Castle Caereinion head urges rethink over school cuts

Castle Caereinion Primary School has 38 pupils

A head teacher has called for a rethink over council plans to shut his primary school near Welshpool in Powys.

Eleven schools with fewer than 30 pupils over the next three years could close under proposals by Powys council.

But Castle Caereinion's Huw Jones claims his pupil numbers will exceed 30 and says his school should be taken off the list.

Powys council said it would meet governing bodies to discuss the proposals.

After a meeting last month, council said it would meet the 11 small schools where pupil numbers were either below or projected to be below 30 over the next three years, and start "informal consultation".

Mr Jones claims his school does not meet the council's criteria for closure.

"We have 38 pupils at the moment and that is set to rise to 42 on 1 April," Mr Jones said.

"Our numbers will not fall below 30 during the next three years, so we have written to the council asking for our school to be removed off the list, and we've also asked for an apology."

Mr Jones said he had been told education officials would be looking at the issue.

A public meeting was held on Tuesday to launch an online petition, which is on the school's website.

Mr Jones also appealed to people there to write letters of objection to the council.

"At the beginning of the summer term for the next three years our numbers will total 42, 42 and 34, so based on that we're not in danger," he said.

A Powys Council spokesman said: "An analysis of pupil numbers in schools during the autumn term has shown that there are primary schools who currently have less than 30 pupils on role or who are projected to have less than 30 pupils in the next three years.

"Officers will be meeting with the schools and governing bodies to discuss the situation."

Jane Peate, the head of Pontrobert primary, near Welshpool, said her projected pupil numbers would not fall below 30 for the next three years.

She refused to comment further until after a meeting with the council in two weeks' time.

Meanwhile, parents and teachers at Nantmel primary school, near Rhayader, met to discuss the proposals on Tuesday.