Ysgol Pontfadog village school closes after 110 years

Ysgol Pontfadog has been open for 110 years

A village primary school is closing its doors for the final time later despite more than 1,300 objections.

Ysgol Pontfadog in Ceiriog Valley, near Wrexham, has been open for 110 years.

Glyntraian Community Council will bid for funding to run a public consultation on what to do with the site.

Wrexham councillors said at an emotionally-charged meeting last August they would close the primary school to save almost £100,000.

Wrexham County Borough Council said demand for English-medium education - where English is used as the main language by teachers, particularly where English is the mother tongue of pupils - was falling.

However, campaigners claimed most families in the area spoke English rather than Welsh and more than 1,300 objections were made against the plan to send pupils to the dual-language Ysgol Cynddelw two miles (3.2km) away.

'Consult widely'

The leader of Wrexham Council, Mark Pritchard, said the county council was willing to transfer the site to Glyntraian Community Council once they had agreed a suitable use.

Chairman Chris Futche said it wanted "to consult widely" on the options for future use of the site.

He added: "It will then be up to this council to decide the best option to put forward.

"It is they who will ultimately make the final decision based on whether the chosen proposal is financially viable, sustainable and meets the needs of the community as a whole."

The community council said it expected the consultation period to take up to five months.