrutiny committee should look at the proposal in more detail.”

Cllr Thomas (Conservative – Llansantffraid) said: “We have had significant discussion about this in our pre-meeting.”

He asked Cllr Davies to expand on his concerns about the school transformation proposal.

Cllr Davies said:  “I don’t think the proposal aligns with many of the council’s policies on Welsh Language, School Transformation, Sustainable Powys – as I’ve outlined in the email to you.

“If the recommendations are accepted and go forward unchanged, I have asked you that you consider calling in the decision.”

Cllr Thomas asked: “Is there something different to it now than when we discussed it in our scrutiny meeting?

This would have been at a meeting back in March when the proposal was first mooted.

Cllr Davies: “The fact that nothing’s changed following the consultation.

“You would hope that it would have had an impact on the proposal – but it’s going ahead as it was before.”

Cllr Thomas said:  “I will have a read of the email.”

He added that “maybe” he would need to speak with the Director of Education Dr Richard Jones and Head of Transforming Education Marianne Evans ahead of the Cabinet meeting once he has read Cllr Davies’ correspondence and has formed his own views on the proposal.

Decisions by Cabinet are the subject of call-in provisions set out in section seven of the council’s constitution.

This means that after a decision is taken councillors have five full working days to call in the decision for scrutiny.

At the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, October 21, the Cabinet will receive detailed comments made during the consultation on the proposal of splitting up Ysgol Calon Cymru.

Essentially this uncoupling would be done in two distinct phases, which are supposed to be completed by 2029.

The Builth Wells campus would become a new Welsh medium four to 18 all-through primary and secondary school.

While the Llandrindod Wells campus would provide English medium education and continue under the Ysgol Calon Cymru brand.

The idea is to plug a gap in Welsh medium education provision at high school level in Radnorshire and the council has said that they would invest in the infrastructure at the sites.