Abersoch school will close despite impact on Welsh language

Gwynedd council members said it is not suitable to keep the school running when it is less than a quarter full

A small Gwynedd primary school will close despite concerns over the impact on the Welsh language.

Ysgol Abersoch's seven pupils will be transferred to Ysgol Sarn Bach from January 2022, as a result of Gwynedd council cabinet's decision.

The closure is expected to save the authority nearly £100,000.

School governors said they "will not give up the fight" and will appeal the council's decision to the Welsh government.

Until recently, 10 pupils were registered at the Llŷn school, but councillors were told numbers had dipped during current school year.

Education officers predicted there would be no major increase in pupil numbers. Educating each child currently costs £17,404 per pupil compared to the county average of £4,198 per pupil.

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'A very sad day'

Governors and former pupils at Ysgol Abersoch expressed disappointment about the decision.

Einir Wyn, whose grandmother was one of the first governors of the school, said today is "a very sad day" for Abersoch.

Eifiona Wood says the school will fight the council's decision

Eifiona Wood, vice chair of the board of governors at the school, described the closure as a "tremendous loss... impossible to quantity".

"The school is part of a parcel of the village, we actively engage with the hall, we have put on concerts, we are part of the fabric of village life."

She said they will appeal to the Welsh government, hoping to reverse the council's decision.

The decision left Margo Jones "speechless"

Margo Jones, chair of governors at Ysgol Abersoch, claimed the council had wanted to close the school for years.

"Other neighbouring schools are over capacity, that doesn't play into the picture."

Ms Jones said she expected more people to move to Gwynedd permanently in the coming years.

"The numbers of children in the village will increase. There won't be a school for them to go to," she said.

But council members were concerned that 21 of the 26 eligible children living in the catchment area attended schools other than Ysgol Abersoch.

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Welsh language fears

Welsh language campaigning group, Cymdeithas yr Iaith, said the council "ignored" its own evidence that closing the school "would have a negative effect on the Welsh language".

Local councillor Dafydd Meurig wanted reassurances over Welsh medium nursery groups: "To be honest, I feel the damage has largely been done by years of inward migration and the use of so many second homes.

"As a council, I'd like to see us take responsibility and do whatever we can to keep the Cylch Meithrin and Ti a Fi operational and through the medium of Welsh."

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Cllr Cemlyn Williams, Cabinet Member for Education, said he had "lost sleep" over the issue, but that the the two-year process had been a fair one.

The school closure will come into effect on 31 December.